by Donna Amis Davis

Thick Slices of Kalabasa Bread

One of our favorite uses for kalabasa is Kalabasa Spice Bread. It makes a great breakfast or snack. Loaded with spices, moist and yummy, you can forget you are eating something made of a vegetable.

Here’s the raw material – a common Philippine vegetable, kalabasa. Kalabasa are an excellent source of vitamin B, calcium, and vitamin A. Kalabasa squash is plentiful in the Philippines, and available all year round. In the U.S. and Japan it is called kabocha. In Indonesia, it is labu. In Mexico, calabaza. We use kalabasa as a substitute for pumpkin in baked goods.

Kalabasa Loaves Unsliced

Kalabasa Spice Bread

  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked, mashed squash
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. cloves
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. allspice
  • 1/2 to 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional, if desired
  • 2/3 cup oil
  • 2/3 cup water

Mix sugar, squash and eggs into an extra large bowl. Stir together dry ingredients in large bowl, then add to the sugar, squash and egg mixture. Alternate stirring in oil and water. Bake in two greased 8″x4″ bread pans for 1 hour 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes two loaves.

Serve hot with butter, or spread with cream cheese. Kalabasa Spice Bread keeps well in the refrigerator, and freezes well, too. I  like to keep a loaf in the freezer so I have something quick to serve guests who show up for impromptu business meetings at our house.

Kalabasa Bread With Nuts
(My recipe is adapted from the one published in SIL’s Plain and Fancy Cookbook. I’ve decreased the sugar and oil and made a few other small changes.)

Another great kalabasa recipe: Curry Squash Soup.

Donna Amis DavisRecipesby Donna Amis Davis One of our favorite uses for kalabasa is Kalabasa Spice Bread. It makes a great breakfast or snack. Loaded with spices, moist and yummy, you can forget you are eating something made of a vegetable. Here's the raw material - a common Philippine vegetable, kalabasa. Kalabasa are an...Author of the '60s SURF SHOP MYSTERIES and DIVE SHACK MYSTERIES