[Filipino Recipes] Cassava Cake

The Filipinos – my peeps – make a wonderfully chewy sweet cake known simply as cassava cake (consequently, it’s gluten-free). Before the dawn of the internet, I thought we were the only culture who made cakes out of this root crop. But I eventually learned that other countries also had the same swell idea: Brazil (calls them bolo de macaxeira), Colombia and Panama (calls them enyucado de coco), Singapore and Malaysia (calls them kuih ubi kayu), Fiji (calls them vakalavalava). We were not alone!

The Filipino-style cassava cake yields a dense and glutinous (though it is gluten-free) base cake, cloaked in a creamy topping, which is sometimes broiled to attain a burnt patina.

This version is not too sweet (just the way I like it), and let me tell you, it can’t be any easier making this Filipino dessert! Perhaps this is why it never fails to make an appearance in most Filipino parties – and everyone has their own version!

So, if you have South or Central American, Malaysian, Indonesian, or Polynesian friends, maybe you can have a cassava cake cook-off!

Cassava Cake

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

A Filipino-style cassava cake that's not cloyingly sweet.
Recipe Type: Dessert
Serves: 9" x 13" cake

Ingredients

~~ For the cake base ~~
2 packs (900 g) frozen grated cassava, defrosted
¼ cup (62 ml) butter, melted
½ can (150 ml) condensed milk
½ can (185 ml) evaporated milk
6 tablespoons mild American Cheddar cheese
14 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
~~ For the topping ~~
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
½ can (150 ml) condensed milk
2 tablespoons mild American Cheddar cheese
1 can (400 ml) coconut milk

Instructions

1. To make the cake base, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and grease an 9" x 13" baking tray.

2. Combine grated cassave, melted butter, condensed milk, evaporated milk, cheese, sugar, and egg in a large bowl. Mix well.

3. Stir in the coconut milk, then pour the batter on the prepared pan.

4. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

5. To make the topping, combine sugar and tapioca flour in a sauce pan over medium heat.

6. Pour in condensed milk and mix thoroughly.

7. Add cheese and coconut milk, stirring continuously for about 10 minutes, until thick and bubbly.

8. Pour topping over cassava cake and spread evenly using a spatula.

9. Broil at 450 F (235 C) on middle rack until the top turns golden or amber brown. Make sure to watch the cake as it can turn brown very quickly.

10. Cool before cutting or serving.

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Tartineandapronstrings.com. Thanks so much!