Cassava Cake recipe is a popular, easy to make, Filipino dessert made with grated cassava (yucca root) and young coconut meat or macapuno.
Cassava also know as yucca root is used in many Filipino dessert, to name a few of the popular ones like pichi pichi, cassava suman, and nilupak.
Cassava Cake was one of my mom's best seller and most ordered dessert when she had a catering business.
I was never a big fan of cassava cake when I was young. Seeing my mom's cook make it daily, I probably got tired of it.
Actually, I shouldn’t say I was not a fan of it. I liked the cake, but the topping was too sweet for my taste but everyone else raved about it.
It was one of my mom's give away during Christmas or when she had to talk to our teachers. I remember my mom delivering trays of cassava cake to all our teachers during the holiday. They loved it and cannot get enough of it.
When I moved to the States, it was after 25 years that I had it again. My cousin made it and it was delicious. It reminded me of my mom's cassava cake except for the topping.
My cousin used condensed milk while my mom’s topping was made with sugar and macapuno or young coconut meat. My brother likes my mom’s better, so it really depends on whose taste buds it is.
What is a cassava root
Cassava root also known as manioc, yuca or kamoteng kahoy. Cassava is a tuber or a starchy root vegetable that is abundant in the Philippines. It is a drought tolerant crop and grown in tropical regions.
The cassava root can be cooked and eaten whole like the Filipino minatamis na kamoteng kahoy (sweetened cassava). It can be grated and cooked as cassava cake, nilupak, pichi pichi and many more.
It is also the raw material used to make tapioca (sago in Tagalog) and cassava flour. The cassava root is gluten-free, grain-free and nut-free.
One thing to note, don’t eat raw cassava, it can be poisonous, but if properly prepared and cooked, it is safe to eat.
Cassava cake video
Today, I am making my cousin’s recipe. It is simple and easy to make cassava cake recipe. In my video, I only made half of the recipe using a pyrex measuring 7 ½ x 5 ½.
You can get all the ingredients in any Asian stores. If you like to use fresh cassava, you could but you have to peel and grate it. Honestly, I prefer using frozen grated cassava and coconut meat since it is more convenient.
On our Christmas gathering, if it is available I usually request my Aunt to save a few slices to take with me. Hmm, from not being a fan, now there are days I crave it.
If you are looking for easy, light and not too sweet cassava cake recipe, try this one. You might like it.
Want to learn how to make it, watch my short video.
Try other easy cassava desserts (kakanin) recipe
Cassava Suman
Nilupak
Pichi Pichi
Recipe
Cassava Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ¾ cup sugar
- 16 ounces or 1 pound frozen grated cassava
- 1 cup grated young coconut meat or grated macapuno
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
- 1 can condensed milk
Instructions
- Melt butter in microwave or sauce pan and let it cool.
- In a bowl, combine grated cassava, sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, coconut meat and butter. Mix well.
- Pour mixture in a baking pan or pyrex measuring 8 ½ x 6 ½.
- Bake for 40 minutes at 325 degrees F until golden brown.
- Original recipe calls for 1 can condensed milk, but I used only ¾ can. After baking for 30 minutes, remove cassava cake from oven and spread condensed milk evenly on top of cassava cake until it caramelizes.
- Continue baking for another 10 minutes. Five minutes before it is done, switch the dial to broil. Broil for 5 minutes. Note: Stay close by since topping can easily burn. Some areas of topping will be lighter or darker and that's normal.
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