Cassava cake is a popular dessert in the Philippines. It is common to see cassava cake stores along the highway as it became a staple pasalubong at home or something to bring to a gathering.
In this recipe article, you’ll learn how to make cassava cake at home so you can have it anytime you crave for it.
We will also be sharing some trivia about this dessert and its main ingredient, as well as some variations you could try for the cake topping.
What is Cassava Cake?
Cassava cake is a Filipino dessert made up of mainly grated cassava, milk, and coconut milk. It’s usually made up of the main cake and a custard topping.
It is mainly known in the areas of Quezon province, especially in the municipality of Lucban because it is where it is commonly made.
About Cassava
source: wikimedia.org
I discovered that cassava is known by names like manioc, yuca, kamoteng kahoy, balinghoy/balanghoy, and tapioca (starch form). You might also encounter these names when looking for cassava.
Cassava, is a root crop which originally came from South America and it was introduced to us during one of the trades or what is called galleon back in the 16th century.
Presently, it is one of the main crops grown here in the Philippines. It can be boiled, and it can be turned into flour or starch for a number of baking purposes.
There are many Filipino foods and delicacies that use cassava as the main ingredient like Pichi-Pichi, Suman, Nilupak, Bibingka, and of course the cassava cake.
In addition to why this is popular is because of the benefits it can give to your health. Cassava is known to be rich in vitamins.
It is a good source of vitamin C which can boost your overall immunity, and vitamin K, which promotes healthier blood flow and healthier bones.
So with all this in check, what are you waiting for? Let’s go and try to make cassava cake!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Fresh cassava
You can use fresh cassava as the ingredient, but take note that it has to be used as soon as possible to achieve a delicious taste for your cassava cake. If that’s not the case, you can also get the ones which are frozen since it has a longer shelf life.
Coconut Milk
To create flavor and richness, we will be using a hefty amount of coconut milk or gata. To understand this ingredient better read our article here: Gata Vs Kakang Gata.
Milk
For this dish, we won’t be using a regular milk but a combination of canned evaporated milk and condensed milk. For better results, make sure you use the ‘milk’ and not the ‘creamer’ (e.g. Evaporada or Condensada).
Cheese
As a cheese lover, when it comes to cassava cake, the cheesier the better! We will be using processed cheddar cheese for this recipe and sample brands are Eden, Cheezee, Danes, Ques-O, and the likes.
Aside from these, we will also be using other regular pantry ingredients like sugar, eggs, and all-purpose flour. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Oven- Cassava cake is cooked by baking. We will be needing a conventional oven for this. Any size will do as long as it will fit your baking pan/ tray.
- Sauce pan- aside from the oven, we will be needing a sauce pan to cook the topping of the cake. You won’t be making much so a small size will do.
- Baking pan/ tray- This baking pan will serve as mold and a vessel of your cassava cake while we are baking it. We usually use a rectangular pan for this.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How To Make Cassava Cake
There is completely nothing to worry about as the ingredients needed in making your delicious cassava cake at home is super easy to find, you probably have at least one, if not all, at your disposal right now.
Now this will consist of two processes: (1) making the base of the cake and (2) making the topping.
For the base, of course–the most important one–we will need grated cassava, coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, eggs, brown sugar, butter or margarine, and cheese.
And for the toppings, we will need all-purpose flour, and coconut milk.
First up, the base. Combine all the ingredients mentioned for the base and put it in one large mixing bowl. You can use a whisk in mixing all of these ingredients until it looks nice and evenly distributed.
This will only take a couple of minutes, so no worries.
Next, set up a baking tray and grease it with oil. You can simply spread the oil as you like or pour about 1 teaspoon of oil and spread it evenly in the baking tray.
Remember that the tray has to be preheated before we can put the base mixture into it. Once the tray has been preheated, all that’s left to do now is to bake it!
While waiting for the base to be prepared, we can now deal with the toppings. Again, we will need the all-purpose flour, sugar, egg yolks, coconut milk and condensed milk.
Place them in a pan and mix them thoroughly until we can achieve an even consistency. You can cook it in low heat while doing this until it gets thick.
Now when the base has finished baking. We can now pour the toppings over the base and spread. Once you do this, bake the cake once again until the top turns into a nice shade of golden brown.
And that’s it! An easy homemade cassava cake, ready to be served.
Some Variations You Could Try
- For some additional flavor to your cassava cake, it is also a good idea to add macapuno in your base mixture.
- And another thing we can do after the cassava cake is baked is to add extra grated cheese at the top to make things a little bit more fancy and presentable.
How to Store and Reheat Cassava Cake
It is best to finish up your cassava cake before a span of 3 days so we can still enjoy its full flavor. Remember to store it in the refrigerator, preferably covered, if it is intended to be kept for a longer time.
To reheat, I recommend that you use a steamer. You will just steam the cake for about 3 to 5 minutes and it’s ready. You can also use a microwave oven to reheat. Make sure to watch the time to avoid overcooking and making the cake rubbery.
Other Filipino Desserts
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Cassava Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
- Sauce Pan
Ingredients
For the Cake Base
- 1 kg (35 oz) cassava, grated (fresh or frozen)
- 600 ml (20 oz) coconut milk (gata)
- 1 can (370 ml or 12.5 oz) evaporated milk
- 1/2 can (310 ml or 10.5 oz) condensed milk
- 2 pcs eggs, beaten
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
- 1/2 cup cheese, (processed cheddar cheese like Eden/ Ques-O/ Cheezee)
For the Toppings
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 pcs egg yolks, beaten
- 200 ml (6.7 oz) coconut milk (gata)
- 1/2 can (310 ml or 10.5 oz) condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven at 180 C or 356 F.
- Prepare all the cake base ingredients and place them in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly until evenly distributed.
- Pour-in the mixture in a greased baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the topping ingredients and place them in a saucepan.
- Mix thoroughly until even in consistency.
- Cook in low heat until sauce thickens.
- When ready, remove the cassava cake from the oven then pour the topping sauce on top.
- Distribute evenly then place the tray back in the oven.
- Bake at 220 C or 428 F for 15 more minutes or until the top turns golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then transfer to a serving plate. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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