Fijian cassava cake
Cassava and coconut cake
Dense, moist baked cake of grated cassava, coconut milk and sugar (tavioka)
In Fiji, cassava (tavioka) is everyday food, and grated sweet cassava cake turns up at village feasts, church bazaars and morning tea across Viti Levu. Fresh cassava is finely grated and baked with coconut milk, sugar, butter and a little vanilla into a heavy, chewy, golden cake that's cut into squares. It's naturally gluten free and keeps well for a couple of days. Chef's tip: squeeze some of the liquid out of freshly grated cassava; too wet and the cake stays gluey in the middle.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb fresh or frozen grated cassavathawed if frozen
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 7 oz sugar
- 2 ⅛ oz buttermelted
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 oz desiccated coconutfor the top
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and butter a 30 × 20 cm baking tin.
Step 2: If the cassava is fresh, peel it, remove the woody core and grate it finely. Squeeze handfuls of 2 ¼ lb fresh or frozen grated cassava over the sink to remove some (not all) of the liquid.
Step 3: Mix the cassava with 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, 7 oz sugar, 2 ⅛ oz butter, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract and ¼ tsp salt into a thick, pourable batter.
Step 4: Pour into the tin, smooth the top and scatter with 1 oz desiccated coconut.
Step 5: Bake for 55–65 minutes until the top is golden-brown and the edges pull away from the tin. It will still be soft; it firms as it cools. Common mistake: cutting it warm; let it cool for at least 1 hour so it sets into clean squares.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fijian cassava cake take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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