Rapadura (Brazilian sugarcane blocks)
Sugarcane juice boiled down and beaten until it sets into fudgy brown blocks
Rapadura is the sweet of the Brazilian Northeast, made since colonial times in the small sugar mills of Pernambuco, Paraíba and Ceará. Fresh cane juice is boiled down for hours and beaten until it sets into dense golden-brown bricks, sold at every feira and roadside stall and carried by farm workers as quick energy. It is eaten after lunch with a cup of coffee, with farinha or a slice of queijo coalho, and chopped onto the tables of the June festivals. The texture is firm but crumbly, like a hard fudge, and the flavour is deep caramel with a faint grassy note of cane. It is naturally egg-free: nothing binds it but sugar, which crystallises as you beat the hot syrup and sets the block. Use fresh or frozen sugarcane juice; peanuts or coconut make popular variations. Chef's tip: beat until the syrup loses its shine and turns thick and opaque; the common mistake is pouring too soon, which leaves a sticky toffee instead of a block.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 12 ½ cups sugarcane juicefresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 tsp neutral oilfor the moulds
- 3 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts (optional)roughly chopped, for rapadura de amendoim
- 2 ⅞ oz freshly grated coconut (optional)for rapadura de coco
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What you'll need
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Lightly oil a 20 x 15 cm tin or small wooden or silicone brick moulds with 1 tsp neutral oil.
Step 2: Strain 12 ½ cups sugarcane juice through a fine sieve into a wide, heavy pan. Bring to the boil over a high heat.
10 minStep 3: Boil steadily for 60-75 minutes, skimming off the grey foam that rises during the first 20 minutes, until the juice has reduced to a dark golden syrup with big, slow bubbles.
70 minStep 4: Lower the heat to medium and stir constantly until the syrup reaches 120-250°F (firm-ball stage); a drop in cold water forms a firm ball that holds its shape.
8 minStep 5: Take the pan off the heat. Stir in 3 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts or 2 ⅞ oz freshly grated coconut now, if using.
Step 6: Beat the syrup hard with a wooden spoon for 3-5 minutes, until it loses its gloss, turns thick, opaque and slightly grainy and starts to drag on the spoon.
5 minStep 7: Quickly pour into the prepared tin or moulds and smooth the top before it sets. Leave for 30 minutes, until firm and cool.
30 minStep 8: Turn out and cut into bars. Wrap in baking paper and keep in a dry tin for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 43 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rapadura (Brazilian sugarcane blocks) take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 90 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
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