Taste Buds: Cassava Cake

When Chef and I went to the Asian store, we both went crazy just finding things that we were not used to seeing at Costco and Safeway. It was even quite extraordinary compared to the stuff I saw in the grocery stores of Manila. I mean, Asian stores here are a hoot! As we spent hours walking around, just grabbing things and telling ourselves we needed them, I found frozen grated cassava in the freezer. I instantly remembered how I loved cassava cake and instantly, there was a craving for it. So, I Googled the ingredients and found a couple of recipes online actually.

Here’s one that I found that I had to tweak because the recipe wasn’t quite clear enough. For example, it would say 1 can is needed but does not specify the size of the can. I had to stumble through it because of the lack of specifics, so what’s listed here is what I used, which, I must say, turned out to be soooo good. Chef, the one who’s not too fond of desserts, found this to have the perfect amount of sweetness.

Here’s what you’ll need for the actual cake:

2 packs grated cassava (about 2 lbs total weight)

1 1/2 cup coconut milk

3/4  evaporated milk

2 pieces raw egg

¼ cup butter, melted

6 tbsp mozzarella cheese, grated

½ cup condensed milk

14 tbsp sugar

For the topping:

1 1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp sugar

½ cup condensed milk

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp mozzarella cheese, grated

egg white of 1 piece of egg

Here’s how you do it:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated cassava, butter, condensed milk, evaporated milk, cheese, sugar, and eggs. Mix this thoroughly. Add the coconut milk and mix again.

Pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees F. Grease the baking tray and pour the batter in it. Bake the batter for about 1 hour.

For the topping, combine the sugar and flour in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix this as the sugar melts. Once the sugar has melted, add the condensed milk and continue mixing. Add the cheese, still with constant stirring. Add the coconut milk and stir for 10 minutes.

Pour the topping over the baked cassava cake and spread evenly. Broil for approximately 5 minutes when the topping has settled. Take the cake out and glaze the topping with the egg white using a basting brush. Continue to broil until the color of the topping turns light brown. This is ready to be served immediately. Garnish with grated cheese.