Cassava cake is a popular creamy dessert in many Asian countries and only contains a few ingredients. We’ll show you how to make this delicious, melt-in-your-mouth treat!
Cassava is a root vegetable, similar in shape and size to a sweet potato, with a lighter color. It is a perennial plant and a staple food in many tropical countries — the leaves of the plant can also be boiled and eaten. It is full of nutrients such as fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamin C and can be cooked in a variety of ways such as boiling, baking, frying, or steaming.
Large-scale production of this crop can be unsustainable due to soil degradation and habitat destruction — forests are often cleared to make way for cassava plantations. These impacts can be reduced by reducing soil disturbance, planting mixed crops, reducing the usage of chemical pesticides, crop rotation, and growing a layer of vegetation over the soil. On the plus side, cassava can grow in difficult areas such as poor quality or dry soils and can be harvested at any time, making it very durable. It is also believed that it will adapt well to increasing temperatures caused by climate change.
One of the ways cassava is enjoyed traditionally in the Philippines and Indonesia ist as cassava cake, a creamy and delicious, gluten-free dessert.
Cassava Cake: About the Ingredients
This creamy cassava cake is made from grated cassava (which you can find in the frozen food section in most Asian food stores), coconut milk, sugar, and eggs. Fresh cassava can be difficult to find in the US, but frozen will work a treat in this recipe!
In this recipe, we will use a ripe banana as a vegan egg substitute to help bind the cake and make the ingredients stick together when baking. Make sure to use vegan sugar, as surprisingly many aren’t. Find vegan sugar brands here: Is Brown Sugar Vegan? The Truth & Vegan Sugar Brands
Check out how to make the perfect vegan cassava cake.
Cassava Cake: Vegan Recipe
(Foto: CC0 / Pixabay / Bintang_Galaxy)
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 1 tbsp. vanilla essence
- 2 cups fresh or frozen and thawed grated cassava
- 1 mashed ripe banana
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
Instructions:
- Put the coconut milk, caster sugar, salt, vanilla essence, grated cassava, and mashed banana in a mixing bowl and mix well.
- Put the mixture in a 9-inch pan, lined with a parchment paper substitute, and bake at 350°F for forty-five minutes, until firm.
- Allow to cool, or chill in the refrigerator.
- For the Indonesian cassava cake, sprinkle desiccated coconut on the top. Cut into equal-sized cubes and serve.
This sticky cassava cake can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled, with fruit on the top such as strawberries or blueberries or delicious vegan ice cream. It also goes well with fair trade coffee or tea. If you prefer something less sweet you can add grated homemade vegan cheese to the top, instead of desiccated coconut.
Read more:
- Sweet Potato vs. Russet Potato: Which Is Best?
- To Eat or Not to Eat? How to Tell When Potatoes Are Bad
- Storing Potatoes: 8 Tips to Keep Them Fresh for Months
Do you like this post?