Another festive treat from the Philippines, cassava cake is a common dessert.
Cassava is also known as manioc and yucca. Rich in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C, this starchy vegetable is native to South America and is eaten in many tropical regions of the world.
Once boiled, this root has a delicate flavour and can replace boiled potatoes in many dishes. It's often made into puree or dumplings or cooked in soups and stews. Tapioca and foufou (found in Africa) are made from the cassava root flour, which is also known as tapioca flour.
Cassava Used Around the World
Apparently, in Bermuda a cassava pie (with layers of chicken and pork) is a traditional Christmas dish. While in the southern Indian state of Kerala, boiled cassava is often eaten with fish curry or meat and frequently mixed with meat to make kappa biryani. And in Indonesia, it's used in a dessert called kolak or kolek – palm sugar, coconut milk and pandanus leaf are cooked together with cassava. The dessert is served either hot or cold and is popular during the holy month of Ramadan
Other holiday delights from this section include: Pineapple Christmas Tarts, Cashew Nut Cookies, Festive Asian Appetizers, Celebratory Sweets , Christmas Drinks with an Asian Spin and Filipino Rice Cakes.
If you're seeking some terrific gift cookbooks, take a look at Periplus Edition's Authentic Recipes series.
Here are two cassava recipes, one using fresh ingredients and the other, frozen.
CHRISTMAS CASSAVA CAKE
Ingredients
- 2 lbs grated cassava
- 14 oz can coconut milk
- 13 oz can coconut cream
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 12 oz. can evaporated milk
- 1 cup grated coconut
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg whites
Topping:
- Sweetened condensed milk
- 3 egg yolks
- vanilla and lemon flavoring to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- In large bowl, combine the cake ingredients, reserving 1/3 of the condensed milk for topping. Mix well.
- Pour equally into two large greased rectangular pans.
- Bake until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Mix topping ingredients - the reserved sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and flavourings - and spread evenly on the two cakes.
- Bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cool cakes completely and cut each cake into squares.
CASSAVA CAKE NO. 2
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen grated cassava
- 1 package grated coconut
- 1/4 cup margarine, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/2 cans evaporated milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2/3 to ¾ cup sugar
- granulated sugar
Directions
- Cream the margarine and sugar, add egg and then the cassava and coconut.
- Blend in the evaporated milk.
- Spread in a greased pan. Bake in a 300°F oven for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle granulated sugar and some sweet grated coconut on top.
- Cool before cutting in squares.
