Cassava Cake: Filipino Coconut Cassava Dessert
Recipe Guy
Filipino dessert | Coconut custard | Potluck sweet
Grated cassava gives this cake a chewy center beneath a thin coconut custard topping. Condensed milk sweetens both layers, while butter rounds out the base. The golden surface is appealing, but a fully cooked center matters just as much.
Why make it: This version uses frozen grated cassava and an oven-baked custard topping so U.S. home cooks can make the party dessert without grating from scratch.
Fresh From the Kitchen
These photos show the colors, textures, and serving style to look for when making Cassava Cake.
About This Recipe
Frozen grated cassava keeps the preparation focused on mixing and baking. Thaw it completely so the coconut milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and butter can distribute evenly. This is a dense dessert with a distinct cassava texture, not a flour cake with a light crumb.
The topping combines condensed milk, coconut milk, and an egg yolk. It should form a separate finish over the base, with optional macapuno served alongside or on top. Cooling makes the difference between spooning out warm cake and cutting tidy squares.
Cooking Notes
- Break apart any compacted cassava after thawing before mixing it into the liquids. Dense clumps are harder to distribute once the batter is already in the baking dish.
- Bake the custard topping at 350 F until set and 160 F in the center. A golden surface is optional, not a doneness test; do not broil the parchment-lined pan.
Ingredient Notes
For cassava
Use commercially prepared grated cassava with directions suitable for cake baking. Thaw in the refrigerator and follow its draining and minimum cooking instructions. If directions are absent, ask the manufacturer before use. Do not substitute fresh root or treat freezing as detoxification.
For topping
A custard topping gives the glossy, golden finish many people expect.
Cassava Cake Recipe
This version uses frozen grated cassava and an oven-baked custard topping so U.S. home cooks can make the party dessert without grating from scratch.
Shopping List
- frozen grated cassava
- full-fat coconut milk: 400 ml for base plus 1/2 cup for topping
- sweetened condensed milk: one 14-ounce/397 g can for base plus 1/2 cup for topping; buy two cans
- evaporated milk
- eggs
- parchment paper and a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan
- butter
- macapuno optional
Ingredients
Cassava Base
- 2 pounds commercially prepared frozen grated cassava from a reputable supplier, intended for cake-making; thaw in the refrigerator and follow package preparation and minimum cooking directions
- 400 ml full-fat coconut milk for the base
- 1 can (14 ounces/397 g) sweetened condensed milk for the base
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Custard Topping
- 1/2 cup condensed milk
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 egg yolk
For Serving
- Macapuno strings, optional
- Coffee or tea
Instructions
- Check the commercially prepared cassava package and follow all preparation and minimum cooking instructions. Heat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan with parchment rated for this oven temperature. Do not use a broiler with parchment.
- Mix thawed cassava with the base's 400 ml coconut milk, 397 g condensed milk, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 2 eggs, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Spread evenly in the pan.
- Bake about 55 to 70 minutes, or longer if the package requires it, until the base is set all the way to the center with no liquid batter or raw cassava paste on a center skewer. Set edges or a browned surface alone are not enough.
- Whisk the topping's 1/2 cup condensed milk, 1/2 cup coconut milk, and egg yolk. Spread over the fully baked base.
- Return to the 350 F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the custard topping is set and reaches 160 F. Total baking is approximately 70 to 90 minutes, sometimes longer; these cues do not replace the cassava package's required cooking.
- Cool on a rack and refrigerate within 2 hours to finish cooling. Cut fully cooled cake into 12 squares. Serve optional macapuno on top, not mixed into this base.
Nutrition Estimate
Approximate nutrition for 1 square (one-twelfth of the cake). Includes all custard topping, divided into twelve equal squares. Optional macapuno and drinks are excluded. Calculated from published food data, not laboratory tested; brands and portions vary.
Tips For The Best Cassava Cake
- Cool fully: Warm cassava cake slices messily.
- Bake the topping: Keep the oven at 350 F and check its center, not just its color. Do not broil parchment.
- Use full-fat coconut milk: It gives better texture.
- Cut small squares: The dessert is rich and chewy.
How To Serve And Store
Serve briefly at room temperature or chilled. Refrigerate within 2 hours of baking, or 1 hour above 90 F, and use within 4 days.
Common Questions
Can I use fresh cassava?
No. Use the specified commercially prepared grated cassava and its required cooking directions. This recipe does not supply or validate home detoxification of fresh roots.
Can I add macapuno?
Serve macapuno strings as the optional topping. Do not fold an unmeasured amount and its syrup into this batter; that would change moisture and baking time.
Why is it watery?
The cassava may not have baked long enough.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, tightly wrapped, though the texture softens slightly.
Can I slice cassava cake while it is warm?
It will be harder to get clean squares. Let the cake cool completely before cutting, as directed, then wipe the knife between slices to keep the sticky custard topping from dragging across the next piece.
Can cassava flour replace the frozen grated cassava?
Not as a direct swap in this formula. The base is built around thawed grated cassava, including its moisture and texture. A flour version would need its own liquid proportions and baking instructions.
Do you like cassava cake plain or with macapuno? Share your family version or testing notes in the comments.
Recipe inspiration and technique reference: Filipino dessert and bakery source research from Panlasang Pinoy, Kawaling Pinoy, The Dusky Kitchen, and Filipino-American dessert sources in the site roadmap.
Technique and food-safety references: foodstandards.gov.au; panlasangpinoy.com; fda.gov; reynoldsbrands.com.
