Chocolate Cassava Cake
Recipe Guy
Filipino | Desserts | Baking
Grated cassava gives this chocolate cake a chewy body quite different from a flour-based cake. Cocoa flavors both the base and topping, while chocolate chips add pockets of richness to a dessert that needs a full cool before slicing.
About This Recipe
The batter combines thawed grated cassava with coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and eggs. Those ingredients make a rich mixture, but the cassava supplies the defining texture. Keep it distinct from cassava flour, which is not the ingredient measured here.
Baking happens in two stages: the base starts first, followed by a condensed-milk, cocoa, and egg-yolk topping. The optional coffee belongs with the flavor additions, while optional cheese gives a salty finish. Let the completed cake cool before judging how neatly it will portion.
Ingredient Notes
Cassava
Use commercially prepared frozen grated cassava from a reputable supplier, labeled for use in baked cassava dishes. Follow all preparation and cooking requirements on its package. Freezing alone does not establish safe processing, and fresh raw root is not a substitute in this formula.
Coconut milk
Full-fat coconut milk gives the cake its rich kakanin texture.
Topping
A custardy topping plus cheese or coconut gives contrast to the chewy cassava base.
Cooking Notes
- Thaw the commercially prepared cassava in the refrigerator and follow its labeled preparation. Keep the two chocolate-chip portions separate: mini chips go into the base; the other chips are melted for the topping.
- Break up cocoa lumps before incorporating it into the wet mixture. Scrape the bowl thoroughly when folding in cassava so the chocolate flavor is distributed through the corners of the cake too.
Chocolate Cassava Cake Recipe
A chocolate cassava cake that keeps the chewy Filipino dessert texture while adding cocoa and chocolate chips.
Shopping List
- 1 pound commercially prepared frozen grated cassava suitable for baking, with preparation and cooking directions
- coconut milk
- evaporated milk
- condensed milk
- eggs
- butter
- vanilla
- sugar
- Cocoa powder: 1/3 cup for the base plus 2 tablespoons for the topping
- Chocolate chips: 1/3 cup mini chips for the base plus 1/3 cup chips for the topping
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee, optional
Ingredients
Cassava Base
- 1 pound commercially prepared frozen grated cassava, thawed in the refrigerator and prepared as its label directs; not fresh raw root or cassava flour
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 2/3 cup condensed milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
Flavor
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee, optional
Topping
- 1/3 cup condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
- Grated cheese, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch square metal pan at least 2 inches deep with baking parchment, leaving an overhang.
- Before mixing, confirm the cassava package permits baking and follow its required preparation. Thaw in the refrigerator; drain or squeeze only as directed by the manufacturer. If its instructions are missing or incompatible with this cake, select another suitable product. Never taste uncooked cassava or batter.
- Whisk only the base portions: 1 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 2/3 cup condensed milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Keep topping ingredients separate.
- Sift in the base's 1/3 cup cocoa powder and stir in the optional instant coffee. Fold in the prepared grated cassava and 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Spread the batter in the pan. Bake the base about 45-60 minutes, until it is set enough to support the topping with no liquid batter in the center. Continue longer if needed and meet the cassava manufacturer's required cooking instructions; this timing is not a validated fresh-root processing method.
- For the topping, gently warm its 1/3 cup condensed milk and 1/3 cup chocolate chips in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until the chips melt. Remove from the heat and whisk in the 2 tablespoons sifted cocoa. Let cool until just lukewarm, then whisk in the egg yolk; do not add the yolk to a hot pan.
- Spread the chocolate topping over the set base and add optional grated cheese if using. Bake at 350 F about 15-25 minutes more, until the topping is set, not runny, and reaches at least 160 F in the center on a thin-tip thermometer angled through the topping. Do not rely on the dark chocolate's color; loosely shield with foil if the surface darkens before it sets.
- Cool on a rack, then refrigerate within 2 hours of baking (within 1 hour in a room above 90 F). Finish cooling in the refrigerator before slicing so the squares hold their shape.
Nutrition Estimate
Approximate values per square based on the listed ingredients and yield. Actual nutrition will vary by brand, exact portion size, and cooking changes.
Tips For The Best Chocolate Cassava Cake
- Thaw fully: Frozen cassava must thaw before mixing so the batter bakes evenly.
- Follow the cassava label: Product preparation and cooking directions take priority over a generic draining or squeezing shortcut.
- Cool before cutting: Warm cassava cake can crumble or smear.
- Use a lined pan: Parchment makes clean removal easier.
How To Serve And Store
Serve small squares lightly chilled or let only the portions being served lose their chill. Keep the remaining cake refrigerated at 40 F or below and use within 4 days.
Common Questions
Can I use fresh cassava?
No fresh-root substitution is provided here. Peeling, grating, removing the core, or freezing does not by itself demonstrate that cassava's cyanogenic compounds have been reduced sufficiently. Use the specified commercially prepared product and its required cooking directions.
Can I skip cheese?
Yes. Use coconut, latik, or a plain custard topping instead.
How do I store it?
Refrigerate up to 4 days.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, tightly wrapped. Thaw in the refrigerator and warm gently.
Can cassava flour replace the frozen grated cassava?
Not in this formula. The recipe measures thawed grated cassava, which brings a different texture and moisture level. A flour substitution would need a separate formula rather than a cup-for-cup or weight-for-weight exchange.
Why do chocolate cassava squares smear when I cut them?
The cake may still be warm. Let it cool completely before slicing; cutting early drags the soft base and topping together instead of revealing a clean edge on each square.
Technique and food-safety references: foxyfolksy.com; foodstandards.gov.au; fda.gov.
