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Bibingkang Cassava (Cassava Cake)

4.3

(9)

Photo of a cassava cake cut into nine pieces with a serving utensil.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton

The term bibingka usually refers to a certain variety of sweet Filipino cakes made from rice flour, though cassava (yuca) root can also be used to make a sweet and rich bibingka as well. In the United States, fresh cassava root can easily be found in Asian or Latin markets and sometimes in larger grocery stores. However, to save time and effort, I do prefer to use frozen grated cassava. Don’t be alarmed by the absence of flour in this cake recipe. Because of the high starch content in cassava, it alone will be able to absorb the liquid and transform into a sweet and soft cake that may be the easiest dessert you’ll ever make.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hour, 15 minutes

  • Yield

    Makes one 8 x 8-in. cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

4 egg yolks, beaten
One 1-lb (500 g) package frozen grated cassava, thawed
1 cup (250 g) jarred macapuno coconut strings, or sweetened shredded coconut
1½ cups (375 ml) canned unsweetened coconut milk
½ cup (125 ml) sweetened condensed milk

For the topping:

4 egg whites
¼ cup (65 ml) sweetened condensed milk

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°F.

    Step 2

    To make the cake, combine the egg yolks, cassava, macapuno (or shredded coconut, if using), coconut milk and the ½ cup sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and mix well.

    Step 3

    Pour the cake batter into a greased 8 x 8-in (20 x 20-cm) cake pan. The cake batter will appear to be very loose and wet at this point, but don’t worry, the cassava will absorb most of the liquid during baking. Place the cake pan into the oven and bake until the top of the cake appears dry and no liquid is floating on the surface, 45–60 minutes.

    Step 4

    Meanwhile, to make the topping, whisk together the egg whites and the ¼ cup (65 ml) sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl until very well incorporated. Although you are using egg whites, don’t be concerned with making a foam or a meringue, just mix until combined.

    Step 5

    Remove the cake from the oven and evenly pour the topping onto the cake. Return the cake to the oven and bake until the topping sets, about 10 minutes more.

    Step 6

    Remove the cake from the oven and rest the cake in its pan on a cooling rack. Cool the cake completely before cutting it into squares. The cassava cake can be served at room temperature, or cold out of the refrigerator.

The Adobo Road cookbook cover with a photo of cooked chicken wings in a bowl.
From The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey by Marvin Gapultos, copyright © 2013. Reprinted with permission from Tuttle Publishing. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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