Baked Cassava / Tapioca Cake

A cake with a difference!  I was thrilled to find frozen grated cassava at one of the Asian shops here.  I was craving for this kuih while we were staying in Ampang and me being pregnant.  I remember I kept going to Sungei Wang shopping mall to look for the Malay store that was selling them.  After moving away from Kuala Lumpur, I never came across a store or shop that's selling this.  :-(

I used frozen cassava for this recipe.  It would be definitely better to use fresh grated cassava.  But I consider myself to be lucky as I'm able to get the frozen ones. :-)



Ingredients:

900g frozen grated cassave/tapioca

200g sugar

400ml (one can) thick coconut milk
1 egg, plus 1 egg york
20g butter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.  Line a 18cm square baking pan.

2. In a pot, pour in the coconut milk and warm it with medium-low heat.  Add in the butter and sugar.  Stir until the butter has melted and sugar dissolved.  DO NOT boil it.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg and egg york.  Add in the coconut milk mixture and whisk until well combine.  Finally add in the grated cassava and mix well using a wooden spoon.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about an hour or until the top has turned golden brown.

5. Cooled completely before cutting into slices.  It is best to be eaten on the same day.

:-)

Kuih Lapis (Coconut Layers Cake) with Sweet Potatoes

This is a variation from the tradition Malaysian Kuih Lapis with sweet potatoes added.  The natural orange colour from the orange sweet potatoes looks so pretty.  I made this in just four layers.  Though in the future I will make it only three layers with all the sweet potatoes' part on the top.   For the recipe of traditional kuih lapis, please click here.

After making this kuih lapis, I was wondering if the result is the same if I bake it instead of steaming it?  I will try one with cake base at the bottom and sweet potatoes on the top bake in the oven.  Hopefully it turn out good!  :-)

Ingredients:

1 can coconut cream, 400ml

140g Orange colour sweet potato, peeled and sliced

100ml water

80g rice flour

80g tapioca flour

130g sugar, more if you want it sweeter

1/2 tsp salt

Few drops pandan (screwpine) extract

Green food colouring

Square cake tin 19 x 19cm (I used a round one)

Method:

1.  Steam the sweet potato until tender for about 3 - 5 minutes.  Leave it to cool and then blend it until smooth.

2.  In a pot, mix together coconut cream, water, sugar and salt, in low heat just to dissolve the sugar.  Leave it to cool.

3.  Mix the coconut mixture with both flours and whisk gently until it's free of lump.  Divide the batter into three portions.

4.  Colour one portion green and add the pandan extract as well and mix well.    Add blended sweet potato to the 2nd portion and mix well.  The 3rd portion remain white.  The part with sweet potato will turn out softer and sweeter when it's done.

5.  Pour all the green colour portion in the cake tin and steam in a preheated steamer.  Steam for about 2 - 3 minutes.

6.  Later layer it with half of the orange portion and steam for another 2 minutes or so.

7.  Repeat the same step with the remaining white portion and the other half of orange portion until all are used up.

8.  Leave it to cool completely before cutting into shapes. 

Malaysian Kuih Lapis / Nine Layers Coconut Cake 九层糕

This is the kuih I would normally buy when I went to the market or whenever I saw them.  Just like a kid, I like to eat them layer by layer.  And my son, who also loves this kuih eats them the same way.  That's the fun part I guess?

If you could look at it closely, I made it just 8 layers.  I lost count after a while and was also too eager to find out the result as this was my second attempt.  The first attempt, about two years ago was unsuccessful as I cut all the ingredients into half except forgot to do the same with the coconut milk.  Well, of course the kuih turned  out too watery.....

Traditionally they are cut into diamond shape.  But of course they can be cut into rectangle or any shape you wish.



Ingredients:

2 cans coconut cream (400ml each can)
200ml water

180g rice flour

150g tapioca flour

250g sugar, more if you want it sweeter

1 tsp salt

few drops pandan essence

green, pink and red food colouring

Method:

1.  In a pot mix together coconut cream, water, sugar and salt, in low heat, just to dissolve the sugar.

2.  Mix the coconut mixture with both flour and whisk gently until it's free of lump.  Divide the batter into three portions.

3.  Colour one portion pink, another portion green which should mix with the pandan essence.  The third portion remain the original white colour.

4.  Pour one third of the green mixture into a 25cm tray or cake tin and steam in a preheated steamer.  Steam for about 3 minutes.

5.  Later layer it with one third of white colour mixture and steam for 3 minutes.  Do the same with the pink mixture until the last mixture. The last mixture should be pink, add a little red food colouring to it so that the last layer is red in colour.

6.  Leave it to cool completely before cutting into shapes.

Kuih Lenggang / Coconut wrapped in pancake



This kuih is one of Malaysia's delicacies.  I have to use desiccated coconut instead of freshly grated coconut as I can't get any here.  This kuih remind me of the Malay buka puasa stalls where lots of kuih are sold.  Instead of adding water in the pancake mixture, I add milk and coconut cream.

Ingredients:

Pancake:

130g flour

200ml milk (with 2 tbsp of coconut cream in it)

1/2 tsp salt

Pandan essence

1 egg

some green food colouring

oil/butter for brushing the pan

Filling:

3 cups desiccated coconut

2 tbsp palm sugar (gula Melaka)

4 tbsp brown sugar

6 tbsp coconut cream

pinch of salt

To Prepare:

1.  In a medium bowl whisk the egg, add in milk and then flour and salt.  Follow by pandan essence and green colouring.  Whisk well until smooth and free of lump.  Set aside.

2.  Heat the 6 tbsp of coconut cream and melt the palm sugar in it.  In another pan toast the desiccated coconut, stir until aromatic and a little bit brown.

3.  Add in the brown sugar, salt and the coconut cream mixture, stir until all the brown sugar has dissolved.

4.  Remove from pan and let cool.

5.  On a piece of pancake, put two heaps teaspoons of filling on it.  Roll it up as rolling a spring roll and it's ready to be served.