Easy Caribbean Cassava Pone Recipe: Spiced Coconut and Cassava Cake
This beginner-friendly Caribbean-style cassava pone is a dense, tender baked dessert made with thawed grated cassava, creamy coconut milk, brown sugar, and fragrant cinnamon and nutmeg. It is egg-free, naturally gluten-free when made with certified gluten-free ingredients, and especially good once fully cooled and sliced.
Servings 12
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen grated cassava thawed (907 g)
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk 13.5 ounces (400 mL; about 1 2/3 cups)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar 200 g
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut 85 g
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, plus more for the pan (57 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 mL
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2.6 g
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg 1 g
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 3 g
- 1 tablespoon dark rum optional (15 mL)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously butter a 9-inch square baking pan, then line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy lifting.
- Place the thawed grated cassava in a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towel and squeeze out excess liquid. It does not need to be completely dry, but it should not be dripping wet.
- In a large bowl, stir together the squeezed cassava, coconut milk, brown sugar, shredded coconut, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and optional rum until the sugar is evenly distributed and no dry pockets remain.
- Scrape the thick batter into the prepared pan and level the surface. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the center feels firm when gently pressed. A toothpick may not come out completely clean because pone is moist and dense.
- Set the pan on a wire rack and cool completely, at least 2 hours. For the neatest slices, refrigerate the cooled pone for 1 hour before lifting it from the pan and cutting into 12 squares. Serve at room temperature or lightly warmed.