Kueh Bengka Ubi Kayu

Baked Tapioca Cake

My mother made this frequently. Each time she baked this, she would never fail to
mention that during the Second World War, they all survived on yam (keladi) and tapioca
(ubi kayu). There is a saying in our home: “tanam keladi”, which means to bury in soil
along with yam—a metaphor for meeting one’s passing.

makes 12 servings

1.5 kg or3¼ pounds fresh
tapioca, skinned

115 g or 4 ounces grated coconut
450 g or 1 pound white sugar
½ teaspoon salt

1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1½ cups coconut milk (or milk
squeezed from 2 coconuts)

2 to 3 tablespoons butter, softened

1.   Grate the tapioca and squeeze dry to extract the liquid.
Discard the liquid.

2.   Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees F.

3.   Combine the grated tapioca, grated coconut, white
sugar, salt, egg, vanilla essence and coconut milk. Mix well.

4.   Grease a cake tin, 20 by 20 cm or 8 by 8 inches, with half
of the butter. Line with parchment paper. Pour the batter
into the tin. Dot all over the surface with the remaining
butter.

5.   Bake for 10 minutes until the top layer is light golden
brown. Cover the top with a tin foil and lower the oven
temperature to 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees F.
Bake for another hour or until a paring knife inserted into
the kueh comes out clean.

6.   Remove the cake tin and leave on a wire rack to cool
completely before serving.

284  Growing Up in a Nonya Kitchen ~ Sweet Rewards