TAPIOCA CAKE

As delicate as much of Vietnamese cuisine, this cake is mildly fragrant from the
coconut cream and not overbearingly sweet.

INGREDIENTS

Tapioca

Coconut cream
Condensed milk
Vanilla essence (extract)
Sugar
Salt
Butter

1 kg (2 lb 3 oz), washed, peeled and cut into
small pieces then blended until fine and pasty
200 ml (6½ fl oz)
3 tsp
½ tsp
100 g (3½ oz)
½ tsp
50 g (1⅔ oz)

METHOD

▪ Put tapioca paste into a cloth bag or fine strainer. Squeeze firmly to drain
out excess liquid. Use about 650 g (1 lb 6½ oz) of tapioca paste to make
cake. Reserve and refrigerate any remainder for future use.

▪ Put tapioca paste into a large bowl. Mix in coconut cream, condensed milk,
vanilla essence, sugar, salt and half the butter

▪ Melt remaining butter and use it to grease the base of a 20–25-cm (8–10-in)
round metal cake tin.

▪ Bake in oven preheated to 180C (350°F) for about 15 minutes or until
surface is golden brown.

▪ Remove cake from oven and leave to cool. Turn out cooled cake, then slice
and serve.

Cut a ring around the
tapioca root, then a
straight line from the ring
to one end. The hard brown
skin peels away easily.

Using muslin cloth, squeeze
blended or processed
tapioca to remove excess
liquid.

Melt butter in a non-stick
pan so that burning and
wastage are minimised.

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