March 5, 2010

Cassava Pone (recipe)

This post was originally published on November 5, 2008. It has been updated once since then.

Mmm pone. A sinfully sweet childhood memory. Not a pudding, not a cake, but something somewhere in between. Pones are usually made from root vegetables. You can also make them with carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. This time around I decided to try my hand at a popular local version made from cassava. Cassava is intriguing in that although it appears excessively dry when in its raw state, once baked it melts and morphs into a wonderful ‘gelatinous gloop’ 😆

As a lazy, modern lady, I decided to buy my cassava pre-peeled and frozen.

I saved even more time by handing the duty of grating over to J 😆 Boys as human food processors?Who knew! 😆 …. Alll I really had to do at this point was mix and stir 🙂 That’s the lovely thing about pone, it’s pretty much foolproof. The only thing you have to worry about is overbaking it. You don’t want it to dry out, as part of the decadence, is the creamy, moist texture.

Follow these instructions to the tee and your batter may seem slightly fluid when the oven timer goes off. Have no fear, as long as there is a good crust, and the batter is more like firm jello, than milk you should be alright. Make sure to let the pone cool completely before cutting. All will be well 🙂

Cassava Pone

Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1 lb. raw cassava grated
½ tsp. nutmeg or mace
½ pack dried coconut flakes
2 cups hot water
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp, ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

METHOD:

1. Combine cassava with milk, sugar and spices and mix well.
2. Add raisins (if using), coconut, hot water and melted butter.
3. Mix briskly and taste for sweetness desired.
4. Add more sugar if necessary, pour into greased Pyrex dish. (This time around I used a non-stick baking pan. As it was black I lowered the temperature from 375 to 350 F.)

5. Bake at 375 F for 45 – 50 minutes

6. Let cool and cut into slices or cubes to serve.

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