Name: Bibingkang Cassava (Cassava Cake)
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Yield: Makes one 8 x 8-in. cake
Ingredients: 4 egg yolks, beaten; One 1-lb (500 g) package frozen grated cassava, thawed; 1 cup (250 g) jarred macapuno coconut strings, or sweetened shredded coconut; 1½ cups (375 ml) canned unsweetened coconut milk; ½ cup (125 ml) sweetened condensed milk; 4 egg whites; ¼ cup (65 ml) sweetened condensed milk

Active Time
10 minutes
Total Time
1 hour, 15 minutes

The term bibingka usually refers to a certain variety of sweet Filipino cakes made from rice flour, though cassava (yuca) root can also be used to make a sweet and rich bibingka as well. In the United States, fresh cassava root can easily be found in Asian or Latin markets and sometimes in larger grocery stores. However, to save time and effort, I do prefer to use frozen grated cassava. Don’t be alarmed by the absence of flour in this cake recipe. Because of the high starch content in cassava, it alone will be able to absorb the liquid and transform into a sweet and soft cake that may be the easiest dessert you’ll ever make.

Ingredients

Makes one 8 x 8-in. cake

For the cake:

4 egg yolks, beaten

One 1-lb (500 g) package frozen grated cassava, thawed

1 cup (250 g) jarred macapuno coconut strings, or sweetened shredded coconut

1½ cups (375 ml) canned unsweetened coconut milk

½ cup (125 ml) sweetened condensed milk

For the topping:

4 egg whites

¼ cup (65 ml) sweetened condensed milk

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2
To make the cake, combine the egg yolks, cassava, macapuno (or shredded coconut, if using), coconut milk and the ½ cup sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and mix well.
Step 3
Pour the cake batter into a greased 8 x 8-in (20 x 20-cm) cake pan. The cake batter will appear to be very loose and wet at this point, but don’t worry, the cassava will absorb most of the liquid during baking. Place the cake pan into the oven and bake until the top of the cake appears dry and no liquid is floating on the surface, 45–60 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, to make the topping, whisk together the egg whites and the ¼ cup (65 ml) sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl until very well incorporated. Although you are using egg whites, don’t be concerned with making a foam or a meringue, just mix until combined.
Step 5
Remove the cake from the oven and evenly pour the topping onto the cake. Return the cake to the oven and bake until the topping sets, about 10 minutes more.
Step 6
Remove the cake from the oven and rest the cake in its pan on a cooling rack. Cool the cake completely before cutting it into squares. The cassava cake can be served at room temperature, or cold out of the refrigerator.

The Adobo Road cookbook cover with a photo of cooked chicken wings in a bowl.

Leave a Review

Reviews (9)

Excellent recipe, tastes exactly like how my Filipino relatives made it, even though it doesn't use rice flour. I rather liked how easy it was to make (just put ingredients into a bowl, mix, and put into oven). The only critique my mom had was that she was used to the top being brown after coming out of the oven, likely due to some caramelization, but I've seen it both white-topped and brown-topped. To clarify, this is similar to a cheese"cake" and an ice cream "cake" that it doesn't have the consistency of a traditional cake. As the previous user mentioned it has a texture more similar to a heavy custard rather than a pastry cake, which is how it's intended to be, similar to a cheesecake. I'd vaguely compare the taste to a coconut custard pie, but thicker.
- JayDee
- 9/19/2021
I made this recipe exactly as written. It is pleasantly coconutty, but the texture is more like thick custard than cake. I would not make it again.
- coester
- Bremerton, WA
- 6/14/2021
Don't pay attention to HIMMTER's low rating. He/she obviously didn't make the recipe. This recipe is very similar to my family's recipe. It's a hit at parties. I always get rave reviews and repeated requests to make this dessert from my non-Filipino friends.
- Anonymous
- 3/27/2021
We have the same cake in Brazil (bolo de aipim), except that sometimes we add grated cheese to the batter and we usually top it with caramel, like a flan. I'm excited to try the Filipino version.
- deborahlou
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 8/17/2020
HIMTER6220 - why leave lowly rated review just to make a suggestion? Did you even make this recipe?
- Anonymous
- Boston, MA
- 8/12/2020
Using fresh cassava is always better. Frozen grated cassava develops a rubbery cake and should only be used as a last resort. Made lots of cassava cake and intend to do more!
- himter6220
- toronto canada
- 8/11/2020
Tasty
- Vicky
- 11/4/2022