Cassava Cakes

Cassava cakes are usually made in Asian kitchens whose traditions are more of the rice cake varieties. In the Philippines, where it is ordinary, cassava cake is a moist, tender cake with a light translucent color swirled with hints of caramel (from the sugar, coconut milk and butter). Its texture is a bit sticky but firm due to the cooked cassava, sometimes accentuated by thick strands of fresh coconut.

The cassava cake does not have flour or baking powder on its ingredients list. Instead, it is the cassava itself that acts as the binder, flour, and main ingredient. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, "cassava (Manihot esculenta), also called manioc, mandioc or yuca,  is a tuberous edible plant of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) from the American tropics. It is cultivated throughout the tropical world for its tuberous roots, from which cassava flour, breads, tapioca, a laundry starch, and even an alcoholic beverage are derived. Cassava probably was first cultivated by the Maya in Yucatán."