Michael Lewarne’s Cassava Cake
[Photo by Casey Kelbaugh]
The SLIDELUCK Syndey Pre-Launch Party took place on Sunday, August 18, 2013 at Rob Palmer’s studio. About 25 people attended and there were as many interesting dishes. This one stood out, however- at least in part due to the intense, vibrant green of the Sweet Coconut Milk.
A word from Michael on how he discovered this delectable dish:
“About three years ago I went on a bicycling tour through Vietnam with a couple of friends. Apart from the beauty of the country, the lovely and generous people, I was entirely enthralled by the extraordinary food we were lucky enough to enjoy. One of the first things I did when I returned home was to go out and buy a recipe book by Luke Nguyen, an Australian Vietnamese chef, so I could prepare a little bit of Vietnam for myself, friends and family. Cassava Cake is a bit of a favourite, it’s not over sweet, with a gorgeous texture between cake and mousse, and the scent of pandanas evoking memories of a journey past.”
We may not all be able to head out on a bicycle tour of the Vietnamese countryside, but perhaps we can get a little taste via Michael’s lovely recipe!
CASSAVA CAKE
Ingredients:
500g of grated and squeezed cassava
Half a vanilla bean, halved lengthways and seeds scraped
125ml of coconut milk
40g of butter
125g of palm sugar
2 tbsp of condensed milk
3 eggs
Method:
• Preheat the oven to 190C. It is recommended to use a 22cm round spring-form cake tin.
Grease it well with butter and line with baking paper.
• If using fresh cassava, remove skin and grate. If frozen, the skin would have been
removed. Just grate finely. Squeeze the juice out of the grated cassava. Discard the juice
• Beat the eggs in a bowl with sugar, then add the butter, vanilla seeds, condensed milk and
coconut milk. Mix well and then add the cassava and combine well
• Pour the batter into the greased tin and bake for 35-40mins or until cake is firm and golden.
Use a skewer, stick it in the middle and make sure that it comes out clean.
• Allow it to cool first before slicing and eating. Serve with Sweet Coconut Milk.
(Please note: If you cannot find fresh cassava, use frozen ones found in the fridge of asian grocer.)
SWEET COCONUT MILK
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon tapioca Flour or potato starch
300ml coconut milk
50 sugar
1 pandan leaf, knotted
Method:
• Combine tapioca flour with 2.5 tablespoons of water in small bowl. Stir to form smooth
paste then set aside.
• Combine coconut milk, sugar, pandan leaf & half a teaspoon of salt in small saucepan over
low heat.
• Add flour mixture to suacepan, stirring until mixture begins to thicken & is heated through,
then take off heat.
• Discard pandan leaf.
• Can be stored in fridge for up to 2 days.
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