Bibingka Especial

August 27th, 2008

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup coconut milk
or full cream milk
250 g/8 oz/1 cup grated cassava
2 tablespoons grated sharp cheese

Directions

Beat eggs, add sugar and beat again until thick and light. Stir in butter and salt, mix in milk, cassava and cheese. Pour the mixture (it is very wet) into a 23 cm (9 in) round or square pan lined with baking paper. Bake at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F) for about 1 1/4 hours or until risen and golden. Traditional recipes of the Philippines sprinkle the top with grated cheese and return to the oven until the cheese melts and turns golden, but I find that on cooling this forms a tough, chewy crust and it is better to mix the cheese into the batter.

Note: The bottom of the cake will have a jelly-like consistency, but this is a feature inherent in cassava cakes. You can turn the cake upside down when it has cooled and make it a feature, a baked-on glaze.

Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)