Tapioca Coconut Cake Adds Twist to Holiday Sweets, Happy Thanksgiving

Pumpkin pie, apple pie, ice cream will be part of the dessert offerings on the holiday table. 

Add a twist to your sweet treats selection with Tapioca Coconut Cake from Simply Ming in Your Kitchen, 80 Recipes to Watch, Learn and Cook (Kyle Books, October 2012) by Ming Tsai  in collaboration with Arthur Boehm.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tapioca Coconut Cake

This is my version of a cake created by Damien ‘Big D’ D’Silva, a linebacker of a chef, who appeared on Simply Ming. His cake featured pearl tapioca, whose wonderful texture I love.

The pearls are clearly visible in both of our versions, suspended in a cooked egg mixture. I’ve kicked things up, though, by flavoring the cake with coconut and lime and serving it with papaya. This makes a unique dessert, one I urge you to try.

Serves 10

1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing the pan

1–2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

PUDDING

1 cup small-pearl tapioca

2 cups whole milk

¾ cup dark brown sugar

2 cans (about 14 ounces each) unsweetened coconut milk

Pinch of kosher salt

Juice and zest of 1 lime

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks 

PAPAYA

1 papaya, peeled, seeded and diced

Juice and zest of 1 lime

Tapioca Coconut Cake

1 Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-inch springform cake pan (see Tip). Grease the bottom and the sides of the pan with the butter. Place the parchment paper in the pan and grease with butter. Add the sugar and tilt the pan to coat the sides evenly.

2 Make the pudding: Put the tapioca in a medium bowl and add cold water to cover it. Let the tapioca to soak for 1 hour. Drain the tapioca in a large strainer, rinse well under tepid running water and set aside in the strainer.

3 In a large saucepan, combine the milk, brown sugar, coconut milk and salt and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Add the tapioca, stir, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring, until the tapioca is translucent but still slightly raw at the centre, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the pudding into a medium sheet pan, add the lime juice and zest and stir to combine. Let cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then transfer to a large bowl.

4 Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and yolks and whisk until just blended. Pour the eggs over the tapioca, fold to combine, and pour into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden brown in spots and still jiggly in the centre, 35–40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool, then refrigerate in the pan for at least 8 hours or overnight. 

5 In a medium bowl, combine the papaya and lime juice and zest. Remove the pan ring, place a serving plate on the cake, and invert. Remove the pan bottom, peel off the paper, cut the cake into wedges and serve with the papaya. 

Ming’s tips:

To cut parchment paper for lining the baking pan, put the pan bottom on a sheet of the paper. With a pen or pencil, draw around the bottom, then cut out the circle about 1/8 inch in from the line.

After baking, the cake will seem unset, but will become firm when refrigerated. 

To Drink:

A lychee tea, like Blue Ginger’s

(* Recipe from 'Simply Ming in Your Kitchen, 80 recipes to watch, learn, cook and enjoy' by Ming Tsai and Arthur Boehm - Kyle Books, October 2012- photography by Bill Bettencourt, reproduced with permission of the publisher)

Previous Post

Packing Things and Standing in Line at Post Office is Fun Again with Herb Lester Tape

Nov 21
Packing Things and Standing in Line at Post Office is Fun Again with Herb Lester PackingTape... Also worth checking Christmas Gift Sets by Herb Lester
Next Post

Under 25 Minutes Recipe, Sumac Crusted Tuna with Watermelon Salad from the Lebanese Kitchen

Nov 23
After spending hours in the kitchen to make that perfect Thanksgiving Meal, shorter and simpler is in order. Here's an under 25 minutes recipe from The Lebanese Kitchen (Phaidon Press, October 2012) by Salma Hage. Sumac Crusted Tuna with Watermelon Salad Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 2-4 minutes Serves 2 Ingredients: 2 x 6 oz/180 g tuna loin steak Olive boil, for brushing 1 tablespoon ground sumac For the Watermelon Salad: ¼ watermelon, seeded...

Comments