A baked Nyonya cake of grated cassava bound in coconut milk, prized for its contrast between a caramelised, crisp golden top and a soft, chewy, custardy interior. Bingka is a core Nyonya kuih category.
Kuih bingka ubi is a baked Nyonya cake of grated cassava (ubi kayu) bound in coconut milk. The word bingka denotes a baked kuih, a core category of the Peranakan tradition. The cake is prized for the contrast between its caramelised, crisp golden top and its soft, chewy, custardy interior. Cassava and coconut milk reflect the Malay agricultural base, refined by Peranakan baking methods, and the cake is a staple of Nyonya tea time.
A dark, glassy, caramelised top giving way to a soft, dense, chewy, faintly sweet centre that tastes of coconut and cassava. Eaten warm, the contrast of crisp top and custardy middle is the whole point.
Grated cassava is squeezed partly dry, then mixed with coconut milk, sugar, egg and a little tapioca flour to bind. The batter is baked in a hot oven, where the sugars caramelise on the surface while the interior steams and sets into a chewy custard. The high sugar and coconut fat content drive the browning. The cake must rest before cutting so the centre finishes setting.
Variations
A Pandan variant adds pandan juice. Some bakers use sweet potato instead of cassava.
On the Palate
Where Kuih Bingka Ubi sits in the Malaysian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 12How it's made
6 steps · 20 min
- 16 min
Peel and grate 600g cassava; squeeze out some of the liquid by hand.
Watch outSqueeze the grated cassava only partly dry — wring out too much and the cake bakes dry; leave too much and the centre won't set.
- 26 min
Mix the grated cassava with 200ml coconut milk, 120g sugar, 2 eggs, 30g melted butter, 1 tbsp tapioca flour and a pinch of salt until smooth.
- 33 min
Pour into a greased 20cm baking pan.
- 412 min
Bake at 180C for 45-50 minutes until the top is deep golden and caramelised and the centre is set.
Watch outBake until the top is deep golden and caramelised and the centre is set — a pale, wobbly middle means it needs longer.
- 55 min
Cool in the pan 20 minutes before turning out.
- 63 min
Cut into squares or diamonds and serve warm or at room temperature.
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