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Cassava Pone (recipe)

5 March 2010 11,005 views 23 Comments

This post was originally published on November 5, 2008. It has been updated once since then.

Mmm pone. A sinfully sweet childhood memory. Not a pudding, not a cake, but something somewhere in between. Pones are usually made from root vegetables. You can also make them with carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. This time around I decided to try my hand at a popular local version made from cassava. Cassava is intriguing in that although it appears excessively dry when in its raw state, once baked it melts and morphs into a wonderful ‘gelatinous gloop’ :lol:

As a lazy, modern lady, I decided to buy my cassava pre-peeled and frozen.

I saved even more time by handing the duty of grating over to J :lol: Boys as human food processors?Who knew! :lol: …. Alll I really had to do at this point was mix and stir :) That’s the lovely thing about pone, it’s pretty much foolproof. The only thing you have to worry about is overbaking it. You don’t want it to dry out, as part of the decadence, is the creamy, moist texture.

Follow these instructions to the tee and your batter may seem slightly fluid when the oven timer goes off. Have no fear, as long as there is a good crust, and the batter is more like firm jello, than milk you should be alright. Make sure to let the pone cool completely before cutting. All will be well :)


Cassava Pone
Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1 lb. raw cassava grated
1 cup milk
½ tsp. nutmeg or mace
½ pack dried coconut flakes
2 cups hot water
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp, ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

METHOD:

1. Combine cassava with milk, sugar and spices and mix well.
2. Add raisins (if using), coconut, hot water and melted butter.
3. Mix briskly and taste for sweetness desired.
4. Add more sugar if necessary, pour into greased Pyrex dish. (This time around I used a non-stick baking pan. As it was black I lowered the temperature from 375 to 350 F.)


5. Bake at 375 F for 45 – 50 minutes

6. Let cool and cut into slices or cubes to serve.

This recipe is an exclusive TriniGourmet original. Please do not share it or post it to your site without crediting TriniGourmet.com. A link back to our site is not necessary but always appreciated :)

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23 Comments »

  • Cynthia said:

    Hey Girl, how you doin?

    # 7 November 2008 at 5:39 pm | link
  • Sarina (author) said:

    Cynthia – hungry and stressed :lol:

    # 10 November 2008 at 12:55 pm | link
  • Eleonora said:

    Your blog is super. So are your photographies. They make me hungry. I have spent a nice moment when seeing them. Thanks a lot.

    # 10 November 2008 at 6:09 pm | link
  • Sarina (author) said:

    Eleonora – Thanks :) !

    # 10 November 2008 at 11:14 pm | link
  • Katijah said:

    this should be called Lazy Pone with your coconut milk and coconut flakesz girl get a grater!

    # 22 December 2008 at 3:54 pm | link
  • Sarina (author) said:

    hahaha, if you’ve been reading for a while you’ll know that one of my most hated activities is grating. I make no bones about taking shortcuts, such items exist for my convenience and I make full use of em :) One is always free to take/stick to the labour-intensive methods if that’s one wants, not stopping ya :)

    # 22 December 2008 at 4:27 pm | link
  • Elizabeth said:

    The Cassava receipe was wonderful i have been looking for one for quite a while. I would love if you can send this page to me.

    # 30 January 2009 at 10:11 pm | link
  • Sita said:

    Hi Sarina,
    Just discovered your site while looking for info on coconuts for a blog post. Great site. Love the recipes and info esp. as I am feeling a bit homesick at the moment.
    By the way, I love your name. What does it mean?
    Blessings and Happy Valentines day!

    Sita’s last blog post..Then Sings My Soul Saturday

    # 14 February 2009 at 12:48 pm | link
  • Sarina (author) said:

    So glad it came out well Elizabeth, not sure I understood your request about sending the page to you? You can always email it to yourself using the link provided or bookmark it…

    Hi Sita! :) So glad you like the site :) My name means princess :) Happy Valentine’s day to you too!

    # 14 February 2009 at 12:52 pm | link
  • Uusha said:

    Can you please send me a good sponge cake recipe, light and tasty.

    Thanks.

    # 14 April 2009 at 4:08 pm | link
  • Randy D said:

    I have a little lest time on my hands than some and very little access to a caribbean suppermarket. My question is, can I use dried (grated) cassava to make pone???

    # 5 August 2009 at 9:51 am | link
  • Sarina (author) said:

    Definitely randy! Some may sneer at these shortcuts, but they are quite valid if you ask me :)

    # 10 August 2009 at 1:14 pm | link
  • Tania said:

    Attempted the pone, but how much cups is 1/2 a pack of coconut. Living in Round Rock, Tx and the packs may vary here…Thank you!

    # 2 September 2009 at 8:16 am | link
  • Sarina (author) said:

    Hi Tania, sorry about that! 1/2 a pack is around 1/3 – 1/2 cup. Play around :)

    # 2 September 2009 at 8:51 am | link
  • Tania said:

    Hi Sarina, Don’t know where I went wrong, as I put 1 cup of coconut…but still too much liquid…so it didn’t set the way it should even with extended cook time; but the flavor is excellent…brings back childhood memories of when my mommy made it. But, I will decrease liquid and as you say play around. Thank you for all the recipes that you posted, ect… I am in the process of soaking my fruit for the black cake, another favorite of mine…esp. the pureed fruit kind.

    # 2 September 2009 at 11:09 am | link
  • Noreen said:

    I can’t wait to try this recipe this weekend. I even saw frozen pre-grated cassava at the supermarket, so even easier.

    thanks,
    Noreen (Canadian Bajan)

    # 27 October 2009 at 2:50 pm | link
  • keish said:

    This might seem a silly question but if you buy the cassava in its raw state from the store, should I boil it or am i supposed to grate it raw? I wasn’t sure if the frozen version was already cooked

    Thanks

    # 30 October 2009 at 12:31 am | link
  • Sarina (author) said:

    Dear Keish, grate it raw :)

    # 3 November 2009 at 11:16 pm | link
  • valerie said:

    thank you!!! i go to tirinidad jus for trini food…. the doubles right outside the airport….mmmm lovely… thanks alot…please keep posting more recipes

    # 7 November 2009 at 4:05 pm | link
  • Cheryl said:

    Hi, Sarina-
    I’m working at a new Caribbean Restaurant in town and the owners are from Trinidad. I tried to surprise her by making my own pone after tasting it at a local picnic.
    She said I didn’t make it quite right because I should have used grated fresh coconut and it should have come out more cake-like.
    I used fresh frozen cassava from a Philipino store (which made it super-easy!) and I bought frozen grated coconut to try. Should I dry it in the oven first and I saw you said 1/2 pack is 1/2 to 1/3 cup? But someone else said they used a whole cup? Anyway, I’m wondering if that is part of what I did wrong.
    Also, what size pyrex pan do you use? Perhaps that is my error.
    Thank you so much! I love your site!! Mrs. Theresa cooks for me but I always feel bad taking her food that she could be selling so I want to make my own for my children and to share. (And I love a challenge!)
    God bless and Happy Thanksgiving! -Cheryl

    # 28 November 2009 at 1:59 pm | link
  • Sebastian said:

    SARINA hello this recipe looks good and I am about to make it. But I wanted your help tracking down another recipe. I used to have a link to a caribbean cassava pone that called for no grated coconut, it just had coconut milk in it! so the texture was softer, gooier and didnt ahve as much of a bite to it. It also featured a lot of grated fresh ginger which may have been the only seasoning., there may have been some vanilla and nutmeg, but definitely a lot of grated ginger.

    What do you make of this? Are there places where pone is made with just the grated cassava, sugar, butter, coconut milk, milk etc and seasonings and no grated coconut or pumpkin? Do you like this, or is it too gooey and soft for most peoples tastes. I always thought it was a cool recipe!

    Also I have to ask you, what is the difference in using more or less coconut milk vs whole milk?

    is a combo of half and half like u use here the best bet?

    by the way ur recipe is awesome and my favorite so far, I love fresh ginger tohugh, so i may modify it in that regard, what do you think? im guessing your recipe has an intriguing subtle blend of the spices, the one i found was in your face and very gingery.

    and do u have any idea what recipe I am talking about.

    ps i luv u

    # 17 January 2010 at 12:14 pm | link
  • Denise said:

    I'm even lazier than you…Goya has frozen grated cassava and grated coconut products, its found in spanish markets. The flavor and texture is the same as freshly grated.

    # 6 March 2010 at 2:34 am | link
  • Erica said:

    We have a similar recipe in Colombia. Enyucado and it is delicious!Your recipe sounds fantastic.

    # 7 March 2010 at 3:19 pm | link

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