A traditional nyonya kuih made with grated cassava and coconut milk mixture are baked to give you a cake that is naturally gluten-free, not too sweet, soft, springy with a crispy crust at the same time. The recipe can be made with or without egg.

Bingka Ubi Kayu (Baked Cassava Cake)
OMG! Yes…this bingka ubi kayu is like one of my most favorite cakes ever! I know I have lots of favorites, but this is TRULY one of my favorites after Candied Cassava with Coconut Milk! I love tapioca/cassava! I have like serious OD when it comes to cassava or what we call ubi kayu in Indonesian. I can eat steamed or fried cassava roots on its own dipped in a bit of salt! Yeah..that’s the kind of snack I grew up eating. Cassava and tapioca mean the same thing in case you are wondering and I’ll use them interchangeably in this post.
ONE OF THE EASIEST CAKE TO MAKE
This cake is almost impossible to fail if you ask me. You only need one bowl and add everything in there. Stir and bake. I used frozen grated cassava I bought from the store so it saved me some work from having to cut the cassava. Cassava has tough outer layer skin and honestly, I hate to cut cassava by hands 🙂
INGREDIENTS
1. Cassava/Tapioca Root
You can use fresh cassava or frozen and already grated. You can’t substitute with just tapioca starch however
2. Coconut Milk
This adds richness to the cake. I used Asian canned unsweetened coconut milk. Do not use the coconut milk sold as a beverage, they don’t give much flavor if at all
3. Sugar
I use granulated sugar. You can use Keto-friendly sugar like monk fruit sugar
4. Egg
The egg acts as a binder and also gives the cake its soft moist texture. Simply omit for eggless version and refer to the recipe card
5. Grated unsweetened coconut (for eggless bingka ubi)
This is available at most Asian grocery store. They are usually in the frozen section
6. Oil
I used neutral-tasting oil like avocado or grapeseeds oil. Feel free to use melted butter or melted coconut oil (same amount called for in the recipe) if you want
7. Salt
A pinch goes a long way and it brings out the overall flavor
HOW TO EASILY MAKE KUIH BINGKA UBI KAYU WITH OR WITHOUT EGG
1. Preheat oven at 375 F (190 C). Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to mix until combined. Simply omit egg for eggless version
2. Line the bottom of the pan with a banana leaf or parchment paper. I just use non-stick cooking spray. The cake is easy to remove once it cools down and won’t stick to the pan. Pour the batter in and smooth the top with a rubber spatula the best you can. It won’t be perfectly smooth.
3. Place this inside the oven, 3rd rack from the top and let it bake for the next 60 minutes (1 hour). The cake shouldn’t jiggle when you shake the pan. If you insert a skewer, it may not come out entirely clean because it’s still very hot. Turn on broiler on low and broil for 3-5 minutes to get a crispy crust and deeper golden brown on top
4. Let the cake cools down for at least 1 hour before cutting into the size you like
This is a cake that doesn’t require many skills (totally suits me!). Now the family finished this in one day! I baked a pretty small one though, which I regretted! My kids absolutely love this bingka ubi kayu.
EGGLESS BINGKA UBI KAYU
Eggless bingka ubi kayu is very tasty too. It may not have the nice yellow tone the egg version has, but the texture and flavor is still pretty spot on. The addition of grated unsweetened coconut and adjusting the amount of liquid in the recipe makes this recipe vegan friendly now and I’m pretty happy with the taste. I made this in a wide pan instead of a loaf pan and that’s why it’s much shorter.
DID YOU MAKE THIS EASY KUIH BINGKA UBI KAYU RECIPE?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
*The Recipe was last published in 2018 and now has been improved and also to include eggless bingka ubi kayu and video recipe is added on November 1, 2020*
Kuih Bingka Ubi Kayu (Baked Cassava/Tapioca Cake) - Egg or Eggless version
Ingredients
With egg version:
- 500 gr frozen grated cassava (thawed) 1.1 lbs. squeeze out extra liquid if you think it's too much liquid after thawing
- 150 gr sugar 12 Tbsp
- 120 ml coconut milk 8 Tbsp
- 20 gr cooking oil 1 Tbsp
- 1 large egg about 50 grams without shell
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp tapioca starch you can use arrowroot starch, potato starch, or cornstarch
Eggless version:
- 500 gr frozen grated cassava (thawed) 1.1 lbs. squeeze out extra liquid if you think it's too much liquid after thawing
- 150 gr sugar 12 Tbsp
- 250 ml coconut milk 1 cup
- 20 gr cooking oil 1 Tbsp
- 90 gr grated unsweetened coconut 1/2 cup, thaw if frozen
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp tapioca starch you can use arrowroot starch, potato starch, or cornstarch
Instructions
If you use fresh cassava:
- Cut the cassava into about 2-inch chunks. Place them in a blender (in batches, not all of them at once). Add a bit of water to get it going and blend until it turns into fine pieces. Once all of the cassava has been processed, squeeze the liquid out. AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. But save the liquid that you squeeze out. Let the liquid sit while you prepare other things. The starch will sink to the bottom. Carefully discard the liquid and add those starches into the cake batter later. This is important because the starch contributes to that springy texture
Prepare the cake batter:
- Preheat oven at 375 F (190 C). Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to mix until combined.
- Line the bottom of the pan with a banana leaf or parchment paper. I just use non-stick cooking spray. The cake is easy to remove once it cools down and won't stick to the pan
Bake the cake:
- Pour the batter in and smooth the top with rubber spatula the best you can. It won't be perfectly smooth. Place this inside the oven, 3rd rack from the top and let it bake for the next 60 minutes (1 hour). The cake shouldn't jiggle when you shake the pan. If you insert a skewer, it may not come out entirely clean because it's still very hot
Brown the top:
- Turn the broiler to low and put the cake back into the oven and let it brown. Do not walk away and let it brown until it has that nice golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the oven completely and let it cools down for about 1 hour before cutting
Storing:
- The cake can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days if it's not too humid, otherwise, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The cake will harden once you refrigerate and it's normal. You can reheat in a microwave or loosely wrap them in a foil and use a toaster oven or an air-fryer or oven to reheat at 350 F for 5 minutes or until warm and the cake is soft. I do not recommend freezing the cake because the texture changes
22 comments
I just made this and truly delicious. Sedap!
Super easy too. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Makes me feel much better as I’ve been sick for the past few days.
Hi Ann, so glad at least the Kuih Bingka makes you feel much better. I hope you are continuing on the road to recovery 🙂 Cheers!
Hi Marv, May I know how much increment in the ingredients if I want to bake your cassava cake in an 8″ x 8″ cake pan?
Thanks
Jess
Hi Jessie, I would double the ingredients. This will give you a cake about 2 inches in height and you may need to bake it longer, maybe 1 1/2 hour, or until the cake no longer jiggle. I hope this helps.
Hii, is there a way that I can substitute the cooking oil to butter….. because some say that if butter was added it will smell nicer.
Hi Joslynn, Butter makes everything better LOL! Yes, you can replace it with the same amount of melted butter 🙂
For the bingka ubi can u suggest something to replace the egg…as its for vegetarians who dont take eggs
Hi Savinder, I’ve tried the recipe by replacing the egg with some yogurt/sour cream, but the family didn’t quite like it. Then I tested it by adjusting the amount of liquid and add grated coconut and I think the result was pretty good. I’ve included the eggless version in the recipe card. I hope you like it!
hi! Was wondering whether you are still based in Singapore? Where did you managed to get the frozen cassava from? Thanks!
Hi, I’m not in Singapore anymore. I’m in U.S. now 🙂 I got the frozen cassava from the Asian store in the frozen section.
I made this for the first time and it’s amazing! Thank you so much for your easy to follow recipes ❤️
Hi Jean, I’m happy to hear that you like this 🙂 Bingka ubi kayu is one of my favorites 🙂
Unsure about the 20 gr coconut oil. Do you mean 20 mls of coconut oil?
Hi Juls, it is 20 grams. I actually measured it by weight for accuracy.
Goods good. Could one use cassava flour if one does not have access yo fresh cassava?
Hi Amy, that’s a good question. I don’t see why not. I haven’t tried it myself though so I can’t really tell you if it’s going to be an equal substitution or not (most likely not!). Perhaps it’s something for me to experiment on in the future 🙂
I’ve never made anything like this before, but totally want to try. You make it sound so delicious! I like the idea of dipping it in salt too for a snack. As usual, just gorgeous photos 🙂
Thanks for sharing! My grandma used to make this for us.. she put lots of palm sugar…
oh..it must be so good with palm sugar too, reminds me of getuk ubi