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Kuih bingka ubi kayu or baked tapioca / cassava cake is a popular traditional Southeast Asian snack made from grated cassava, coconut milk, sugar, and egg. The snack is soft and chewy, and has a very fragrant aroma from the coconut combined with cassava. When baked well, the top turns into a beautiful golden colour and is a little crisp on the top while the inside stays moist.

Tapioca versus cassava

The tapioca or cassava or ubi kayu (in Bahasa Malayu) are names used interchangeably. Cassava is a type of nutty-flavored, starchy root vegetable, in the same root family of potatoes and yams, native of South America. While tapioca is the starch extracted from the root of cassava. Tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same thing. However, tapioca flour and cassava flour are not the same, though they can be used interchangeably. Both are extracted from the cassava root, but the extraction process of tapioca flour and cassava flour are different.

Cassava flour comes from blanching the cassava root, then dried and grinded to a fine flour. While the tapioca flour or starch is extrated by grating the root, thereby leaving behind starchy water. When the water is removed, the white residue is tapioca starch.

What goes well with kuih bingka ubi kayu?

The kuih bingka ubi kayu pairs very well with hot tea or coffee, with or without milk, especially as a mid-afternoon snack.

I usually love a variety of kuihs for tea or coffee break, such as the pulut tai tai, ang ku kueh, kuih kosui, kueh dadar, kueh salat, kueh lapis, kue sago, and the all-time favourite ondeh ondeh.

What else can you make with tapioca

There are a few ways to cook tapioca. I previously made a similar kuih with tapioca but using the steaming method. The steamed kuih turns out to be very fragrant and chewy too, but much much softer than the baked version. Do check the steamed kueh ubi kayu.

I have also tried making a pandan coconut version of this kuih bingka ubi kayu, as well as an unrefined brown sugar version.

Ingredients for kuih bingka ubi kayu

The ingredients used to make this kuih are quite similar to making other nyonya kuihs. The usualy suspects are coconut, glutinous rice flour, rice flour and gula melaka.

Freshly grated cassava or tapioca. If fresh ones are not available, use pre-packaged ones. The tapioca starch extracted from squeezing the pulp of the cassava and removing the water, can be added back to the kuih batter. There is no need to add flour in this recipe as the tapioca starch acts as a powerful thickening agent.
Eggs are added in this recipe. Though I have not tried the recipe without eggs, I believe it’s optional.
Fresh coconut milk adds an aromatic flavour to the kuih. It’s the very soul of most nyonya kuihs and cuisines in Southeast Asia. It can be really difficult to find fresh coconut milk so pre-packed ones are good to use too.
Stevia sweetener. Most recipes calls for refined white sugar, I used stevia sweetener in this recipe instead, as a healthier refined sugar-free alternative.
Salt. Just a little bit can help elevate the taste of the kuih.
Butter or margarine. Melted and added to the kuih batter provides a rich creamy flavour.
Banana leaves or baking paper lined at the bottom of the cake pan, for easy removal of the kuih from the cakepan.

Tips on making kuih bingka ubi kayu

To make a good bingka ubi kayu, use fresh cassava if you can find it. If not, it’s ok to use pre-packaged frozen ones.
It’s not necessary to squeeze the cassava pulp completely dry to extract the tapioca starch water, or the cake may turn out less moist.
After squeezing the cassava pulp, leave the starchy water for about 15 minutes so that the water will be separated from the starch. Throw away the water, the tapioca starch left on the base will be used back in the kuih batter.
Bake the kuih until cooked, then in the last 15 minutes, brush some butter over the kuih surface and tune up the oven temperature, bake until the top turns golden brown. Do watch out as the top might turn too brown and looks burnt.
Use a cake pan without a removable base. As the batter has quite an amount of liquid, it’ll leak out if you use one with removable base.

How to store kuih bingka ubi kayu

The kuih can be enjoyed as soon as it cools down but if you let the flavour develop until the next day, it’ll taste much better. It can be left at room temperature in a container for up to 2 days. After 2 days, it’ll be better to be stored in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The kuih might turn harder after chilled, just steam or microwave for 3-5 minutes until it soften to enjoy it.

You can also freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Just steam or microwave for 5-8 minutes before consuming, there’s no need to thaw it.