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Sugar Cake

Freshly grated coconut cooked in sugar syrup with a little ginger until thick, then dropped in mounds to set. Chewy, sweet and often bright pink.

Desserts and Sweet Treats

  • 1 hr 20 min est.
  • Serves 20
  • Easy
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Trini

Sugar cake is one of the classic sweets sold in snackettes and made at home: grated coconut cooked in sugar syrup until thick and sticky, then spooned into small mounds that set as they cool.

Freshly grated coconut gives the best texture. A little grated ginger cuts the sweetness, and many people colour part of the batch pink or red.

Have everything ready before you start: once the mixture is thick it sets quickly, and hot sugar burns, so use a spoon, not your fingers.

The recipe

Sugar Cake

Prep
20 min
Cook
30 min
Setting
30 min
Total
1 hr 20 min
Serves
20
Makes
About 20 pieces

Times and quantities are our best estimates. This recipe is still being kitchen-tested, so trust your eyes and taste as you go.

Ingredients

Tick items off as you gather them.

Method

  1. Line a large tray with baking paper, or grease it well.
  2. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pot over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Boil for 3 minutes without stirring.
  3. Add the coconut and ginger and stir well. Cook, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the mixture is thick and sticky and pulls away from the side of the pot. A small spoonful dropped on the tray should hold its shape.
  4. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the essence, and the colouring if using.
  5. Working quickly, drop tablespoons of the mixture onto the tray in small mounds.
  6. Leave to set for about 30 minutes, until firm.

Serve it with

  • As a sweet with tea, or packed for school and work

Substitutions

  • Desiccated coconut: use 2½ cups (200 g) unsweetened desiccated coconut soaked in ¼ cup (60 ml) hot water for 10 minutes. The texture will be finer.
  • Two colours: divide the mixture between two bowls before adding colouring to one.

Storing and reheating

  • Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Cook's notes

  • If the sugar cake won't set, the mixture was not cooked long enough: return it to the pot and cook a few minutes more.
  • If it sets in the pot before you finish, stir in a tablespoon of hot water over low heat.

https://trinbagorecipes.com/recipes/sugar-cake/

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