BOJO Cake

"I love you like a fat kid love cake." 

50 cent

Bojo is a rich flourless cake made from grated coconut and cassava. Cassava is a starchy root plant, also known as manioc and yuca. Bojo is flavored with rum and cinnamon, and as is typical of many South American desserts - it's both European and tropical at the same time. Dutch settlers in Suriname most likely learned to use local ingredients like cassava to make favorite foods from home.
This cake can be baked in a round or square pan.  You can find peeled frozen cassava root at Latin food stores. http://www.about.com/


  BOJO Cake- from about.com

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup rum
• 1/2 pound peeled manioc/yuca root 
• (veggie peeler works well)
• 2 cups grated coconut ((fresh or dried)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

1. Soak the raisins in the rum (overnight if possible).
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
3. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan, or 9 inch square brownie pan, and line bottom of pan with wax paper or parchment.
4. Finely grate the manioc root (easily done in a food processor). Stir the coconut and grated manioc root together with the cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, vanilla, almond extract, and salt.
6. Stir the liquid ingredients into the coconut mixture. Stir in the melted butter. Stir in the raisins and the rum.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan
8. Bake for 1 hour, until golden brown on top.
9. Run a knife around the edge of the pan while the cake is still warm, then let cool in the pan.
10. Cut into small squares or slices and serve. This cake is delicious warm or cold, with dollop of whipped cream.

I have never baked anything with Yuca.  I have only eaten it once prepared like mashed potatoes . I stumbled across this recipe like I do all them, via the Internet. Baking with an ingredient you have never worked with has it's challenges. How is the texture? The taste? and preparation? Shredded really fine? or chopped?

I figured how bad could it be?/ Coconut, butter, spices and a strange root. Gotta make for something palatable. I got out my Ginzu knives..and went to work.

 Almonds give it a nice crunch

Sorry....... I do not own Ginzu-----but wish I did have some Japanese knives.

The taste of this cake has some Caribbean accents with the coconut, raisins and rum. I tasted it the day I made it, and the day after, The whole cake is soft and chewy.  The yuca was a bit fibrous ( on day one) . That texture decreased on day 2. I believe it is because  the Yuca  was not thin enough. I chopped it in the processor. ( small cubes) I should have shredded it with the wheel, box grater or peeler. Very thin strips would have made it more velvety. Same process for the coconut.  ( this is a guess of course)

The whipped cream topping seems almost out of place?? ( In my opinion), but  the almonds give it a "snap" 

I am sure there are bakers out there who are more familiar with this root and baking with it. I would love more info, if you can share?? 

I am going to dedicate more posts to something "unconventional" in baking. ( However, these will all be experiments and I do not claim to be an expert ) ..but maybe someone reading my blog will chime in :)

Hope you will join me :)