Cassava Bakes is that desperate invention when all you really want is sweet buttery cassava swimming in gravy and you can’t seem to find any. Naturally, leave it to me when I’m stuck at home during lockdown, unwilling to go to the supermarket to be around humans to crave exactly what I don’t have at home.

For the last month, every delivery service that I use for my groceries, has had absolutely no cassava. So let me get this straight, my island now has a spike in COVID cases once more, and I also can’t have the one thing I want? I know this might be the paranoia setting in (peeks out through curtains to look outside) but I’m beginning to believe it is a conspiracy to keep me from living my best life.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a cassava lover, except cassava pone. I don’t lie down in bed and wonder if one of my favourite vendors has cassava at Cheapside Market so I must remember to stop there (I do actually spend alot of time day dreaming about shopping for groceries and remember the aisles or layouts). It was simply…I recently had yam pie, I should now have cassava, yes? Please tell me you follow my “reasoning”.

It’s only when I began my bi-monthly straightening up of my cupboards that I saw the answer staring back at me – cassava flour *imagine harps playing while angels descend to hand me the cassava flour*. It was perfect, I may not be able to get actual cassava, but a lighter tasting version of it can do. [aside: I’m beginning to think it was less conspiracy theory, more a distraction to make me miserable for a few weeks.]

These cassava bakes are made entirely of cassava flour and I’ve really enjoyed experimenting with alternative flours like with these sweet potato apple fritters. For that reason, I wanted to highlight the cassava taste as much as possible and therefore these bakes aren’t as soft, and do not include all purpose flour to give it stretchy gluten. If that’s more of what you’re looking for, then I recommend adding milk for a thinner consistency and replacing 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the cassava flour with all purpose flour.

So if you’re like me cassava-less, but have cassava flour or have a way to get cassava flour, these buttery cassava bakes are a placating replacement until the return of market shopping.

Cassava Bakes

Hadi Cassava Bakes is that desperate invention when all you really want is sweet buttery cassava swimming in gravy and you can’t seem to find any. Naturally, leave it to me when I’m stuck at home during lockdown, unwilling to go... Recipes cassava, bakes, ground provisions European Print This

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes 10 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• oil for frying
• 1 1/2 cups cassava flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp chives, chopped
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of milk

Instructions

Place a pan on the stove at low to medium heat with a shallow coating at the bottom of the pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients + seasonings.
Add melted butter and stir until just incorporated.
Add milk pouring in a slow, steady stream until the batter comes together.
Drop spoonfuls of batter into the pan, spreading them to make for easier flipping.
Once the bakes are browned on one side, flip to the other side for cooking. I stress the low to medium to ensure that the bakes are cooked on the inside.
Test with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, it's ready to eat.
Drain on a paper towel to get rid of that extra grease.
Serve with a dip or side of your choice.
It should make between 12 cassava bakes.

Notes

If you'd like softer bakes, add a bit more milk to thin the consistency than what is shown in my image. Also replace some of the cassava flour with all purpose flour to help bind the bakes with gluten.