Costa Rican Sweet Cassava Cake

Tamal de yuca dulce is a baked Costa Rican preparation that replaces corn masa with grated yuca, combined with cheese, sugar, and eggs.

It’s a traditional sweet ideal for pairing with coffee, highly valued at family gatherings.

Costa Rican Sweet Cassava Cake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 10 servings
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Costa Rican

Print Recipe

---

Ingredients

• 500 g of yuca (cassava), peeled and finely grated (about 1.1 lb)
• 500 g of white cheese, grated (about 1.1 lb)
• 3 of eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• to taste of flour, as needed

---

Instructions

1. Prepare the yuca, peel the yuca, remove the central fiber, and grate it finely.
2. Drain, squeeze the grated yuca with your hands to remove excess liquid.
3. Mix, in a bowl, combine the drained yuca with the grated cheese, sugar, melted butter, baking powder, and salt, mixing well.
4. Add the eggs, add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
5. Adjust the texture, add spoonfuls of flour until you get a dough that isn’t wet.
6. Preheat the oven, heat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
7. Grease the pan, grease a rectangular baking pan.
8. Bake, pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and a knife inserted comes out clean.
9. Serve, let it rest for 10 minutes, unmold, and serve hot.

Tips for getting it right

• Draining the grated yuca well is essential to keep the mixture from being too wet.
• Adding the flour gradually lets you control the dough’s final texture.
• Serving the tamal hot, wrapped in plantain leaf, helps retain heat and enhances its flavor.
• Checking doneness with a knife keeps it from being raw in the center.

Traditional variations

• There’s a version that adds shredded coconut, known as tamal de yuca y coco.
• Some families add condensed milk for a sweeter, creamier version.

How to serve

Tamal de yuca dulce is served hot, cut into portions, as a dessert or afternoon snack.

It’s ideal alongside coffee, and highly valued at Costa Rican family gatherings.

Recommended sides

• Coffee

Did you know?

Unlike most Costa Rican tamales, this one completely replaces corn masa with grated yuca.

Serving it wrapped in plantain leaf after baking helps retain heat and enhance its flavor.