Taro Cake — steamed taro and coconut cake
Sweet taro cake is a Chinese-Asian steamed cake — mashed taro mixed with sugar, coconut milk, glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch, steamed until set. The texture is soft and faintly springy; the flavour deeply taro-rooty.
i. Origin & history
Sweet taro cake is the dessert cousin of the savoury wu tao gou served at dim sum (which contains dried shrimp and Chinese sausage). The sweet version is more associated with home cooking and Lunar New Year.
ii. Ingredients
Makes 12 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust
- 500 g taro, peeled and cubed
- 150 g sugar
- 100 g glutinous rice flour
- 50 g tapioca starch
- 300 ml coconut milk
- 1 pandan leaf
- Pinch salt
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
iii. Method
- Steam taro 25 min until completely tender; mash to a smooth paste.
- Mix taro with sugar, both flours, coconut milk and salt to a smooth batter.
- Pour into a greased 22 cm tin lined with pandan leaf. Steam over high heat 45 minutes until set and just-springy.
- Cool fully (3 hours). Cut into squares; press one side into sesame and coconut.
iv. Tips & common mistakes
- Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
- Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
- Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.
v. Variations
Taro cake with red bean swirls in bean paste. Purple taro cake uses the more colourful purple-fleshed variety. Modern Cantonese versions add coconut shreds.
vi. Common questions
What is taro cake?
Taro Cake is steamed taro and coconut cake, from chinese cuisine. The texture is soft and faintly springy; the flavour deeply taro-rooty
Where is taro cake from?
Taro Cake is from the chinese dessert tradition; the recipe and history are detailed above.
How long does taro cake keep?
See the storage note in the Quick facts panel: 3 days refrigerated.