Jamaican Grater Cake is not a cake rather it is a candy. Simply made with coconut, sugar and flavouring, very basic ingredients. It is sweet, rich and creamy all at the same time. Very straightforward and simple to make.

By the way, it is called Grater cake because the coconut is grated but it also goes by other names, sugar cake, pink on top. If made right, it should have a thin crusty outside with a tender, pliable and gently chewy inside.

Jamaican Grater Cake is a popular traditional Jamaican sweet, with coconut being an integral part of its cuisine, in curries, Gizzada etc. It is excellent for both kids and adults, parties, picnics etc.

For a rich creamy Grater cake, use mature coconut (dry coconut) or store-bought unsweetened desiccated coconut. If you have sweetened desiccated coconut, use less sugar for the recipe. Although you can use coconut chaff after extracting the coconut milk just like I did with my Indian Coconut ladoo, replace water with regular milk.

The choice of flavouring or combination of flavourings depends on what you like and what you have. I used ginger and vanilla for this recipe, other common flavourings are almond and peppermint, you can also use orange, star anise, cinnamon etc.

Food colour is used to achieve the traditional pink colour on top. You can use whatever colour that suits your purpose e.g for Nigerian Independence day or St. Patrick’s day you use green, Valentines day-red like I used here because mine was made for valentine’s day. (The colour is showing more pink than red here)

To make Jamaican Grater Cake

2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 inch ginger root
2 cups grated coconut (1 medium)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon food colour

Crack open coconut. Remove coconut flesh from the shell.

Peel off the brown skin which is totally optional.

Wash and grate coconut flesh using a box grater, blender or a food processor.

Prepare a cake tin, casserole dish or any suitable container by rubbing vegetable oil in them.

In a saucepan, put water, sugar and ginger, place over medium heat.

Cook until sugar melts and the liquid is reduced but before it caramelizes and changes colour.

If the ginger is not aromatic at this stage, continue with the dish and remove ginger when you can smell it well.

Stir in coconut and salt to this syrup and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cook until it has reduced, stirring frequently.

Stir in vanilla and keep stirring until the mixture starts coming off the sides of the pan.

Take off the heat.

Scoop about 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared pan, spread loosely.

Add the colour to the remaining 1/3 of the coconut.

Mix well and spread on top of the white in the bowl.

Set aside for 25-30 minutes to cool down and harden.

When formed, cut into bars and serve.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

If you enjoyed my Jamaican grater cake, you will also enjoy my Indian coconut Ladoo, Healthy Mango muffins with coconut crumbs, Valentine sugar cookies and Pigeon peas (Fiofio) in coconut milk.

Jamaican Grater Cake

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Jamaican Grater Cake is not a cake rather it is a candy. It is sweet, rich and creamy all at the same time.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Caribbean, Jamaican

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ inch ginger root
• 2 cups grated coconut (1 medium)
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon food colour

Instructions

 

• Crack open coconut. Remove coconut flesh from the shell. Peel off the brown skin which is totally optional.
• Wash and grate coconut flesh using a box grater, blender or a food processor.
• Prepare a cake tin, casserole dish or any suitable container by rubbing vegetable oil in them.
• In a saucepan, put water, sugar and ginger, place over medium heat.
• Cook until sugar melts and the liquid is reduced but before it caramelizes and changes colour.
• If the ginger is not aromatic at this stage, continue with the dish and remove ginger when you can smell it well.
• Cook until it has reduced, stirring frequently. in coconut and salt to this syrup and reduce the heat to medium-low.
• Stir in vanilla and keep stirring until the mixture starts coming off the sides of the pan. Take off the heat.
• Scoop about 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared pan, spread loosely.
• Add the colour to the remaining 1/3 of the coconut. Mix well and spread on top of the white in the bowl.
• Set aside for 25-30 minutes to cool down and harden.
• When formed, cut into bars and serve.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Keyword candy, coconut

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