Sugar Cake (Kittitian Coconut and Ginger Candy)
Local name: Sugar cake
In short: Chewy rounds of grated coconut cooked in sugar syrup with ginger, dropped in spoonfuls to set. A sweet of fairs and festive tables, often tinted pink. It takes about 40 min in total and makes 20 servings.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Resting
- 40 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 20
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 130 kcal
Sugar cake is the chewy coconut sweet that turns up at fairs and festive tables in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Grated coconut is cooked in sugar syrup with ginger until thick, then dropped in spoonfuls onto a tray and left to set into soft, crumbly rounds, often tinted pink. They are sweet with a warm ginger bite, and they keep for days in a tin.
Instructions
- Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and brush it lightly with oil.
- Put the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the coconut and ginger. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and sticky and pulls away from the sides of the pan. A small spoonful dropped on a cold plate should hold its shape.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, salt and food coloring, if using. Beat with a wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly and turns cloudy.
- Working quickly, drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture onto the tray, about 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) apart. Flatten each one lightly with the back of a spoon.
- Let the sugar cakes cool and set for 30 to 40 minutes. They will be firm outside and soft in the center. Store in an airtight tin.
Tips
- Stir constantly while the mixture cooks. Sugar scorches easily, and burnt sugar cake tastes bitter.
- Work quickly once it is ready. If the mixture stiffens in the pan before you finish, add a spoonful of hot water and warm it for a minute.
Questions and answers
What is sugar cake?
A chewy sweet of grated coconut cooked in sugar syrup with ginger, dropped in spoonfuls and left to set. It is not baked. In Saint Kitts and Nevis it is often tinted pink.
Why did my sugar cake turn out hard or runny?
Hard means it cooked too long and runny means it was undercooked. Cook until a spoonful dropped on a cold plate holds its shape, then let it cool fully on the tray.
Can I use dried coconut?
Yes. Soak 200 g (2 cups) of unsweetened desiccated coconut in 60 ml (1/4 cup) hot water for 10 minutes, then use it in place of fresh. The texture will be slightly drier.
How long does it take to make Sugar Cake (Kittitian Coconut and Ginger Candy)?
About 40 min in total: 15 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Sugar Cake (Kittitian Coconut and Ginger Candy)?
About 130 kcal per serving, with 1 g of protein, 21 g of carbohydrates and 5 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 130 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 21 g |
| Fat | 5 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 20 g |
| Sodium | 10 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
