Sugar Cake
Chewy coconut and sugar sweet
Sugar Cake
Sugar cake is a simple, old-fashioned Antiguan sweet made by cooking grated coconut with sugar until it thickens, then dropping spoonfuls onto a tray to set into chewy, candy-like rounds. Cooks often add ginger or nutmeg for warmth, and a portion is frequently tinted pink, giving the trays of sweets their familiar two-tone look. The texture sits somewhere between fudge and brittle, sweet and full of coconut.
It belongs to the world of childhood treats and market snacks rather than restaurant desserts, the kind of sweet an Antiguan grandmother might still make at home. You will see sugar cake sold alongside tamarind balls, peanut brittle, and coconut drops at the public market in St. John's, at school fairs, and at the big Independence Food Fair held in early November.
Because it keeps well, sugar cake makes an easy edible souvenir to carry home. Buy a few pieces from a market vendor and you have a taste of the island's coconut-and-sugar sweet tradition that survives the journey in your bag.
Sugar cake also tells a small story about Antigua's past. The island was once carpeted with sugar plantations, the windmills of which still stand at sites like Betty's Hope, and cheap local sugar combined with abundant coconut made simple confections like this a natural part of everyday life. Today it is mostly nostalgia and treat, sold a few pieces to a bag. Try it next to a couple of tangy tamarind balls for the classic Antiguan sweet-and-sour pairing that market vendors lay out side by side.
Key ingredients
How to make Sugar Cake
- 1
Grate fresh coconut flesh finely, or use unsweetened desiccated coconut softened briefly in a little warm water.
- 2
Combine sugar and water in a heavy saucepan, using roughly equal parts sugar and coconut by volume, and set over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- 3
Add a few slices of fresh ginger and a pinch of grated nutmeg and let the syrup simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 4
Stir in the grated coconut and cook, stirring frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes as the mixture bubbles, thickens, and turns glossy.
- 5
Once the mixture pulls together and coats the spoon thickly without much loose liquid, remove half from the heat and stir a few drops of food colouring into it to tint it pink, leaving the rest natural.
- 6
Working quickly while the mixture is still hot and pliable, drop rounded spoonfuls onto a greased tray or sheet of wax paper, shaping each into a small mound.
- 7
Let the sugar cakes cool and firm up at room temperature for at least 1 hour, until they set into chewy, candy-like rounds.
- 8
Store in an airtight container once fully cooled and set.
A home-style reference method; every family and kitchen has its own version.
Sugar Cake questions
What is sugar cake?
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Where can I buy sugar cake in Antigua?
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