Toto – Coconut Spice Cake

My week of Jamaican food is coming to an end, and what better way to finish than with a dessert? That’s exactly what popped into my head when I came across this toto recipe. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, and this simple sheet cake sounded like my kind of dessert, especially since it’s made with coconut. I love coconut! There are a few other things I like in the recipe, but I was sold once I read “coconut”. Let’s find out if it’s as good as it sounds.

Toto is a coconut spice cake that is popular throughout the Caribbean. On some islands it is simply called Coconut Cake. Toto is a dense cake that is rather plain and not much to look at but the combination of coconut and spices makes for a delicious confection that is sure to delight any coconut lover.

Recipe Author: Sian at Sian’s Cooking
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The Ingredients

The list of ingredients for this recipe wasn’t too long, and I had most everything on hand. I love it when that happens! All I had to buy to make this recipe was the coconut milk and coconut flakes.

The coconut milk was easy, but I wasn’t sure if the coconut flakes needed to be sweetened or unsweetened. The recipe and the accompanying blog post didn’t say, so I googled other toto recipes to see if they specified the type of coconut. Unsweetened coconut flakes seemed to be the most popular, so that’s what I went with.

Toto – Coconut Spice Cake Ingredients
Grated coconut, coconut milk, flour, sugar, fine cornmeal, baking powder, butter, vanilla extract, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon

The Process

Making my toto was a straightforward process, and the instructions were very easy to follow for the most part. One thing that I noticed after I started cooking was there are two different oven temperatures listed. I preheated the oven to 375 then noticed 400 was listed later. I increased my oven’s temperature to 400 as I put my cake in, and that cooked it perfectly in the 35 minutes specified.

Another thing to be aware of is the batter will become very thick as you add the flour. A strong spoon will be needed, and stirring could be counted as your upper body workout for the day!

The thick batter also doesn’t self-level once you pour it into the baking dish. I tried smoothing it with the back of a wooden spoon, but it really didn’t work too well. The top of my toto was a bit bumpy, but a sprinkle of extra coconut flakes helped disguise it.

The entire process took less than an hour, not including time for the cake to cool. Here is how it broke down:

  • 11 minutes to prep
  • 35 minutes to cook
  • 46 minutes total
Mixing in the flour
Mixing in the flour

So how was it?

Clear & Accurate Directions
Accurate Time(s)
Appearance
Taste
Mmm! This sweet coconut cake flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon is a newfound favorite in my house. The cake isn’t overly sweet, and I enjoyed it with coffee for breakfast and as a dessert too. It’s mostly made up of pantry staples, easy to make, and uses only basic kitchen equipment. Mixing the thick batter will give your arm a bit of a workout, but you will end up with a delicious cake in return for the extra effort. Totally worth it!
The Hungry Pinner
The Hungry Pinnerhttps://www.hungrypinner.com
I'm Candice, and I'm The Hungry Pinner. I created this blog to share my love for cooking and my experiences with the MANY recipes I've found on Pinterest over the years. Join me as I blog my way through those recipes to find out if they are worth trying yourself.

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Mmm! This sweet coconut cake flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon is a newfound favorite in my house. The cake isn’t overly sweet, and I enjoyed it with coffee for breakfast and as a dessert too. It’s mostly made up of pantry staples, easy to make, and uses only basic kitchen equipment. Mixing the thick batter will give your arm a bit of a workout, but you will end up with a delicious cake in return for the extra effort. Totally worth it!Toto – Coconut Spice Cake