Toto

Ingredients

Dry

• 250 gplain flour
• 2 teaspoonsbaking powder
• 1 teaspoonfreshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoonground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoonground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt

Coconut

• 200 gfresh coconut, finely grated
• or 150 g desiccated coconut

Wet

• 200 gdark brown sugar
• 120 gbutter, melted
• 2eggs, beaten
• 200 mlcoconut milk
• 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
• 1 teaspoonalmond essence, optional

Directions

1. Crack a mature brown coconut and prise out the flesh. Peel off the brown skin with a vegetable peeler. Grate the white flesh finely on a box grater. Soak it in warm coconut milk for fifteen minutes first. Dry coconut from the bag draws moisture from the batter.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt together. Stir the grated coconut through the dry mixture. Coating the coconut in flour stops it clumping.
3. Beat until the sugar has largely dissolved into it. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Pour in the coconut milk and the vanilla.
4. Add the almond essence now if you are using it. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold it together with a spatula until just combined. Do not beat it hard at this stage.
5. Heat the oven to 180C with a shelf in the middle. Grease a square baking tin and line the base.
6. Spread the batter into the tin and level the top. Grate a little more nutmeg over the surface. Bake it for about thirty-five minutes. The top should be firm and deep golden brown.
7. Leave it in the tin for fifteen minutes. Let it cool completely before cutting. Serving it is done in squares with tea. Cut it into sixteen small squares. Hot tea or a cold drink both suit it.

Technique

• The name toto is generally traced to a West African root for cake, and related bakes appear across the Caribbean under similar names.
• It sits alongside gizzada and grater cake as one of the Jamaican coconut sweets.

Substitutions

• Tinned coconut milk works in place of fresh throughout.
• Wholemeal flour can replace some of the plain flour for a denser, nuttier square.

Variations

• Some bakers add raisins or mixed peel.
• A version with a splash of dark rum is made at Christmas.
• Molasses in place of some of the brown sugar gives a much darker cake.

History

A Jamaican bake of grated coconut and brown sugar whose name comes from a West African word for cake, carried over in the plantation era.

Frequently asked questions

What is Toto?

Toto is a dessert from Jamaica: small dense coconut cake, spiced and cut in squares. A Jamaican bake of grated coconut and brown sugar whose name comes from a West African word for cake, carried over in the plantation era.

How long does Toto take to make?

Toto takes 20 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes one tray, 16 squares. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Toto?

Yes, within limits. Tinned coconut milk works in place of fresh throughout. Wholemeal flour can replace some of the plain flour for a denser, nuttier square.

What is the most important thing to get right in Toto?

Add the almond essence now if you are using it. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold it together with a spatula until just combined. Do not beat it hard at this stage.