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Jamaican Toto

Jamaican Toto (Coconut Cake)

Jamaican Toto is a time-honored traditional Jamaican dessert enjoyed after family Sunday dinner. Made with desiccated coconut, spices, milk, and flour, it’s worth experiencing with each bite.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Caribbean, Jamaican
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups flour sifted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 ½ cup milk coconut milk or skimmed milk
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 ½ cups grated coconut coconut trash
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp ginger flavoring optional
  • ½ cup butter or margarine (soften, room temp., optional)

Method
 

  1. In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients - flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Cream sugar and butter in a separate bowl with a hand mixer or by hand until fluffy.
  4. Add beaten eggs to the creamed butter and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  5. Add milk to the egg mixture. Stir in vanilla and ginger flavoring.
  6. In portions, gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients to combine.
  7. Stir in grated coconut into the mixture until combined.
  8. Pour batter into an 8-inch greased and floured baking pan and bake for 30-45 minutes.
  9. Test with a toothpick in different areas. If the toothpick comes out clean, it’s done baking.
  10. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  11. Serve.

Notes

Notes For Making Jamaican Toto

  • Spice up your toto recipe by adding dried fruits such as dates, currants, raisins, and mixed fruits. 
  • Some recipes would also add white rum to the egg or the batter. It helps eliminate the raw egg smell and adds flavor to the cake. One to three tablespoons would work great for this recipe. 
  • You may also try stout beer instead of white rum, which is what I did. 
  • You can use cooled melted butter if you don’t want to go through creaming the butter.