Cocada Poblana de Horno

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8-inch square ceramic or talavera baking dish
• •Heavy 3-quart saucepan
• •Box grater or rotary coconut grater
• •Wooden spoon
• •Small whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the dish

   Heat the oven to 350F. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish, then dust it lightly with flour and tap out the excess. Use ceramic if you have it. Puebla serves sweets in talavera for a reason: it holds the heat evenly and looks like home, not like a hotel buffet.

2. 2

   Cook the syrup

   In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, milk, canela, and salt. Bring to a steady simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the liquid looks glossy and slightly thickened. Do not walk away. Sugar behaves until it doesn't.

3. 3

   Add the coconut

   Stir in the grated coconut. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the coconut absorbs most of the syrup and the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan in heavy, wet clumps. This is where the candy gets its body. If it is soupy, keep cooking. No me vengas con atajos.

   Fresh coconut matters. Bagged sweetened coconut is already sugared, dried, and wrong for this texture. If you must use frozen grated coconut, thaw it and squeeze out excess water first. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
4. 4

   Temper the yolks

   Remove the pan from the heat and discard the canela stick. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl until smooth. Spoon in a little hot coconut mixture while whisking, then repeat twice more. Now stir the warmed yolks back into the saucepan. If you dump cold yolks straight into the pot, they scramble. The nuns in Puebla knew better.

5. 5

   Finish the mixture

   Return the pan to low heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the mixture thickens again and looks rich, yellow, and heavy. Keep the heat low. Egg yolk gives cocada poblana its color and tenderness, but it punishes impatience.

6. 6

   Bake until golden

   Scrape the coconut mixture into the prepared dish and smooth the top with a wet spatula. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the surface is golden in patches, the edges are deeper brown, and the center no longer jiggles when you nudge the dish. The top should be crisp under a knife, with a chewy center underneath.

7. 7

   Cool and cut

   Let the cocada cool completely in the dish. Completely means completely. Cut it warm and it collapses into sweet coconut paste. Cut it cool and you get clean squares with browned edges and a tender middle. Serve in small pieces. This is candy, not cake. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy a whole coconut and grate it yourself if you can. The flesh should smell clean and sweet, never sour. At a mercado, ask for coco fresco rallado and use it the same day.
• •Mexican canela is softer and more floral than hard cassia cinnamon. If your cinnamon stick is thick, dark, and difficult to break, use a smaller piece. It can bully the coconut.
• •Do not replace the egg yolks with whole eggs. The yolks give color, richness, and the clean cut after cooling. Whites make the texture bouncy. This is candy, not flan.
• •The top should brown, not burn. If your oven runs hot, cover the dish loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes. Watch the edges. Sugar tells you when it is done.

Advance Preparation

• •The cocada can be baked one day ahead. Cool completely, cover, and keep at room temperature if your kitchen is cool, or refrigerate if the weather is humid.
• •Cut squares keep for 4 days in an airtight container. Place parchment between layers so the browned tops stay intact.
• •Do not freeze cocada poblana. The coconut releases water when thawed and the texture turns grainy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 55g)