What Is Grater Cake? The Jamaican Coconut Sweet Explained
Grater cake is a Jamaican coconut sweet, often pink and white. Here is what it is and where to buy the ingredients.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Grater cake is a traditional Jamaican confectionery made from freshly grated coconut cooked with sugar until it sets firm, then cut into squares, and it often has a pretty pink layer on top. It is not a cake in the sponge sense but a sweet, chewy coconut candy, sweet and rich with the flavour of coconut, and a much loved old-time treat. The name comes from the grated coconut at its heart. Because it is made from coconut, it is worth a note for anyone with a coconut allergy. In the UK the coconut and ingredients are sold by Caribbean and African food shops.
What to remember
- Grater cake is a Jamaican coconut sweet made from grated coconut cooked with sugar.
- It sets firm and is cut into squares, often with a pretty pink layer on top.
- It is a sweet, chewy coconut candy rather than a sponge cake.
- It is a much loved old-time treat, named for the grated coconut at its heart.
- It contains coconut, and the coconut and ingredients are sold by Caribbean and African food shops in the UK.
For Jamaican people in Britain, grater cake is a sweet taste of home and childhood. It is the pink and white square from the school gate, the chewy coconut treat with a hot drink, the old-time sweet gran used to make, the little bit of sweetness that says home. Making grater cake far from home brings back childhood and corner shops and family kitchens, the warmth of home in every sweet, coconut-rich bite.
There is real heritage in it too, in a sweet so tied to Jamaican childhood and to the tradition of home-made coconut confectionery. It reflects a whole culture of simple, joyful, resourceful sweets, and to make a good grater cake is to keep that alive. Making it for family who grew up on it, or introducing a friend to their first pink and white square, is a small act of welcome. That sweet, nostalgic taste of home is the gift of grater cake.
What Grater Cake Actually Is
Grater cake is a traditional Jamaican sweet, one of the island's beloved old-time confections, made from freshly grated coconut cooked with sugar until it thickens and sets, then cut into squares or blocks. Despite the name it is not a cake in the light, sponge sense, but a firm, sweet, chewy coconut candy, and the name comes from the grated coconut that is its main ingredient. It is often finished with a layer of pink on top, coloured with a little food colouring, giving it its familiar pretty pink and white look.
Grater cake belongs to the world of Jamaican sweets and treats we cover in our guide to Jamaican food. It sits alongside the island's other coconut sweets, such as the little coconut drops, sharing that love of rich, sweet coconut, and it is part of the same tradition of home-made confectionery as treats like gizzada.
How Grater Cake Is Made and Eaten
Making grater cake is simple in principle. Freshly grated coconut is cooked with sugar, and often a little water, over heat, sometimes with flavourings like vanilla, ginger or nutmeg, and it is stirred as the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens. As it cooks, the sugar reaches the point where it will set, and the coconut mixture becomes thick and sticky. It is then spread out, and for the classic look, a portion is coloured pink and layered on top, before the whole thing is left to cool and set firm.
Once set, the grater cake is cut into squares or rectangles, ready to eat as a sweet treat. It is chewy, sweet and full of coconut flavour, and it is enjoyed as a snack, a treat with a hot drink, or a little something sweet, especially by those who grew up with it. It contains coconut and a lot of sugar, so it is worth noting for anyone with a coconut allergy or watching sugar. This is general food information rather than dietary advice. Sweet, chewy and pretty, grater cake is an old-time Jamaican treat.
Grater Cake in Jamaican Food Culture
Grater cake holds a nostalgic place in Jamaican food culture as an old-time sweet, the kind of treat sold at the school gate, the corner shop and the market, and made at home for generations. Its pink and white squares are a familiar, cheerful sight, and for many Jamaicans the taste of grater cake brings back childhood, pocket money and simpler days. It is part of a whole tradition of home-made Jamaican sweets built on coconut and sugar.
Every maker has their own recipe, their own flavourings and their own hand with the pink, but the sweet, chewy grated coconut is always at its heart. For Jamaican people, grater cake is a nostalgic taste of home and childhood, and for anyone exploring Caribbean food it is a lovely, simple sweet to try. This article is general food and cultural information. Sweet and nostalgic, grater cake is a treasured Jamaican classic.
Where to Buy the Ingredients in the UK
Making grater cake at home in Britain is easy, as the ingredients are simple and available. Caribbean and African food shops sell fresh and desiccated coconut, whole coconuts for grating, and the sugar and flavourings like vanilla, ginger and nutmeg you need, along with a little food colouring for the pink top. Fresh coconut gives the fullest flavour, though desiccated works too. You may also find grater cake sold ready-made in some shops.
If you want to make grater cake, a Caribbean or African food shop can point you to the coconut and the bits you need. You can find African food stores near you or look up Caribbean food stores near you, where coconut and these ingredients are familiar items. Cooked with sugar until it sets and topped with pink, grater cake brings a sweet, nostalgic taste of Jamaica to your table.
Frequently asked questions
What is grater cake?
Grater cake is a traditional Jamaican confectionery made from freshly grated coconut cooked with sugar until it sets firm, then cut into squares, often with a pretty pink layer on top. It is not a sponge cake but a sweet, chewy coconut candy, named for the grated coconut at its heart, and it is a much loved old-time treat.
Why is it called grater cake?
The name comes from the grated coconut that is its main ingredient, traditionally grated fresh from a whole coconut. It is called a cake in the older, broader sense of a set, cut confection rather than a light sponge. So grater cake means, in effect, a sweet made from grated coconut.
Is grater cake the same as coconut drops?
They are close cousins, both traditional Jamaican coconut sweets, but they differ. Grater cake is made from finely grated coconut cooked with sugar and set firm, often with a pink top, while coconut drops are made from chunks of coconut cooked with sugar and ginger and dropped in mounds to set. Both are sweet and coconut-rich, with a different texture.
How is grater cake made?
Freshly grated coconut is cooked with sugar, and often a little water and flavourings like vanilla, ginger or nutmeg, until the mixture thickens and reaches setting point. A portion is often coloured pink and layered on top for the classic look, then the whole thing is left to cool and set firm before being cut into squares.
Where can I buy the ingredients in the UK?
Fresh and desiccated coconut, whole coconuts, sugar and flavourings like vanilla, ginger and nutmeg, plus a little food colouring for the pink top, are sold by Caribbean and African food shops, and some also sell grater cake ready-made. You can find African food stores near you for the coconut and everything the sweet needs. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you.