could i put fresh berries into a cassava pone?

a cassava pone is a sweet baked dish from the caribbean regions. it is very well known in trinidad and guyana, barbados, st vincent and grenada, and it is also found in belize and panama and suriname.... by a different name, it is found on the coast of colombia with different seasonings, no doubt it is found in other places as well..


it is baked in a pan and consists of grated cassava (which bakes into a gooey delight) that is sweetened with sugar, flavored with things like vanilla, ginger or nutmeg, enriched with fat (butter, margarine or shortening), enriched/softened with liquids like whole milk, coconut milk, or evaporated milk. Bite, firmness, texture and flavor is added with grated coconut.

it is quite outstanding when eaten especially warm, but it is good at room temperature too.

i have seen it made with no grated coconut, then the texture is more gooey and soft, but still firm enough. it is great when the bottom and edges is crusty enough but the middle is still soft and gooey.


many times raisins or other dry fruits are added. I recently fdound a fantastic recipe that called fro dried blueberries.

i am wondering.

what would happen if fresh blueberries were used?

dry fruits plump and their water level increases due to absorbing steam, they end up slightly softer and moister than they were when they were dried.

my guess dried is the way to go, but im  wondering if fresh berries were used, what would happen?

 

INGREDIENTS

2 Dry Coconuts, grated
8 lbs Cassava (aka Yucca in US Stores)
1 cup of mixed berries (blueberries, cranberries & cherries,) chopped
1/2 cup raisins, whole
2 oz ginger, grated
6 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 nutmeg, grated
1 12 FL OZ can of Evaporated Milk
1 tablespoon almond essence
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
6 oz shortening, melted

UTENSILS
1 large bowl
1 spatula
2 13 x 9 x 2 foil pans lined with parchment paper
1 preheated 350F oven
1 Food Processor
1 nutmeg grater
1 regular size grater
1 measuring cup
1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon

METHOD

Add the grated cassava and coconut to a large bowl for mixing. Add the other dry ingredients, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, sugar, raisins and berries. With a spatula mix well. Add the evaporated milk, almond essense, vanilla essence and melted shortening. Mix evenly with the spatula. Pour even quantities of the mixture to the 2 pans (lined with parchment paper) and put in the oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until the a cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Please on a wire rack to cool. Slice the pone into 4 columns and 5 rows to make 20 servings per pan.