Easter Island Po’e Fruit Pudding Cake: Simple & Gluten Free

Are you looking for a simple and easy, sweet and fruity, gluten-free, low-fat, vegan dessert? Why not a Po’e pudding cake? The Rapa Nui people on Easter Island in the South Pacific have a traditional dessert called Po’e. It’s a dense banana-focused, moist, cake-like pudding. Basically, it’s a cross between a moist, dense banana bread and a thick, dense pudding. I’m excited to share my version that uses traditional ingredients found on Easter Island that you can easily find in your local grocery store.

A Little about Easter Island

While called Rapa Nui to its inhabitants, the name Easter Island was given by Dutch explorer, Jacob Roggeveen, on Easter Sunday in 1722. It is the southeastern most island of the Polynesian islands in the south pacific that is home to about 8,600 people. It is a bilingual Spanish and Rapa Nui language Chilean territory located 2,200 or so miles off the coast of Chile. If you’re familiar with Easter Island, then you have probably seen the moai volcanic rock monolithic statues often shown (image above) to represent the island. These statues were carved sometime between 1250-1500 by the Rapa Nui, the island’s indigenous people, to represent their ancestors who appear to watch over and protect the people and the island. There are 900-1,000 of these statues with a “new” one recently discovered in a dry lake bed.

Variations of the Po’e Pudding Cake

The different Polynesian Islands have variations of this dessert. Some are made with plantains while others contain pumpkin. Some have wheat flour while others use a vegetable starch like tapioca, potato, or corn. Either way, you get a sweet, moist, dense satisfying fruity pudding dessert. Let’s check out my simple version.

My Easter Island Po’e Pudding Cake Version

How I Learned about Po’e

I first heard about this dessert while learning about Easter Island’s annual celebration called Tapati Rapa Nui meaning Rapa Nui Week. The festival celebrates Rapa Nui culture during the first two weeks in February. It highlights Polynesian culture with music, dances, body “war” paint, traditional attire, and sports competitions between the island’s ancestral clans who battle for the title of “Queen”. Each clan selects a female to represent the clan during the games. The clan with the most points at the end of the two weeks becomes the winning clan and their female representative is crowned queen for the year.

How I Decided on the Ingredients

During the celebration and throughout the year, one of the favorite sweet treats is the Rapa Nui Po’e pudding cake. In creating my version of this traditional dessert, I decided to use ingredients commonly found and grown on Easter Island which include fruit like bananas and sweet potatoes along with fruit or root byproducts like tapioca starch. The remaining ingredients are few and don’t include dairy, eggs, or gluten. It’s a simple and easy dessert appropriate for those with common food allergies.

Po’e Pudding Cake Ingredients

You don’t need to be a baker to make this satisfying dessert. All you need are sweet potatoes, ripe bananas, vanilla, tapioca flour or starch, salt, brown sugar, and the optional coconut cream to dollop on top. Could it be a simpler bake?

Preheat Oven & Grease Baking Dish

Since this dessert comes together very quickly, preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Grease a 2-quart (8×8-inch) baking dish with coconut oil or cooking spray.

TIP: For easy pudding removal, I opt to use my hands to spread the oil around the pan to ensure it gets in the corners of the pan.

Pulverize the Sweet Potatoes

Peel and chop 266 grams (2 cups) of sweet potatoes into large chunks. Place them in a food processor and blend until smooth. Root vegetables like sweet potatoes are commonly grown on Easter Island. I like adding sweet potatoes to this dessert because they add texture and a pretty orange tent to the pudding cake.

Peel, Chop, & Process the Bananas

Peel and cut 350 grams (2 cups = 3-4) of bananas into large chunks. Add them to the food processor and blend again until both bananas and potatoes are smooth. Bananas are the dominate flavor in this dessert. If you don’t like bananas, you can use less but their smooth gelatinous texture creates a smooth pudding-like cake.

Add the Remaining Ingredients

Pour in Vanilla

Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and pulse a few times until blended.

Add the Dry Ingredients

To the food processor add 110 grams (1 cup) of tapioca flour/starch; you can substitute with potato starch or cornstarch. I prefer tapioca because tapioca starch comes from the cassava root plant that is commonly grown on Easter Island. Add 1½ grams (¼ teaspoon) of salt. Then, add 112 grams (½ cup packed) of brown sugar. Use a spoon or spatula to slightly combine the dry with the wet to help the machine begin the mixing. Turn on the machine and process the ingredients until smooth; no lumps or streaks of dry mixture should be visible.

Pour Mixture into Prepared Baking Dish

Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Use a spatula to smooth out the top if needed.

Bake the Po’e Pudding Cake

Place the pudding in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes until firm. The top center should be firm to the touch.

Cool the Po’e Pudding Cake

Once baked, allow the pudding cake to cool at room temperature. You can serve this pudding cake warm or cover and place in fridge until ready to serve. The pudding cake tastes great days later.

Add Optional Toppings for Texture & Elegance

You can simply cut the pudding cake into 9 pieces and eat as is. If you want to serve it with elegance and texture, place each slice on a serving plate. Then, top each with a dollop of coconut cream which is the natural cream formed at the top of a can of coconut milk; don’t shake the can prior to opening. You can add grated raw sweet potato, sliced bananas, toasted or flake coconut, and a sprinkling of brown sugar on top of the coconut cream for added texture.

TIP: If adding sliced bananas, toss the bananas in a liquid acid (juice from a lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, etc.) to prevent oxidation and browning.

Po’e Pudding Cake Up Close

Notice the orange and pink hues from the sweet potato. It is a thin dessert with pudding-like texture. It’s best to slice into squares. The pudding cake slices through cleanly due to the dense moist texture. It holds together well. You can spot small pieces of sweet potato. The banana comes through clearly as the house smells like banana bread. To serve, place slices on serving plates and top each with a dollop coconut cream which is optional. You can add sliced bananas and/ or additional brown sugar on top of the cream for added texture.

Storing Suggestions for Po’e Pudding Cake

You can leave the pudding cake in its baking dish and cover to store. Store it without the toppings in the fridge for up to a week. Add the toppings only when serving.

Po’e Pudding Cake Final Thoughts

This Po’e dessert is simple, sweet, and fruity. It’s a hearty sweet dish that works well for a satiating sweet breakfast, snack, or dessert. It’s filling dish without leaving you sluggish. It would make a pleasing spring or summer dessert.

Po’e Pudding Cake Baker’s Perspective

What an easy dessert with simple ingredients! It’s almost a one-pot dessert since all the ingredients are blended in a food processor. Once the sweet potatoes and bananas are processed, the mixture resembles a smooth and creamy orange sherbet or sorbet. I like that you don’t need to be a baker to make this dessert. While the final product looks a little monotonous, by adding the simple toppings you elevate the visual appeal, flavor, and texture of the whole dessert; it’s totally worth the extra few minutes for that. However, we loved the dessert as is… no toppings needed for great flavor and simple snack.

Po’e Pudding Cake Taster’s Perspective

Po’e is a dense banana flavored moist cake-like pudding. It’s a cross between a moist, dense banana bread and a thick dense pudding. The bananas are the dominate flavor with a nice vanilla overtone. The sweet potatoes, while mostly undetected in flavor, add a sort of pretty orange color to the dish and add texture to the otherwise one-sided smoothness. If you’re looking for something a little different that’s gluten free, low in fat, and mostly allergy free, this just might be the dessert for you. We have really enjoyed eating this pudding cake and hope you do too.

Check out my YouTube video to follow every step in making this dessert. “Easter Island Rapa Nui Po’e Fruit Pudding Cake: A Simple & Easy Gluten-Free, Low-Fat, & Vegan Treat.”

Check out these other sweet treats.

Scottish Shortbread Cookies

Argentine Alfajores Sandwich Cookies

Czech Palačinky: Thin Sweet Pancakes

Chinese Almond Ginger Cookies

Angel Food Cake

Australian & New Zealand Pavlova

Coconut Flan: Gluten Free & Dairy Free

German Bienenstich Cake

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