Caribbean Pone (Mixed Provision Pone)

A spicy, mouthwatering pudding-like baked dessert made from cassava, sweet potato, pumpkin, and coconut.

Are you ready to dive into this kinda pudding-but-not-a-cake goodness?

A few posts back, I mentioned how we Caribbean folks use ground provision in just about everything. If you’re wondering what exactly “ground provision” is, I break it down in my What is Ground Provision? post.

We eat provision as a side, we drop it in soups, or we make it the star of the show. Pone is one of those dishes where the provision takes center stage — and this version right here is a mix of all the good stuff: cassava, sweet potato, and pumpkin.

This is a popular Caribbean baked treat you’ll find in homes across the islands.

What exactly is pone?

Ever hear the name of a dish and wonder who came up with it? Who looked at a bunch of grated root veggies, mixed them with spices and coconut milk, and decided to call it “pone”?

Well… that’s basically what it is. A baked pudding made from ground provision, usually cassava, pumpkin, and coconut, with a warm spice blend and just enough sweetness to keep you slicing “just one more lil piece.”

I can’t even call it a cake, honestly. It’s dense and soft like a pudding but still slices like a loaf. You get the earthiness of the cassava and sweet potato, the creamy coconut, and a whole hit of spice at the end. Magic.

How to make pone

Ingredients you’ll need

The magic of pone comes from using fresh, earthy ingredients and pairing them with warm spices and coconut richness. Here’s a breakdown of the essentials:

• Ground Provisions: This recipe calls for a mix of grated cassava, sweet potato, and pumpkin. These bring that soft, dense texture and a mild sweetness that sets pone apart. You can use fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) depending on what’s available to you.
• Coconut: Freshly grated coconut gives the best flavor and texture, but if you’re in a pinch, desiccated coconut works too — just know it won’t be as rich. Some folks even use a combo of both!
• Coconut Milk: This adds moisture and that creamy island flavor. I always go for full-fat canned coconut milk.
• Sweetener: I use brown sugar for its deep molasses notes, but you can adjust the amount depending on how sweet you like your pone.
• Spices + Flavor: A mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of black pepper gives the pone that signature warmth. Add a splash of vanilla or mixed essence to round it all out.
• Butter: Just a bit of melted butter (or shortening) helps with richness and texture.
• Salt: Don’t skip it — just a pinch helps balance all the sweetness.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8×8 baking dish or line it with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the grated cassava, sweet potato, pumpkin, and coconut.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut milk, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, vanilla, and salt until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Mix well until evenly combined. The batter should be thick but pourable.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Smooth out the top with a spatula.
6. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the edges are golden and a toothpick poked into the center comes out mostly clean.
7. Let it cool completely in the pan before slicing. The texture firms up as it cools and slices cleanly when fully set.

Before You Begin

Traditionally, this meant hand-grating every last thing. The coconut, the cassava, the sweet potato… all grated using that classic box grater or even the board with the tin. And yes, it was a full arm workout.

These days? Food processor for the win.

You can use frozen or pre-grated cassava and coconut too, just make sure to thaw and drain them well so the batter isn’t too wet.

And if you can’t find Caribbean sweet potato, orange sweet potato works just fine. The color might be a little different, but the taste still hits.

Tips and Tricks

• Let it cool completely before slicing. I know it’s hard, but trust me — the slices come out cleaner and the flavor deepens.
• Fresh coconut gives the best flavor, but if all you have is desiccated coconut, use that with a little extra coconut milk for moisture.
• Don’t skip the black pepper — it’s the surprise ingredient that brings a warm, subtle bite and balances the sweetness.
• The baking time can vary depending on your oven and the moisture in your provisions. If it’s still soft in the center after an hour, give it another 10–15 minutes.

Storage & Reheating

Pone doesn’t have the longest shelf life — it’ll keep at room temp for about a day or two.

Here’s how I store it:

• Let it cool completely.
• Wrap it tightly in cling wrap.
• Place it in a zip-top bag or airtight container.
• Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can eat it cold (some folks love it with ice cream!), or warm it up in the toaster oven or microwave. It also freezes well, just wrap individual slices and thaw overnight in the fridge.

More Caribbean dessert vibes

• Caribbean Fruit Cake
• Coconut Drops
• Coconut Sweet Bread
• Rock buns
• Gizzada

This pone does not play

This is that “lemme just take a small piece” dessert that turns into three slices. You think you’re done, but somehow your fork still reaching for more. Don’t say I didn’t tell you — this pone does not play.

Recipe

Caribbean Pone

A spicy, mouthwatering pudding – like baked dessert made from cassava, sweet potato, and pumpkin.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Servings: 16

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Caribbean

Calories: 196

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 2 cups grated sweet potato Caribbean version
• 1 cup grated cassava
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup grated pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 3 tablespoons melted shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Raisins optional

Method

 

1. Heat oven at 350
2. Combine all grated ingredients: sweet potato, cassava, pumpkin, coconut and the coconut milk
3. Add shortening, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper and salt
4. Mix well
5. Add raisins
6. Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan. (If you want a thinner pone split the mixture up into two)
7. Bake for 1 and a half hours or until pone leaves the side of the pan. Start checking about 50 minutes or so in. The center should be firm and clean with a toothpick check.
8. Cool before cutting

Nutrition

Calories: 196kcal

Notes

If you want a thick pone, use one loaf pan. If you want a thin pone, separate the batter into two loaf pans. In my reel, I used one pan. For these pictures, I used two pans.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!