Making sugar cake is wonderfully simple. Fresh coconut is grated into fine shreds, then combined with sugar and sometimes a little water or coconut milk in a pot over the heat. As the mixture heats and the sugar melts, it becomes thick and sticky. A few drops of food colouring turn it bright pink - the most traditional colour - and then spoonfuls are dropped onto a flat surface to harden into little cakes.
Sugar cake is a treat with deep roots in Caribbean cooking. Coconuts grow abundantly on both islands, and sugar has historically been very important to the economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Combining two of the islands' most important ingredients into a sweet snack made perfect sense, and the recipe has been passed down through families for many generations.
You will find sugar cakes at school tuck shops, market stalls, festival grounds, and in people's homes. They are especially popular at Carnival (Sugar Mas) and other celebrations. Vendors often carry them in trays or glass jars, and the pink colour makes them instantly recognisable and eye-catching.
Different islands across the Caribbean make their own versions of coconut sweet, each with slight variations in ingredients or method. The Saint Kitts and Nevis version is known for being particularly soft and sticky, almost melting in your mouth while giving that intense coconut sweetness.