I have a carton of 18 large eggs which i know they will not be consumed before i leave for Malaysia. so, baking this cake is the way to go which is so rich with egg yolks that a sign of caution has to be labelled to whoever is having a very high level of cholesterol count is to stay away. This cake will only appear on the table during the festive season as not only is it too rich, it is too tedious to bake. Imagine, grilling one layer at a time. Whatever, have a tiny slice and enjoy..
Ingredients:
325 g : unsalted butter
175 g : fine granulated sugar
120 g : cake flour
1/8 tsp : salt
1 tsp : mixed spices(refer to notes below)
2 tbsp : brandy
5 - : egg whites
18 - : egg yolks
Method:
Sieve the soft flour and mixed spices together.
In a mixer, cream the soft butter, salt and 100grm of sugar until light and fluffy, then slowly beat in1 egg yolk at a time. Gradually add the brandy, flour and spice mixture.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and the remaining sugar until a soft peak forms, the egg whites should not be too stiff
Add 1/3 of whisked egg whites and mix thoroughly, then fold in the rest of the egg whites into the mixture GENTLY.
Pre-heat a top grill .
Grease a piece of greaseproof paper and place it at the bottom of the 8 inch square cake pan.
Evenly spread 2 scoops (heaped tablespoon) of the cake mixture on the greaseproof paper.
Grill until golden brown (5-6 minutes). Rotate the pan while baking and use a skewer to prick any air bubbles that form.
Repeat the process until all the cake mixture has been used.
Make sure the cake surface is even before adding additional layers. You could use a flat base glass to press down on cake.
When the last layer is complete, bake the cake in a pre heated oven at 300 f for 15 minutes.
Remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool before serving.
Mixed spices
28 g : cinnamon powder
15 g : clove powder
7 g : star anise powder
15 g : cardamom powder
Serves
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Kuih Lapis Batavia
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44 comments:
This is real rich but soooo good!
I found the Vietnamese store sells this layers cake as well, imported from M'sia but the taste was very plain and couldn't even compare.
Hi Lily,
Whenever I look at a photo of Kueh Lapis, I always want to make it. Then I look at the ingredients and they scare me off - which I guess is good because I would most certainly eat up the whole cake by myself and then die of a heart attack!! :) Do you know how long you can keep the cake?
fran
The cake is usually left in the fridge and i will zap in the microwave before serving. It has been in the freezer for the longest time ever.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! It's a tedious kuih indeed! This cake is also known as Indonesian Layered Cake or Spekkoek. I hope you can share also the recipe of colourful mozaic Sarawak Layered Cake which i saw in some magazines...
Merci beaucoup & Bonne année!
pixen
belgium
pixen
how i wish i can make the sarawak layer cake. it is so beautiful.
oh my goodness, i want some NOW :)
hi aunty lily,
I love your blog~! i've tried the pandan chiffon cake, and it was great. am going to try lots of your other recipes soon.
by the way, i wish to ask what is top grill? can i juz use the top heating element of the oven? can you teach me exactly how to "grill" the layers? thank you very much
anonymous
top grill is top heating and it is also called broiling.
Turn on the heat for broil/top grill/top heating element and follow the recipe - as soon as the batter turns brown, remove and continue with the second layer and so forth
Hi! I have been searching for this cake in the stores but can't find it so I'm going to try to make it myself. I have some questions...
1) When "top grilling," how far away from the broiler should the pan be, and how much heat (my broiler as a med and high setting)?
2) Also - greaseproof paper...wax paper or parchment paper?
3) Any mods needed for altitude differences (I'm on the east coast)?
anonymous
put the cake pan at least 6 inches away from the top element(broiler)
you could use high in the first few layers and then turn to med as the layers go nearer to the broiler. rotate your cake pan for even grilling.
i use parchment paper or greaseproof.
how high an altitude are you in?
Not sure of my altitude, but I'm in DC. I plan to try the recipe you posted today and then see if adjustments were needed. I noticed other recipes used wax paper or parchment. Since I didn't pick any of the latter up, I'll try wax this time. Thanks!!
Hi! Do you have the measurements converted to cups?
anonymous
i made this cake using the sea level recipe and did not make any alteration.
tell me how it goes.
nyc
google for conversion table and you
can convert any measurements you want
Hi Lily,
I have always loved to bake this cake myself. Tried last week, although the cake turned out better than I expected, but I found the cake a little hard. Is there any specific reason or is there something that I did not do right which result in the cake having the hard taste. BTW, I did not add the brandy in, is this the main reason or did I bake each layer for quite a while which result in this taste?
Hope you would be able to throw some light.
Thanks
anonymous
i think you have overbaked the layers. once the top is brown, it is ready for the next layer. the cake will have to be baked for 10 - 15 minutes in the final layer to ensure that the cake is thoroughly cooked.
Hi Lily, thanks for sharing your recipe. I'm going to try it out this Friday but can i know what type of brandy to use please?
Thanks!
kathy
for a few tablespoons, use whatever brandy that is available
Lilyng.
I am thinking about making this for an afternoon tea to go with green tea punch. I remember it from Jakarta, and did not appreciate it enough when I had the opportunity. Can you think of any other desserts that are Chinese, Asian, or Indonesian? Any type of cookie?
dot
i don't how much effort or time you would like to spend. There are many delites but so time consuming. A chiffon cake is the easiest and very inviting
Hi! I'm a spanish girl, writing from Madrid (sorry for my english).
I really love this kind of cakes but I think I don't understand quite well how to proceed. When I cook the first layer in the oven, do I have to spread the mix for the second one OVER this first layer? If I have to do it that way, then the first layer stands in the oven during all the process, is it right? I hope you understad what I mean, language can be a handicap.
Thank you very very much.
morgana
the first layer is baked until cooked and if the top is not brown, use the grill/broil to brown it.
Then spread the second layer and brown under the grill/broiler and repeat until all the batter is done.
hi lily...
i love this cake to bitz..and with your recipe i tried to bake it..howver, mine turn out to be burned on the 4 corners and somehow it actually shrink too..and i cant seem to get the golden brown effect before the corners starts to burn.Do you have any advise for me?Do you leave the oevn door open during the grilling?Or would you be kind enough to provide me a more detailed steps for the grilling?
Thanks a million!
aerith
if you have a setting for the grill/broiler, set it to low and make sure that the cake tin is at least 8 inches away from the elements. it takes only 3 - 5 minutes depending on your oven and you might have to rotate the cake pan for even browning.
there are ovens which will not be on if the door is not shut but if your grill can be on if the door is ajar, then you don't have to close it.
Goshhh...again and again cream of tartar. Can i do without it? and brandy as well? Looks so yummy
fanny graciela
you can sub with vinegar or omit it and whisk the eggwhite as is.
Hi Lily,
Thanks for sharing your talents. I have tried to bake the Kuih Lapis but my oven doesn't have control for the lower and upper grill. When I took the Kuih out, the bottom two layers were totally burnt. Please advice on what I should do. Thank you.
Hi Lily,
I was just looking through the ingredients on how to make the layer cake (kuih lapis) and noted that u use brandy. Is there any other substitution instead of brandy?
Cheers.
mandy
brandy gives this cake it's character. you can sub with dark rum but if it is for religious reasons that you cannot take alcohol, just omit it.
How tall does the cake pan need to be?? Is this a standard 8" square pan that one gets in North America??
Thank you!
Hi Lily,
I've juz gone for a baking class last fri. Coincidently, we learnt kueh lapis. However, we used plain flour instead. Is there a diff for the flour difference?
Also, we were taught to bake then grill. Am a little confuse here.
Cheers!
Jackie
jackie
cake flour has lower gluten than plain flour and will give the cake a finer crumb.
i cannot comment why you were taught to bake instead of grill. grilling gives the layer, the brown that is significant in the kuih to show the lapis
Thanx, Lily.
Cheers!
Jackie
Hi Lily,
I tried making this over the weekend.. I won't say it's a total flop but neither is it a total success. Perhaps I am still not very sure how to use my ariston oven. Like convention, cake & ventilation mode is confusing me when I do my various baking. My lapis were burnt not only the 4 sides but the bottom as well. Also, when u said beat egg white till soft peaks, do u mean when I turn the mixing bowl upside down, it doesn't drop?? And what does stiff means??
Cheers
Jackie
Hi Lily,
Another qs. Can I reduce the butter so that it is not that oily?
If so, how much can I cut??
Cheers!
Jackie
jackie
this cake tends to dry out from the broiling and it needs butter to keep it moist. you could if you prefer dry texture.
Hi Lily,
Back to my earlier qs on this : beat egg white till soft peaks, do u mean when I turn the mixing bowl upside down, it doesn't drop?? And what does stiff means?? Is soft peaks the same as foamy?
Cheers!
Jackie
jackie
i have not tried overturning to test my egg whites but if you have baked enough with egg whites, you will get it to know that it is ready. It should be thick but soft and when the whisk is used to lift up some beatened egg whites, it should have a point and the point will droop if alot is lifted up.
Hi Lily,
Enjoyed yr blog and looking at yr very nice pictures. I love baking kueh lapis, but the output is not consistent. Sometimes, in the midst of grilling the layers, a big bubble peak will form. Hav u encountered that before and how do u solve it? I will use the lapis presser to flatten the peak; in the end, that particular layer does not stick well (i.e. comes apart). Can u give me some advice please? Thanks very much.
- Jean
jean
yes, many times, i think it is how we smooth out the batter, try and run the back of the spoon all over. I will prick the bubble many times hoping that the new layer will stick on.
hi lily (: the kuih lapis look AWESOME! may i know if i can substitute brandy for rum? and for mixed spice, i can just use those bottle kind right? thank you! (: (:
the sweetylicious
absolutely, rum is just as good. the mixed spice will do too
thank you very much ((:
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