KUEH LAPIS REMPAH

Makes one 22-cm (8½-in) square cake

Also known as kek lapis, this recipe is Indonesian in origin. It is flavoured with a special blend of spices, which in the olden days, the Nyonyas would put together and keep to themselves, guarding it as a secret family recipe. A commercially prepared blend of spices known as mixed spice is readily available from the spice section in most supermarkets today and can be used in this recipe. As this cake is very rich, it is best served thinly sliced. It was Auntie Amy Tan who taught me how to make this cake when I was just 14 years old. I used to bake and sell this cake for pocket money and to pay for my school fees and school books.

Plain (all-purpose) flour 120 g (4¼ oz)
Mixed spice 1 tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Egg whites 5, at room temperature
Castor sugar 150 g (5 oz)
Butter 375 g (12½ oz), at room temperature
Sweetened condensed milk 7 Tbsp
Egg yolks 20, at room temperature

1.   Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 22-cm (8½-in) square baking tin.

2.   Sift together flour, mixed spice and baking powder. Set aside.

3.   Beat egg whites and sugar until frothy. Set aside.

4.   Beat butter with condensed milk until creamy. Add egg yolks one at a time until
well mixed.

5.   Fold in flour mixture a little at a time until well incorporated. Fold in egg white froth.

6.   Spoon a ladle of batter into prepared tin and bake for 2–3 minutes until top is
lightly browned.

7.   Spoon another layer of batter over first layer and repeat to bake for 2–3 minutes
until top is lightly browned. Repeat to layer and bake until batter is used up.

8.   Remove cake from oven and unmould from tin. Leave to cool completely on
a wire rack.

9.   Cut into thin slices to serve.

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PERANAKAN HERITAGE

Cooking