Traditional Indonesian Layer Cake (Kue Lapis Legit)
Indonesian layer cake or kue lapis legit is an ultra rich and moist butter cake baked layer by layer. It has warm flavours of mixed spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom, and the subtle hint of vanilla.
Ingredients
- 100 g self-raising flour or replace with cake flour and add 1 ⅛ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp ready-made lapis cake spice (rempah kueh) or mixed spice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 250 g unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 2 tbsp condensed milk
- 3 whole eggs large
- 16 egg yolks
- 250 g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp sponge cake gel/emulsifier I use SP or Ovalett
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp brandy optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C (392°F). Grease and line the base of an 8-inch (20-cm) square cake pan with baking paper. Position the oven rack in the centre of the oven.
- Sift self-raising flour (or cake flour and baking powder), mixed spice and salt into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and condensed milk at medium speed until smooth, light and fluffy, about 5 - 7 minutes. Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape the butter down the sides of the bowl. Set aside.Note: Do not use high speed as the heat generated could warm the butter, making the mixture greasy. Beat until the mixture feels light, fluffy, and creamy on your spatula.
- Fit the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. In a clean and dry mixer bowl, whip whole eggs, egg yolks, caster sugar and sponge gel on medium speed until pale, very thick and fluffy. This may take 10 - 15 minutes given the quantity of eggs, the temperature of the eggs as well as the mixing speed.Note: Do not rush through this step by beating at high speed. It may take more than the time stated, but do not worry. It is important to beat as long as required to get to the ribbon stage.
- Whip until ribbon stage. This is when the mixture falls back into the bowl in ribbons, which stays on the surface for a while (at least 7 seconds) before disappearing into the mixture. Now, switch to low speed and beat for 1 - 2 minutes to reduce large air bubbles in the batter. The egg mixture should look silky smooth and glossy.
- Tip in the sifted flour-spice mixture and continue beating until well incorporated. About 15 seconds.
- Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the creamed butter mixture in 3 additions, each time beating until well mixed before adding the next.Tip update! Before beating in the creamed butter, I find it helpful to give it a light beating by hand (with a spatula) to aerate it again as the butter may have firmed up after sitting a while. Then add one cup of the beaten egg mixture to the creamed butter and fold until the mixture is smooth and well combined. This will help lighten the creamed butter and minimise the butter mixture separating and curdling when mixing with the egg mixture.
- Last, tip in the vanilla extract and brandy (optional) and beat on low speed for 5-10 seconds until well mixed.
- Heat the cake pan in the preheated oven for 2 minutes. Switch to grill mode (top heating only). Note: It’s also very important to know your grilling temperature range. I use the lowest level in my oven as it maintains an internal baking temperature at around 200 - 210°C (392 - 410°F). Use the grilling level that gives you this temperature in your oven.
- Scoop a ladle of batter (or 80 - 85 gm by weight) and spread with the back of a metal spoon to fill the base. Level the first layer as evenly as possible.
- For the 1st layer, grill for 3 minutes or until cooked and lightly browned. Do not over-bake the first layer.Note: I usually regard the first 2-3 layers as ‘sacrificial’ layers, so don’t get hung up over these starting layers as long as you don’t burn any. Once you get into the work flow, are able to adjust the grilling temperature if it’s too hot, and also determine the baking time, then the subsequent layers will turn out much nicer.
- Remove from the oven, prick a few holes in the baked layer with a fork. If there were air bubbles, gently press with a lapis press - you don’t need to if the layer baked up nice and flat. Spread the next layer of batter. Again, spread with the back of a spoon and shake the pan to level it evenly. Tap the pan hard on the counter once or twice to minimise air bubbles. Grill for 5 minutes, or until golden brown.Note: In spite of your best efforts, trapped air bubbles may balloon under the layer during the grilling process. This is normal. Prick the air bubbles as soon as they start to form, before the crust begins to set. It’s perfectly okay to quickly open the oven door, pull out the oven rack a bit so you can safely prick it with a toothpick to let the air escape. Then close the oven door again.
- Repeat layering and grilling until all the batter is used up. Note: The last 2 to 3 layers make take less time to bake and brown, so do observe the cake frequently and watch the time.
- Once the last layer has lightly browned, set the oven mode to top and bottom heating at 180°C (356°F) and bake the cake for another 2 - 3 minutes. During this last few minutes of baking, you can cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil if it gets too brown.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edges and invert the cake to release. Set on a wire rack until completely cooled.
- Trim a bit off the sides of the cake to reveal the layers. To store, wrap the cooled cake tightly with a few layers of clingwrap, and chill or freeze.
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Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 146kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 136mg, Sodium: 96mg, Sugar: 9g
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