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 Lapis legit, plain and withpandan | |
| Alternative names | Spekkoek, spekuk, spiku, kek lapis, kueh lapis |
|---|---|
| Type | Cake |
| Place of origin | Dutch East Indies (modern dayIndonesia) |
| Region or state | Batavia |
| Associatedcuisine | Indonesia,Netherlands |
| Main ingredients | Flour,egg yolks,butter,sugar,cinnamon,clove,mace andanise |
Lapis legit, also known asspekkoek (Dutch:[ˈspɛkuk]ⓘ;Indonesian:kue lapis legit orspekuk), is a type ofIndonesianlayer cake. It was developed duringcolonial times in theDutch East Indies. The firm-texturedcake is aDutch-Indonesian version ofkue lapis, the multi-layered steamed rice cake common in Southeast Asia, but using Dutch ingredients like flour and butter. It contains a mix of Indonesian spices, such ascardamom,cinnamon,clove,mace andanise. The cake is made offlour andyolk and is rich inbutter ormargarine.[1]
Lapis legit is popular inIndonesia and is served as a holiday treat, especially fornatal,imlek, andlebaran.[1] It is also served or given as gifts during many local festivities such as at birthday parties and weddings. In theNetherlands, the sliced cake can be found in most grocery stores and Asian markets (tokos). It is traditionally served for dessert inrijsttafel.[2] It is also a very popular dessert inHadhramout.
TheDutch term spekkoek translates literally aspork belly (orbacon) cake, a name derived from its appearance of dark and light layers.[3] ItsIndonesian name, lapis legit, means sweet layer cake. In English, the cake is occasionally called "thousand layer cake",[4] although the cake is unrelated to the Frenchmille feuille (lit. thousand sheets), which is made withpuff pastry.
Lapis legit is thought to have been made by the wives of Dutch administrators inBatavia (modern-day Jakarta) during the colonial period and served during eveningtea.[5]
As a lapis legit commonly has more than 18 layers, baking this cake requires patience and is a very labour-intensive process. Thebatter is mainly made of butter, flour andsugar with an approximate ratio of 1:1:2. Each layer is made by pouring a small amount of batter into a baking tin, which is then put into an oven andgrilled from above until the layer has turned golden from the heat. The tin is then removed from the oven, and this process is repeated to build up the remaining layers.Dutch ovens with acharcoal fire on top of the lid are said to produce the best results, whileelectric ovens are superior togas ovens as cakes bake much faster in the former.
Where clove buds or cardamom seeds are difficult to find, bakers can use lapis legit powder as a replacement.Milling and mixing the spices right before baking produces a cake with an excellent aroma. The ground spices must be sieved into the flour at least three times, as the spice powder is very fine and tends to clump in the batter. In Indonesia, there are many varieties oflapis legit, including cakes containingalmonds,cashew nuts,cheese,prunes orraisins, and even cakes flavoured withchocolate andpandan.
Due to the effort required to bake the cake, it is a rather expensive delicacy, costing about€20 per kilogram in 2010 in the Netherlands.[6] In Indonesia, a similar-sizedlapis legit can cost up toRp 400,000 (about €12.50).
Generally, a typical lapis legit cake is sold in a square pan (approx 20x20x6) and costs at least Rp 350,000 for a homemade, and up to Rp 900,000 for a special-made (commercialised).
InMalang,East Java,kue lapis malang orspiku malang refers to a two-layered cake prepared using a different technique. Two batter mixes are prepared, one with naturally produced yellow colour, the other mixed with cocoa powder to produce a dark brown colour. The batter mixes are poured into two different baking tins and baked in the oven. To assemble of the cake are layered on top of each other with a thin layer of fruit jam in between. Similarly inSurabaya,kue lapis surabaya orspiku surabaya refers to a three-layered cake, prepared using a similar technique to spiku malang. Thekue lapis surabaya is commonly used to make abirthday cake andwedding cake in Indonesia.
Lapis legit is similar to traditional Indonesiankue lapis, the difference being that lapis legit is a puffy layered cake, made of flour and isbaked, whilekue lapis is a moist layeredpudding, made ofrice flour andsago, and issteamed. Confusingly, in Malaysia and Singapore,lapis legit may also be calledkueh lapis.[7][8]
Lapis legit has also spread to Malaysia. A form developed inSarawak is called theSarawak layer cake orkek lapis Sarawak which has greater colour and flavour variations.[5][9]
