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Lapis Legit - Thousand Layers Cake
Lapis legit/spekkoek/Indonesian thousand layers cake is a must for special celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Christmas, or Eid. Traditional recipes use 40 egg yolks, but this recipe with 12 eggs still yields a very rich and very tender cake, and full of aroma of spekkoek seasoning.
Chinese New Year is fast approaching and my parents and little brother are coming to the States all the way from Indonesia to celebrate the new year with me!
I am going to be on full gear, preparing many Chinese New Year goodies to share with my family. The first thing on my long list of food to make is, of course, lapis legit (thousand layers cake).
Lapis legit is probably not going to be on your to-do-list for Chinese New Year if you do not grow up in Indonesia, Malaysia, or Singapore. But since I did grow up in Indonesia, this gorgeous cake is a must-have along with nastar (pineapple tart).
What's in spekkoek/lapis legit seasoning?
A bit of a history lesson. This cake is actually a hybrid Indonesian and Dutch cake, a legacy from the Dutch colonial era but is still widely enjoyed to this day. The Dutch call this cake spekkoek, which translates to bacon cake, because all the layers look like bacon! But, there is no bacon involved, only spices. :)
The most defining characteristics of a lapis legit, aside from its multi-layers look, is the use of spekkoek/lapis legit seasoning. I usually buy packaged spekkoek seasoning, but you can also make them yourself from an equal amount of cinnamon powder, mace powder, and nutmeg powder.
Ingredients for a lapis legit cake
This cake uses only very basic pantry ingredients. You will need butter (unsalted), cake flour, eggs, sugar, salt, sweetened condensed milk, rum, and cream of tartar. Of course, you need the requisite spekkoek seasoning too.
In Indonesia, the most premium lapis legit is the one made with Wijsman butter. It is a Dutch preserved salted butter and comes in a can. If you are going to use this, please omit the salt since the butter is already salted.
In the States, I usually either use Kerrygold or Plugra butter. Still a bit pricey, but not Wijsman pricey. 😅
Preparing the cake batter
We will need to prepare three separate batters for this cake before finally mixing all three together into one cake batter.
Batter A is simply creaming together butter, sweetened condensed milk, and rum until fluffy at medium speed for about 8 minutes. Then add in cake flour, spekkoek seasoning, and salt. Mix this just until well combined (probably 1 minute), set aside.
Batter B is the egg yolks. In another mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar at high speed until THICK! Please don’t stop before the batter is pale and thick. The color of the batter should turn a pastel yellow, and when you lift up your beater/whisk, you should see ribbons. This should take about 5 minutes.
Batter C is the egg whites. In yet another mixing bowl, preferably a stainless steel bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy, then add cream of tartar, and then sugar in 3 batches. Whisk until stiff peak.
Combining the three batters. First, add batter B into batter A, mix until well combined. You can use an electric mixer for this if you wish. Next, using a spatula, fold in 1/3 of batter C (egg whites) into batter A/B combo until well mixed, then fold in the rest of batter C until well mixed.
Baking the cake
You can bake the cake in either an 8" square pan or a 9" round pan. Please line the pan with a parchment paper.
First layer
For the very first layer, you will need to first preheat the oven to 200 Celsius (400 Fahrenheit). Then spread a small amount of cake batter (about 1/8 inch) on the prepared pan, and bake in the center rack of the oven until golden brown for about 8 minutes.
Second layer onward
For the second layer onward, turn off the oven, but switch on the oven broiler instead. Then position the rack near the top closer to the heating element.
Spread batter evenly (about 1/8 inch), the batter will look more melted and runnier once placed into the pan, and bang the pan on the countertop to remove air bubbles. Then broil for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
Take note to stand watch and be extra careful from here on out. Each broiler heats differently, and yours may need less or more time. But be extra diligent in the first few layers so you don’t accidentally end up with a burnt cake.
Once a layer is cooked and looks golden brown, add another layer, bang to remove air bubbles, and broil again. Continue doing this until all the batter is used up.
Fixing the air bubbles. Every time you forget to remove the air bubble before broiling, you may notice that the layer bubbles up instead of laying flat evenly. Don’t fret, take a skewer/toothpick, and poke any bubble that forms. Then gently press with a spatula to flatten that layer.
Serving lapis legit
The cake itself is very rich and indulgent, made of mostly eggs, butter, sugar, and not much of flour. Since this is a very high calorie count cake, we usually serve this in a teeny tiny portion, so a little goes a long way. It is not uncommon to divide an 8" square cake into 40 portions!
Aside from Chinese New Year, lapis legit in general is regarded as a celebration cake in Indonesia, so every Idul Fitri, Christmas, and New Year, bakeries will be selling them like hot cakes (pun intended).
The price a bakery charges for this cake is through the roof. Last I check, an 8" square cake easily sells for $50-$60, and that is in Indonesia where food in general is pretty cheap. And even at such astronomical price, it is still best to pre-order or risk running out. So much ouch right?
If you like this cake, the best way to enjoy one is master making it, so much cheaper and you can still make it at home even when you are not in Indonesia, like me :)
Chinese New Year cookies and sweet treats
Similar to last Chinese New Year, I am collaborating with other super talented food bloggers to bring you a collection of cookies and sweet treats recipes to celebrate Chinese New Year. Go all out and make your very own treats to serve your family and guests with our recipes :)
- snow fungus soup - Christine Leong from Vermillion Roots
- bingka ambon (Indonesian honey comb cake) - Marvellina Goh from What To Cook Today
- Chinese peanut cookies - Charmaine Ferrara from Wok & Skillet
- Vietnamese steamed rice cake - Amy Nguyen from A Taste of Joy and Love
- gluten-free Chinese almond cookies - Ann Kaufman from Grits & Chopsticks
- black sesame shortbread cookies - Lily Ernst from Little Sweet Baker
- ice cream mooncakes - Linda Kurniadi from Brunch-n-Bites
- coconut red bean pudding - Lokness from The Missing Lokness
- Korean caramelized sweet potatoes (goguma mattang) - Jean Choi from What Great Grandma Ate
- cashew nut cookies - Ann Low from Anncoo Journal
- one bite pine nut cookies - Betty Hung from Yummy Workshop
- baked coconut walnut sticky rice cake - Jeanette Chen from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
- black sesame cream puffs - Gina G from Pink Wings
- cashew nut cookies - Linda Ooi from Roti n Rice
- mini peanut puffs (kok chai) - Linda Ooi from Malaysian Chinese Kitchen
- nastar (pineapple cookies) - Anita (yours truly) from V for Veggy
- almond orange spiral cookies - Lindsey Tom from Butter & Type
- che ba mau (three color dessert) - Lisa Le from The Viet Vegan
- year of the rooster mochi - Bonnie Eng from Thirsty for Tea
- dasik (Korean tea cookies) - Jin Joo Lee from Kimchimari
- sweet sticky cakes (kuih bakul) - Lisa Ho from Lisa’s Lemony Kitchen
- tang yuan (sweet rice balls with peanut butter) - Maggie Zhu from Omnivore’s Cookbook
- mut gung (candied ginger) - Ann Mai from Plant Crush
- chick egg tarts - Anita Chu from Dessert First
- red bean soup - Sharon Wong from Nut Free Wok
- orange scented sweet red bean - Soe Thein from Lime and Cilantro
Lapis Legit - Thousand Layers Cake
Ingredients
- Batter A
- 300 gram unsalted butter, room temperature
- 120 gram sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon rum
- 90 gram cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon spekkoek seasoning (*)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Batter B
- 12 egg yolks
- 85 gram sugar
- Batter C
- 6 egg whites
- 55 gram sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 Celcius (400 Fahrenheit). Line a 9" round cake pan or an 8" square cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- First, make batter A. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sweetened condensed milk, and rum at medium speed until fluffy, about 8 minutes. Add in cake flour, spekkoek seasoning, and salt. Mix again until well combined. Set aside.
- Next, make batter B. In another mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar at high speed until thick.
- Next, make batter C. In another mixing bowl (stainless steel is best for this), whisk egg whites until foamy, then add cream of tartar, and sugar in 3 batches. Continue whisking until stiff peak.
- Now we will need to combine all the different batters together. First, add batter B into batter A, mix until well combined. Then using a spatula, fold in 1/3 of batter C into batter A/B combo until well mixed, then fold in the rest of batter C until well mixed.
- For the first layer, spread a small amount of batter, about 1/8 inch, on the prepared pan. Bake in the center rack of preheated oven until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
- For the second layer onward, turn off the oven, but switch on the oven broiler, position the rack near the top closer to the heating element. Spread batter evenly (about 1/8 inch), the batter will look more melted and runnier once placed into the pan, and bang the pan on the countertop to remove air bubbles. Broil for 1-2 minutes until golden brown, you will need to stand watch and be extra careful from here on out. Each broiler heats differently, and yours may need less or more time, but be extra diligent in the first few layers so you don't accidentally end up with burnt cake. Once a layer is cooked and looks golden brown, add another layer, bang it a bit on the countertop, and broil again. Continue doing this until the batter is all used up.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes. Then gently work a sharp knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Gently turn the cake out onto a wiring rack, and cool the cake completely.
Notes
- (*) I use spekkoek seasonings from Butterfly brand. Or make your own from equal amount of cinnamon powder, mace powder, and nutmeg powder.
Comments
What a beautiful cake! Happy Lunar New Year!
Thank you Jeanette :) Happy Lunar New Year to you as well :)
Gong Xi Fa Cai Anita, Your lapis cake looks amazingly beautiful.
Gong Xi Fa Cai Lisa! Thanks for the compliment :)
This is such a legendary cake from Indonesia. The layers are amazing. Thanks for sharing the recipe and making it possible for me to try this at home. Homesickness is a great motivation in the kitchen, isn't it? :-)
Yes, homesickness is indeed a great motivator, haha :) Do give it a try and let me know if you have any problem while baking this. It can be rather finicky, especially for first-timers.
I've been wanting to make lapis legit for the longest time! I haven't mustered up guts to make it ha.ha..! But, you did such a wonderful job. I have to try out your recipe one of these days for real! And so nice that you can reunite with your family for CNY! I bet you guys will have loads of fun!!
Haha, I agree that lapis legit is one of those recipes we keep telling ourselves we're going to make it, but it's more likely to be in the "postpone indefinitely" category ;) But seriously though, I can honestly say I spend more energy making nastar (pineapple cookies), so definitely give this a try.
Btw, just want to let you know that I tried to leave a comment on your V for Veggie blog but I think I was blocked as bot lol !! Love the nastar btw!!!
Thanks for letting me know Marvellina. I'm going to try fixing it :)
Hmm... I disabled some of my unused plugins and I think people should be able to leave comments now. Again, thank you so much for letting me know! :)
It works now I think :)
Oh my goodness -- what a gorgeous cake! Happy new year!
Thanks Ann. Happy New Year to you as well :)
Hi Anita, can we use springform pan for this awfully gorgeous cake?
Hi Doti, I have never tried, but if you tried using the spring form pan and the first layer is a success without any batter leaking out, it should be alright for the rest. Let me know how that works out for you :)
That's a very neat lapis legit I saw so far. Looks so delicious too!
Thanks for the compliment Ann :)
The layers are so beautiful! What a great way to celebrate CNY with your family! Have a wonderful time! :)
Thanks! Happy Chinese New Year to you as well Lokness :)
What an amazing cake, it sounds delicious! I appreciate the history lesson about the cake, I think that knowing some of the cultural context makes the cake so much more delicious and interesting. Happy #sweetlunarnewyear!
Thanks Sharon :) And Happy New Year to you as well.
Hi, Anita. Glad to find this recipe. I, too, miss Lapis Legit. Being lazy, can I just dump the whole batter into the cake pan and make it a 'single-layer lapis legit'? If we don't need the layers, can we make it a cake with the same taste as lapis legit, but without the layered texture? Thanks so much.
Hi Sam, I would say go for it! But I am not sure about the temperature and how long it will take. At a rough guess, it probably needs about 175 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 30-40 minutes, but this is just my rough guesstimate. If you work out the correct oven temperature and the time required, please share :)
Hi, can I omit cream of tartar?
Hi Laila, yes you can omit cream of tartar, but please substitute the 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar with either 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar.
This recipe looks delicious! I am wondering though, the cakes that I can buy here locally (the Netherlands) are almost always layered cakes with alternating green/brown layers. Which is the traditional Indonesian recipe? Or are they both different versions of Lapis Legit? I’ll be making this cake regardless, I am just curious!
Hi Benjamin, the most common one in Indonesia is definitely the one like mine. I think the green/brown alternating layer is a fancier version, with the green layer mixed with pandan for color.
So if I want to make the fancy version, I would just split the batter in half, add pandan (it's a liquid right?) to one half and then layer them? Would that alter the flavor of the green layers? Seems to me that the 'fancy' version doesn't take much more effort, so that's why I'm curious.
I have never tried adding pandan to the batter before, but the way you described should work, and I am almost sure the green batter will have pandan flavor.
I'll give it a go, thank you!
Love your site. Recipes are easy to read and understand. But you need one correction here as to translation of spekkoek. It translates to bacon cake. Spek means bacon in Dutch. The layers look like a slice of bacon. Hence the name. Thankfully, it doesn't taste like bacon ; )
You are absolutely right! I'm going to update the post a bit. Thanks! :)
Hi , there were 12 egg yolks using and 6 egg whites. May i know what do u do with the balance 6 egg whites? Could we use 12egg whites instead?
Hi Sweetie, I usually just fry the egg whites for breakfast :) Lapis legit is a very rich cake, traditionally we use plenty of egg yolks (like 40!) to make one cake, so I wouldn't recommend increasing the egg whites to 12 or it will be too far off from the traditional version.
May I know what spekkoek seasoning?
As stated in the recipe, spekkoek seasoning = equal amount of cinnamon powder, mace powder, and nutmeg powder. Since we need 1/2 teaspoon of spekkoek seasoning for this recipe, we need 1/6 teaspoon cinnamon powder + 1/6 teaspoon mace powder + 1/6 teaspoon nutmeg powder.
What kind of butter do you use? Do you have to use the traditional Dutch butter or is there a mix of margarine and butter that can be used?
Hi Vanessa, you can use 100% traditional Dutch butter (like Wijsman butter) in which case, you won't need to add any salt. Most of the time, I simply use European butter, like Kerrygold unsalted butter, or Plugra unsalted butter. I don't use any margarine at all when making lapis legit, though I understand some people use 50% butter and 50% margarine to cut cost. I hope this answers your question. :)
Hi! I’ve looked through a lot of recipes for this cake. Wondering why rum is used ?
Hi Rachel, I added rum mainly because this is often served for celebration, like Chinese New Year, or Christmas, so the rum seems to fit the occasion. It is perfectly okay to skip the rum, or simply use about 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract instead of the 1 tablespoon of rum. :)
Hi Anita , I was wondering whether to use a cold butter or the one that is left overnight ?
Hi Kelvin, I always use room temperature butter when making lapis legit.
Hi. Must try this. Can I freeze the cake, as it is far too big to eat!
Hi Mike, you can freeze the cake. When I need to freeze them, I wrap the cake with several layers of saran wrap and put them in the freezer. When I want to serve them, I let the cake thaw in the fridge section (not freezer section) until soft enough to cut with a knife.
apa ada resep yang menggunakan Banyak kuning telur misal 40 kuning telur? dan untuk menambahkan tepung terigu apakah pada saat kocokan kuning telur+gula pasir sudah mengembang kental atau ditambahkan terakhir saat semua adonan telur, Adonan mentega tercampur rata?
Hi Lann, resep tradisional memang memakai 40 kuning telur yah. Tapi ini resep yang sedikit lebih ekonomis, dan sedikit lebih sehat. :) Untuk resep ini, setelah kuning telur dan gula mengembang dan kental, campuran kuning telurnya ditambahkan ke campuran tepung (batter A: butter, susu kental manis, rum, tepung cake, bumbu spekkoek, garam). Penambahan kocokan putih telur itu selalu untuk step terakhir, supaya kue bisa tetap mengembang dan tidak bantet. Selamat mencoba.
thank you its amazing
Hi! Thank you so much for sharing this & other Indonesian recipes...they really help with homesickness haha. I'm considering to bake this for an upcoming Christmas potluck in my college. I'm wondering will it be okay to bake it 1-2 days before? If yes, how will you recommend to store it in a cold&dry winter weather? I remember back home we will store our store-bought lapis legit in the fridge...but i don't know if it's okay for this recipe.
Hi Loru, it will be fine baking it 1-2 days ahead. When I plan to finish the cake within 1-2 weeks, I simply store in an airtight container in the fridge. Any longer than that, it is better to wrap the cake with saran wrap and freeze. The cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. To enjoy the frozen cake, simply remove from freezer and thaw in the fridge until soft (takes about 1 whole day usually), then cut and reheat as needed.
Hello Anita, your recipe looks divine! One question, should the broiler be on high or low? These are the only two options I have. I hope to muster the courage to try your recipe this Christmas. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Michelle, I use "high" setting. I've been baking this in so many different rented places, sometimes the broiler only has "on" and "off". And I checked that the "on" usually simply means "high". So I've only ever either use "on" or "high". Hope this helps. :)
Hi thanks for sharing this recipe. My mum used to make the one with 40 eggs yolk (without egg white and no flour). Is that the same as the traditional recipe you mentioned in your blog? Are you able to share that recipe if you have? Can i omit cream of tartar?
Hi Nico, yes, your Mom's recipe should be the same as the traditional recipe I mentioned in the post. If I have the chance, I will share it in the future. For this particular recipe, the cream of tartar helps stabilize the egg whites. If you don't have cream of tartar, you can substitute with 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar.
I am in love with layer cakes! They are my real weakness. I cannot wait to try your thousand layers cake. I am pretty sure that my family will love it. :)
Hi, I live in the UK and we don't have cake flour as such so do I substitute with plain flour or self-raising flour? Thanks. Also I don't have a broiler function in my oven so can I continue using the oven but switch off time to time to prevent cake getting burnt? Thanks. Recipe looks fantastic!
Hi MM, do you have low gluten flour in the UK? Cake flour is the same as low gluten flour. Or, you can try making your own. 1 cup cake flour = (1 cup - 2 tablespoon) all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoon cornstarch. For the oven, does your oven has a top heat? or just bottom heat? For this to work, at least you need to get the oven to heat from the top only. Ideally, you can set the top heating element of your oven to a temperature between 500-550 Fahrenheit (260-290 Celsius) to mimic the broiling function.
This is surely hard work but the outcome awesome, delicious and yum. Love your detailed explanation. Thanks.
This is absolutely beautiful! Can't wait to try it.
What an absolute stunner. I can't believe how easy you make this seem! Showstopping and delicious I'll definitely try this out thanks for the recipe!
This cake is so delicious, it literally is my girlfriends favourite cake! I can't wait to see what she thinks :) Thanks for sharing this recipe.
What a fabulous looking cake. So moist and flavorful. Love this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Anita, love to try out your kek lapis recipe. Kindly advise me how much sponge gel do i add to the lapis recipe. Regards, Priscilla
Hi Priscilla, my recipe doesn't use any sponge gel, so there is no need to add any into the batter. :)
Made this yesterday! It taste great. Only thing I might change is add more spice- 1 tsp instead of 1/2 ! Thanks for sharing this recipe . It’s a keeper 🤗
Looking at the awesome pics I thought that this would be difficult. But the recipe is nicely written and the ingredients also not too many. Excellent recipe.
Hi Anita, I'm glad I discovered your blog while looking for Tempe recipe. I have a question concerning the use of condensed milk. We used to make this in Indonesia but I didn't recall using condensed milk. Can it be omitted? Best regards, Mimi
Hi Mimi, I think you are referring to lapis legit recipe that uses 40-45 egg yolks, which is not what this recipe is. For the more traditional recipes that don't include sweetened condensed milk, please Google search for Ny. Liem lapis legit recipe or Chef Yongki Gunawan lapis legit recipe. They both have awesome recipes for all kind of traditional Indonesian baking goods, including lapis legit, and I'm certain you will be very pleased with their recipes.
Hallo Anita thank you banget buat resep nya! Sudah di coba dan hasilnya Top rasanya juga enak sekali, berhubung di Jerman susah mendapatkan bumbu Spekkoek saya ganti dengan Spekulatius Gewürz. Liebe Grüße.
Hi Yohana, thanks for trying out my lapis legit recipe. :) Terima kasih juga sudah diberikan tipsnya untuk memakai Spekulatius Gewürz, akan bermanfaat sekali untuk pembaca lainnya. :)
Hi, I've tried baking kuey lapis recently, and most of the time on some slices of the cake, i get this wet looking discolouration of the cake. How do i avoid getting this outcome on my cake? Is it because the cake is not cooked long enough, or the batter is not well mixed?
Hi Caroline, I think it's oil from the butter, especially since the wet-looking part is mostly on lower layers. Usually, when we bake the cake, layer by layer, we press the top layer and sometimes even brushing the top layer with butter before pouring some batter. If we apply too much pressure when pressing, the bottom/lower layers tend to look wet since all that pressing transfer the oil down to those layers. To avoid this, apply lighter pressure when pressing. Also, avoid brushing with too much butter.
Brilliant recipe. I made this yesterday and it worked a treat :) Thank you for posting it.
Hi Anita. What can I use as a substitute to rum?
Hi Sida, you can use 1 teaspoon vanilla instead of rum. Or increase the spekkoek seasoning to 1 teaspoon for a stronger spice flavor.
Hi Anita, This is my family’s favorite cake, I would like to try out this awesome recipe of yours. I always bake and have never try broiler mode before, do we keep the oven door ajar while we are on broiler since the ‘hi’ temperatures can be 500-550F? When you spread about 1/8 inch of the batter, how many grams would that be? Thanks and regards.
Hi Jojo, I usually don't keep my oven door ajar while baking this cake, though I guess it wouldn't hurt if it helps you to observe the cake easier. If you want to go with weight measurement, it should be around 90-95 gram of cake batter per layer.
Do any considerations need to be made for high altitude?
Hi Erika, I don't think so. This cake bakes layer by layer, and I don't think high altitude will affect the process or the rise of the cake much.
Hi Anita, Thank you for your reply. Just a couple of questions, can I reduce the sugar for batter B? I can’t find spekoek in the Chinese mart here, can I skip that? Do we brush butter after every layer?
Hi Jojo, I think you should be able to reduce it to 70-75 gram instead of 85 gram. You can skip spekkoek spice, though you may want to use 1 teaspoon of vanilla so the cake has some flavor. And finally, you can brush with butter after every layer, but don't use too much butter or the cake will become too oily.
Hi Anita I was just reading up on your comments on the butter. Is Australian unsalted butter fine to use for this recipe. I was trying to compare the difference it seems like the fat content between the danish butter and the Australian butter are pretty similar.
Hi Phelicia, I'm not familiar with Australian unsalted butter. But if the fat content is similar to Danish/European butter, it should work out. :)
This is my first time making lapis legit and it turned out so well! I've always been anxious about baking this cake, knowing how labour-intensive it is but it turned out to be very manageable, it took me about 2 hours in total (prep time + baking). I think making pineapple tarts was much more time-consuming and exhausting. And the cake tastes fantastic, fragrant and buttery and moist. So happy that I can bake this myself for CNY next year!
When there's more "looks good!" comments than "I made it!" comments, that's a hint that the challenge level is pretty high. The steps are very clear, and the recipe is great- but one must have a trusting relationship with their oven and mine is... like a wild stallion. I also got negligent and burned it halfway through, so it's like a sedimentary later of shame.
But besides needing to remove the charcoaled bottom layer, it is still a very tasty, decadent cake. I had found a packaged cake last year at 99 Ranch (which made me excited because I'd been ogling this recipe since before then), and it was made with all margarine. This one is rich without being as oily.
A big change was that I made only a half-recipe and cooked it in a loaf pan. That might have made it susceptible to burning even though I needed 3-4 minutes per layer (being high altitude). I got about 7 layers, they would have been nicer looking if I measured out the batter for each layer.
Might be a good recipe when you have some extra help- but hopefully another reliable chef because the constant movement around a SUPER hot stove is not advised around children or generally clumsy folks. I'm still pretty satisfied with my attempt- it's just for me, and I feel like I learned enough to have a better 2nd time. I recommend approaching this recipe like an experiment: not when cooking other things, or pressured to finish in time, or bring to a party. It's a gorgeous cake with wonderful spices, so the payoff is worth giving it a try.
This was delicious! I will make sure next time each later gets a few little brown bubble except the top...that works best. The kids LOVED this and it made a very special birthday cake !!
Success! I reduced all sugar quantities by 1/4, including the sweetened condensed milk and it turned out really well. Also substituted the butter for olive oil as my partner does not like butter.
First trial come out perfect, thank you for the recipe!
Hi Anita, I am finally going to attempt this recipe for a Chinese New Year gathering this year.... been meaning to make this for few years now but hesitated making. Can I substitute 'all spice' in the recipe? Also, how far ahead should I be making this cake to achieve ultimate flavor? Wish me luck. thanks.
Hi Victor, usually homemade allspice is made from equal amount of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Homemade lapis legit (spekkoek) spice is made from equal amount of cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg. I'm not sure how similar the cloves in the allspice compared to the mace in spekkoek, but I think the flavor will probably be slightly off.
I will still go ahead and use allspice though, since allspice is also a very festive spice blend, so although different, the flavor should be good. :)
For best flavor, I think about 2-3 days ahead should be good so the cake flavor has time to develop. :)
This cake is so elegant and gorgeous! Can't wait to make it for a special occasion soon!
How long do they stay fresh for once baked? Thank you!
Hi Fio, when I plan to finish the cake within 1-2 weeks, I simply store in an airtight container in the fridge. Any longer than that, it is better to wrap the cake with saran wrap and freeze. The cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. To enjoy the frozen cake, simply remove from freezer and thaw in the fridge until soft (takes about 1 whole day usually), then cut and reheat as needed.
This is incredible! I do love lapis and make me remember my childhood in Indonesia :)
Are the eggs large eggs? Medium, jumbo?
Hi LW, I use large size eggs.
Helo Anita. I hv a problem. I think my oven don’t have broiler. Any other way I can do this cake. My oven Teka HA900
Hi Joe, unfortunately you need a boiler function, or at the very least you need an oven where you can set only the upper/top heating element to be turned on. I hope this helps.
Hi Anita, can we reduced the condensed milk?
Hi Mag, you can, but it is best to substitute the remaining amount with heavy cream. The recipe calls for 120 gram condensed milk, e.g. you want to use only half the amount, I suggest using 60 gram condensed milk + 60 gram heavy cream.
Hi Anita, Can I check if we can use this recipe to make rainbow colored lapis? Any reduction of the ingredients required ? Thanks in advance.
Hi Mag, I've never tried making a rainbow version. If the color is simply from food coloring, I assume the remaining recipe should be the same? Maybe we just need to divide the batter into several portions and color each portion with the desired color (1 drop of food coloring per desired color should be enough?), and the remaining steps should be the same.
Three hours and lots of fun trying this new recipe. The taste is amazing!
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