Lapis Legit

Ingredients

Batter

• 400 gbutter, softened
• 30egg yolks
• 10egg whites
• 250 gcaster sugar
• 100 gplain flour
• 50 gmilk powder
• 100 mlcondensed milk
• 1 tspvanilla

Spekkoek spice

• 2 tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspground cardamom
• 1 tspground clove
• 1 tspground nutmeg
• ½ tspground anise

To assemble

• a square tin
• a grill

Directions

1. Thirty yolks to ten whites is not a misprint. The extreme yolk ratio is what makes lapis legit dense, golden and rich rather than cakey, and reducing it gives an ordinary sponge.
2. Beat the butter with the condensed milk and vanilla until very pale and light, for a full 10 minutes.
3. Beat the yolks separately until thick and pale, then fold them into the butter.
4. Whisk the whites with the sugar to stiff glossy peaks and fold them in last, in three additions.
5. Sift the flour, milk powder and all the spices over and fold them through gently.
6. The spice blend is the whole identity of it. Cinnamon, clove, cardamom, nutmeg and anise together are the spekkoek mix, and it points straight back to the Dutch colonial spice trade the cake came out of.
7. Grease and line a square tin, taking the paper up the sides.
8. Spread a thin, absolutely even layer of batter across the base, about 3 mm, and level it with a palette knife.
9. Grill it, do not bake it. Put the tin under a hot grill for 4 to 6 minutes until the surface is golden and set.
10. Every layer is cooked from above under the grill, which is what keeps the layers distinct. A conventional bake merges them into one mass and the whole point is lost.
11. Press the cooked layer down firmly and evenly with the flat base of a smaller tin.
12. Press every single layer. It expels air and compacts the crumb, and it is what gives the finished cake its dense, sliceable texture and its visible stripes.
13. Add the next thin layer of batter, spread, grill, press, and repeat.
14. Eighteen layers is the usual minimum and the good ones run to twenty-five or more. It takes well over an hour and there is no shortcut.
15. Weigh each portion of batter if you want even stripes, because unevenness shows immediately in the cut face.
16. Once the batter is used up, bake the whole cake at 160°C (320°F) for a final 10 minutes to set it through.
17. Cool it completely in the tin, and preferably leave it overnight before cutting.
18. Trim the edges square and cut thin slices, because it is extremely rich and a thin slice is the correct portion.
19. It is Indonesian by way of the Dutch colonial kitchen, made for Lebaran, Christmas and Chinese New Year, and it is given as a gift in a box.
20. The Malaysian kek lapis Sarawak uses the same layer-by-layer grilling technique but builds it into cut patterns rather than plain stripes.

Technique

• The name means thousand layers, which is an exaggeration, and the count is genuinely counted by the people eating it.
• It keeps for a week and freezes well, which is why it is a gift cake.
• The leftover whites are the usual reason to make meringues the same day.

Substitutions

• Ready-made spekkoek spice mix, sold in Dutch and Indonesian shops.
• Fewer yolks with more whole eggs, accepting a lighter and less authentic cake.

Variations

• Lapis Surabaya, three thicker layers with jam between.
• With prunes or cheese set into the layers.
• Kek lapis Sarawak, the patterned Malaysian version.

History

Dutch colonial cake, spekkoek, made with local spices and enormous quantities of egg yolk and butter; baked for Lunar New Year and Christmas.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lapis Legit?

Lapis Legit is a dessert from Indonesia: dense spiced butter cake built up layer by layer under a grill, eighteen or more deep. Dutch colonial cake, spekkoek, made with local spices and enormous quantities of egg yolk and butter; baked for Lunar New Year and Christmas.

How long does Lapis Legit take to make?

Lapis Legit takes 45 min of preparation and 1 hr 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 cake. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Lapis Legit?

Yes, within limits. Ready-made spekkoek spice mix, sold in Dutch and Indonesian shops. Fewer yolks with more whole eggs, accepting a lighter and less authentic cake.

What is the most important thing to get right in Lapis Legit?

Thirty yolks to ten whites is not a misprint. The extreme yolk ratio is what makes lapis legit dense, golden and rich rather than cakey, and reducing it gives an ordinary sponge.