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.
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 :)
Ingredients: Batter A 12 egg yolks 85 gram sugar Batter B 300 gram unsalted butter, room temperature 120 gram sweetened condensed milk 1 tablespoon rum 90 gram cake flour ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon cinnamon Batter C 6 egg whites 55 gram sugar ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 200 Celcius (400 Fahrenheit). Line a 8" square (20x20cm) cake pan with parchment paper.
2. First, make batter A. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar at high speed until thick.
3. Make batter B. In another mixing bowl, whisk butter, sweet condensed milk, and rum at medium speed until fluffy, about 8 minutes. Add in cake flour, nutmeg and cinnamon, and salt. Mix again until well combined. Set aside.
4. 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. 5. Now we will combine all the different batters. First, add batter A into batter B, 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. 6. For the first layer, spread a small amount of batter, about 1/8 inch/30 mm), on the prepared pan. Bake in the center rack of preheated oven until golden brown, about 8 minutes. 7. For the second layer onward, switch on the oven broiler (grill setting), position the rack near the top closer to the heating element. Spread batter evenly (about 1/8 inch/30mm), 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 careful 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 and broil again. Continue doing this until the batter is all used up. 8. 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.