Kuning, Coklat, Kuning (Yellow, Brown, Yellow)
That was how my friend described this cake because of its distinct recognizable colours. Kue Lapis Surabaya, also known as Spiku, is another classic Indonesian layered cake that is a lot easier to make than Lapis Legit. Named after the city, Surabaya, this cake is almost just as popular but more affordably priced.
Like many other Indonesian cakes, Lapis Surabaya also employs a ton of eggs. Baking powder and baking soda is not commonly used in traditional Indonesian cakes and therefore the beating of the eggs serve as the primary volumizing factor in attempt to achieve the fluffiest and softest cakes. Many bakeries also use an emulsifier to exaggerate that softness.
Anyway, while I was in Indonesia in December, I decided to take a one-day baking course with the Natural Cooking Club. I found their courses so reasonably priced! Approx US$30. (Compared to Singapore and Vancouver, where a 5-hour course would probably cost about $100 or more) Of course the downside is that the entire session is conducted in Bahasa Indonesia, so being able to speak some Indonesian would be helpful. Ms. Fatmah Bahalwan is a really experienced lady who has been teaching for over 12 years. Her cooking and baking books can also be found in Gramedia bookstores all over Indonesia.
This was actually the first baking course I ever took! It was definitely an interesting experience as compared to consulting the internet and recipe books as I usually do.
One of the cakes we baked during the course was Lapis Surabaya. Needless to say, it was my ultimate favourite amongst the rest! I knew I had to replicate it at home. This is an easy recipe. The important thing though, is that your eggs need to really be beaten until it triples in volume! Same goes with your butter too. Do make sure it turns pale white in colour and no longer has a trace of yellow in it.
This is the full recipe with slight modifications. I halved the recipe to make an 8×4 inch cake (22×11). As you can see, the ingredients are very simple and basic. The eggs serve as the “liquid” portion and thus there is no water / milk in this recipe.
Mocha Flavoured Kue Lapis Surabaya
from 60 Resep Cake & Cookies by Fatmah Bahalwan & Tim NCC
- 30 egg yolks
- 280g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar (will reduce to 240g in the future. A little bit less sweet would have been perfect for me!)
- 375g (2 1/2 cups) butter, beaten (I used 300g butter and 75g margarine)
- 150g (1 1/4 cups) flour
- 1 tbsp mocha paste (if you don’t have this you can use 2 tbsp cocoa powder to achieve a similar colour)
- Strawberry Jam
Directions
- Preheat the oven at 180 degrees and grease the pan.
- Beat the butter at high speed for about 10 minutes until it turns pale white in colour.
- Beat the egg yolks with sugar until pale and tripled in volume. When you lift the beaters it should form a ribbon.
- Pour the yolk mixture slowly into the butter mixture and fold in until fully combined. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl for any butter so the entire mixture is incorporated.
- Sift in the flour and fold. Careful not to overfold, as overmixing will result in a reduced volume of batter.
- Divide the mixture equally into 3 portions. For one portion, add cocoa powder / mocha paste and lightly fold.
- Bake in 3 separate pans for 20 minutes or until cake springs back when touched.
- Let the cake cool and spread strawberry jam between each layer.
Simple and Yummmyyyy! The entire cake should only take about an hour to make (including baking time)! š
I am participating in Aspiring Bakers #27: Through Thick and Thin ā Kue Lapis Classics that I’m hosting this month! This is the “Thick” Kue Lapis. š You can see the “Thin” one here.
Enjoy!!
Sweet Samsations 
Mocha paste?! I didn’t know it existed and now I want to find some! Beautiful, as always, Sammie!
What a delicious and perfectly layered creation my friend š
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
What pretty layered sweet treats!
Love the colours on that cake, I think I tried then before and I love its soft texture
I would love to do a baking course but they are very expensive here, and far away from where I live. Have a great day Sammie š
THIRTY EGG YOLKS?!?! How big is the cake?
Man I thought I read wrong…
This cake I can handle. It is on my to-make list. I am sitting down to breakfast and a big chunk this cake would be very satisfying with my coffee.
I’ve been loving all of these layer cakes you’ve been featuring. This looks great – I love that it’s just the eggs giving it the volume.
Goodness, that’s a lot of egg yolks. Can you buy egg yolks separately (I buy egg whites like that!). I’m still thinking about making the thousand layer cake…
That cooking course sounds like it would have been amazing. What a pretty looking cake – I love the colours xx
Oh my goodness 30 egg yolks! :O I don’t think I’ve seen a recipe like this but I’m sure the result is delicious š
Whoa — that’s a lot of eggs. But well worth the eggy investment from the looks of this spectacular cake.
What a spectacular layered dessert!!! You made it perfectly!
What a lovely cake – the layers look perfect!
What a lovely, gorgeous looking cake. So professional! Based on your description, I would just loooove the flavor, too. YUM!
What a fun experience taking some baking and cooking lessons int he countries you visit. This is one of my favorite things to do. Gorgeous little cake and love those layers! You are becoming quite the little cake guru! Take care, BAM
This cake is such a great combination of flavors!
I’ve seen and heard of this cake, but I haven’t had the pleasure in trying it yet. I love Indonesian cuisine..sweet and savory (from a small sample size thus far), but with your recipe and those photos..I’d love to give your Kue Lapis Surabaya a try. 30 egg yolks? No big deal with one piece..right? 3 egg yolks per serving ;D
Amazing Sammie! The layered cake (any type!!) scares me and I haven’t even tackled yet. One day… this is so beautiful and I immediately fell in love!
Wow Sammie, this cake looks delicious…love the layers…and it so pretty, very elegant.
Have a great week!
Thanks for sharing this. I am still thinking of whether I should make this… but after that 19 layer Kuih Lapis, I think I need a break from eggs and butter (too fattening!). Maybe next CNY?
How adorable, I love how the cake is cut into dainty bites. It looks so moist and delicious. With all those eggs it must have a delicious rich flavor!
~Ruth
its so beatifull , and nice colors cake š
puff and pastry
Hi, I loveee your website and your cooking =)
I live in north america too =)
I have a question, do you use unsalted butter for the butter?
and is it margarine parkay/ imperial brand for the margarine?
and is it room temperature for the butter and margarine?
would you tell me how many cup for the butter and margarine instead of gram?
do you use cake flour or all purpose flour?
i really want to try this so bad
Thanks a lot =)
Hi there! I used unsalted butter for this and a generic brand of margarine. “Room temperature” really varies! Because room temperature in here is a lot higher than the room temperature there. If you’re in north america I would suggest room temperature, but if you’re in a humid country your butter should be cold. Just ensure that it is in solid form before you beat it because it needs to turn pale white.
I would suggest 2 cups of butter and 1/2 cup margarine if you don’t have a scale.
You can use either flour but I prefer cake flour š
Good luck!
Thanks =)
Samantha, terima kasih for posting the recipe. I’m also glad that I don’t need to use emulsifier, which is pretty challenging to find here. I’ll definitely make it, and let you know the result.
Cheers,
Dewi
That’s awesome! Hope your cake turns out well š
Sammie, you’re very kind sharing this recipe trick; for some bakeries this is consider as a secret š
Sharing makes more beauty. Thanks any way.
Haha thank you dear. Hope you enjoy! š
What a beautiful cake.
As beautiful as the cook. š
Hi, can check did get your cake tin from, any address?
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. My orignal got lost somewhere and I could not seem to remember the entire list of ingredients or the ammounts. This saved my day;)
Hi there, my cake tin was given by my auntie. š
Hi Sammie, I noticed there is no egg whites. Is this correct??
Thank you!
Yes that’s right!
Thank you for this Sammie. I plan to try this tomorrow. So is that 30 egg yolks for 8″x4″ cake or 15 egg yolks for that cake size? And is it correct that no cornstarch and milk powder are needed? Because it’s hard to find emulsifier and milk powder is very expensive in Victoria, B.C. So I’m very grateful to find your recipe without these stuff in it. Thanks.