PETALING JAYA, April 2 — It seems to be the season for layer cakes.
I had bought an Indonesian layer cake from Soo Chin's Kitchen when she posted it on Facebook. This version, known as Lapis Betawi, is decadently rich with 20 egg yolks and butter.
What I loved about that dense cake with about 20 layers was how fragrant it smelt with the spices. It's also not too sweet as Soo Chin uses icing sugar to dial back the sweetness. That was part of its charm.
If you love that type of layer cake, do stalk her Facebook page to find out when she bakes it. I can tell you it goes really well with a cup of hot tea or coffee. According to her Facebook, the next time she will be baking it is for the Raya celebrations. The cake is sold in a loaf size measuring six inches by three inches that weighs around 500 grams for RM70.
I had given a portion of the layer cake to a friend to try and in return, she bought Jane Wong Home Bake's layer cake for me to taste.
This one is different but also very good. There are fewer layers but it's moist, soft and buttery. Apparently only Golden Churn butter in a tin is used to make this cake. What I liked was the fact it didn't taste too sweet and it's not too oily, making it less decadent.
My friend had gifted me a haw flakes version and the Chinese hawthorn sweets added a hint of sweet and sourness.
From what I understand from Jane, she had learned to make this cake when her husband was posted to Sarawak so she calls it a Sarawak layer cake. Technically based on the requirements of the Sarawak Layer Cake Manufacturers Association, only layer cakes produced in that state can be called Sarawak layer cake.
That's how serious Sarawakians take their layer cakes. They had taken the original Indonesian recipe and tweaked it to produce their own versions. There's the plain version but what grabs everyone's attention are the colourful ones with various patterns and shapes.
You can place an order for Jane's layer cake at least two days in advance. There's the original version, prunes and haw flakes. The cake is baked in an eight-inch square pan. It weighs around 1.3 to 1.4 kilograms and is priced at RM140.
If you wish to self pick up, you can do so at Bandar Puteri Puchong. If you prefer, they can also arrange for a third party delivery service. And they also do outstation orders sending them via courier.
Soo Chin's Kitchen, Taman SEA, Petaling Jaya. You can order the layer cake via her Facebook @SooChinsKitchen
Jane Wong Home Bake, Puchong, Selangor. You can WhatsApp 019-2833268 to place a pre order for the cake. Instagram: @janewonghomebake Facebook: @janewonghomebake
