Spiced Layered Cake

A gentle warning – you can only do this cake well if you have an oven with grill function. This Spiced Layered Cake also known as Lapis Cake makes an awesome gift. As you may all know, this cake is quite expensive to buy; however, when you read this recipe and bake this cake, you will know the amount of effort that is needed to make this cake justifies its price. Since the cake is rich with 20 egg yolks, eat moderately. Serve the cake, sliced into very thin pieces. You can keep the cake for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

20 egg yolks

5 egg whites

1 tablespoon rum (optional)

200 g caster sugar

170 g Hong Kong flour (available in most supermarkets)

2 teaspoons mixed spice powder

2 teaspoons Ovalette (available in all cake ingredients shops)

300 g salted butter

2 tablespoons condensed milk

300 g pitted and chopped prunes, chopped dried apricots or durian pulp

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 220°C ensuring that both the top and bottom heat are on. Once your batter is ready, use the grill function only (top heat).
2. Grease an 8 1/2″ X 8 1/2″ X 4″ tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
3. Prepare a water bath in a small metal bowl. Put the empty baking tin into the oven to warm it up. This step is done so that the batter will flow smoothly and will be well distributed in the tin.
4. Beat egg yolks, egg whites, rum, sugar, flour, mixed spices, and Ovalette till batter is pale and thick.
5. Cream the butter and condensed milk well.
6. Fold in the creamed butter into the batter gently.
7. Turn on the grill. Place the bowl of water in the oven. This will help to create a nice temperature so that the cake will not be too dry.
8. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the batter into the greased tin. Level batter with a spatula or tilt left and right to level the batter. Grill the cake for 3-4 minutes.
9. Gently press cake layer using a spatula to remove excess air.
10. Pour in another 3 tablespoons of the batter, level it and arrange the prunes on the batter. Grill for 5-7 minutes or till golden.
11. Repeat Steps 8, 9 and 10 till all the batter and prunes are used up. (Add prunes once for every 2 layers of batter).
12. When the batter is finished, switch to oven function and turn down to 180°C. Bake the cake for about 15 minutes and then let it cool thoroughly before slicing it thinly.