Thousand-layer cake (lapis legit)

Store cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You will need a 20 cm square cake pan for this recipe. Egg whites can be frozen for up to 1 month.

• serves

  20

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 150 g margarine, plus extra, to grease
• 300 g unsalted butter, chopped, softened
• 60 ml (¼ cup) sweetened condensed milk
• 15 egg yolks
• 275 g (1¼ cups) caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla powder (see Note) or ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 105 g (¾ cup) plain flour
• 1 tbsp spekkoek powder (see Note)

Instructions

Preheat a grill to high. Grease and line a 20 cm square cake pan.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and margarine until pale. Add condensed milk and beat until combined. Set aside.

In a clean bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla for 3 minutes or until pale and thick.

Add butter mixture to egg mixture and stir until combined. Fold in flour and spekkoek powder in 2 batches until well combined.

Spread cup batter into prepared pan and place on the lowest rack in the oven. Grill for 5 minutes or until dark brown and firm to the touch. (It must be dark brown to achieve layers). Repeat process, one layer at a time, with remaining batter. (Batter will start to melt; just ensure it is spread evenly using the back of a spoon.) Makes 12 layers. Cool completely before cutting into 5 cm x 4 cm pieces.

Note

Vanilla powder is from specialist food shops.

Spekkoek is a Dutch-Indonesian spice mix, from Indonesian food shops and selected Asian food shops. To make your own, combine 1 tsp each of ground cinnamon, ginger and cardamom, and ½ tsp each of ground nutmeg and ground cloves.

As seen in Feast Magazine, Issue 14, pg76.

Photography by Armelle Habib

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.