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Kue Lapis (Steamed Layer Cake) is popular in Indonesia. Kue could mean cake or snacks. Indonesians use the word kue very loosely, so kue doesn't always taste sweet as in cake. Kue can also taste savory as in snacks. Lapis means layer. You can also find kue lapis in Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is called Kueh Lapis. In Indonesia, it can be found in local markets and sold in slices. In addition to Kue Lapis, Indonesians also have Kue Lapis Legit (Baked Layer Cake) and Kue Lapis Surabaya (Surabaya Layer Cake). Both Kue Lapis Legit and Kue Lapis Surabaya are made by baking each layer instead of steaming it.

Kue Lapis has jello-like texture because of its bouncy texture. Unlike jello, this cake is sticky. You can find the cake in 2, 3, or even 4 colors combination and the colors combination is repeated once. By now, you understand why it is called layer cake. Each layer has different color than the previous and the next ones. So, this cake is very pretty to look at. This is a good recipe to make with your kids because they can choose any colors combination they like. Feel free to use any colors you like. In addition, this cake is very fun to eat. You can easily peel each layer and bite each layer rather than bite the whole layers. My mom used to buy it when I was a kid. I would peel the layer, admire each color, and eat one layer at a time. When I was in a hurry, I would eat the whole layers.

This cake is made of rice flour and tapioca flour/starch. The recipe uses 10:1 ratio of tapioca flour to rice flour which contributes to its bouncy texture. Make sure you use rice flour and not glutinous rice flour because it is different.

This cake is easy to make but you have to correctly follow the procedures. To fully cooked each layer, the water must be boiling so that there is no variation in cooking time. Each layer is steamed for 7 min, except the top layer which is steamed for 10 min. So, if you must add water, let it come to a boil before adding the next layer. In addition, each layer must have the same amount of batter so that it uses the same amount of time to cook. I use 100 ml for each layer, except the bottom layer which is close to 200 ml. The lid for the steamer must be wrapped in kitchen towel so that it can absorb the condensation liquid and prevent it from dripping on the cake during steaming. Right before pouring the batter into the cake pan, you must whisk the batter because flour tends to settle on the bottom. Since the cake is sticky, the bottom of cake pan must be greased so that it is easy to get it out. Every time you slice the cake, make sure you grease the knife so that it won't stick.

This recipe serves 4-5 people.

Ingredients:

• 300 ml coconut milk
• 150 grams granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250 ml boiling water
• 200 grams tapioca flour/starch. You can find tapioca flour/starch in Asian stores.
• 20 grams rice flour. Make sure you don't use glutinous rice flour because it is different.
• 5 drops green food coloring
• 5 drops yellow food coloring
• 5 drops red food coloring
• vegetable oil to grease the pan, knife, and top of cake. Make sure flavorless vegetable oil is used.

Methods:

1. Add coconut milk, sugar, salt, and vanila extract into a bowl. Whisk to mix the mixture. Add boiling water. Whisk to make sure sugar is dissolved.
2. Add tapioca flour and rice flour little by little to the mixture. Whisk to mix after every addition of the flour. Make sure there is no lump. Once all flour has been mixed, strain the mixture (batter) to get rid of any lump.
3. Using a ladle, divide the batter into 4 equal portions and put each into a bowl. My ladle is the perfect size to divide it into 4 because it takes 2 full ladles to get 4 equal portions. Alternatively, you can also use a measuring cup. The batter is about 800 ml. So, you can split the batter into 200 ml each. If the last one is a litle bit less or over than 200 ml, it is okay since the last one will not be colored and be placed at the bottom layer. Add green food coloring to the first portion. Stir to mix the color. Add yellow food coloring into the second portion. Stir to mix the color. Add red food coloring into the third portion. Stir to mix. Leave the last split uncolored.
4. Fill up the bottom steamer with water. Make sure you fill it up to the full level allowed for the bottom steamer because it takes 45 min to steam the cake, so you will need to use a lot of water. You may need to refill the steamer with water during steaming if your steamer is not deep. So, keep an eye during steaming to make sure the bottom steamer always have water. A trick to know if the steamer starts to run out of water is by adding a coin and leaving it at the bottom steamer. When the water starts to get really low, the coin will make a lot of noises and you will then add water. Place the lid on the center of kitchen towel. Tie the opposite ends of kitchen towel under the lid handle and repeat it with the remaining ends. This will make sure the kitchen towel will stay. The reason why the lid must be covered with kitchen towel is to absorb the liquid from condensation and thus, preventing it from dripping on the cake during steaming. Place the top steamer on top of the bottom steamer and close the lid. Bring the water to a boil. The water must always be boiling at all time during steaming to make sure each layer is fully cooked. So, if you must add water anytime during steaming, make sure it comes to a boil first before you add another layer.
5. While waiting for the water to come to a boil, lightly grease the bottom of cake pan with vegetable oil. Make sure your cake pan fits perfectly inside your steamer and the lid can be closed completely with it inside. The cake pan used must be resistant to high temperature. Microwaveable container can be used but make sure it is deep enough for the whole layers. I use microwaveable round glass container of 7" in diameter. Make sure the cake pan used is not too wide. Otherwise, the layer will be too thin. Once the pan has been greased, place it inside the top steamer to heat it up. Heat the pan for at least 5 min inside the steamer.
6. For the following 2 steps, always check to make sure the bottom steamer is not empty right after the current layer is fully cooked and before the next layer is added. If you have to add water into the steamer, always make sure the water has come to a boil before adding the next layer.
7. Once the water comes to a boil and the pan has been heated, whisk the uncolored batter to make sure the batter is mixed well and the flour doesn't settle on the bottom. Open the steamer lid, pour the batter into the pan, and close the lid. Steam the layer for 7 min or until it is fully cooked. To know whether the layer is fully cooked, you can see the layer is not in a liquid form and if you jiggle the pan, the layer is not moving and the batter is not flowing. While waiting for the first layer to cook, whisk green layer batter and pour 100 ml into a measuring cup. Once the first layer is fully cooked, open the lid, whisk the 100 ml green layer batter, pour it into the pan, and close the lid. Steam for 7 min or until it is fully cooked. While waiting for the second layer to cook, rinse the measuring cup used for the green color so that the previous color will not mix with the next color. Whisk the yellow color batter and pour 100 ml of yellow color batter into a measuring cup. Once the green color layer is fully cooked, open the lid, whisk the 100 ml yellow color batter, pour it into the pan, and close the lid. Steam for another 7 min or until it is fully cooked. Rinse the measuring cup. Whisk the red color batter and pour 100 ml of the batter into a measuring cup. Once the yellow color is cooked, open the lid, whisk the 100 ml red color batter, pour it into the pan, and close the lid. Steam it for 7 min or until it is fully cooked.
8. Once the red layer is cooked, whisk the remaining green color batter, open the lid, pour it into the pan, and close the lid. Steam for 7 min or until it is fully cooked. Whisk the remaining yellow color batter, open the lid, pour it into the pan, and close the lid. Steam the yellow layer for 7 min. Once the yellow layer is cooked, whisk the remaining red color batter, open the lid, pour the batter into the pan, and close the lid. The last layer (red color) must be steamed for 10 min to make sure everything is fully cooked.
9. Once all layers have been cooked, turn off the stove. Remove the top steamer. Take the cake pan out of the steamer and set it aside to cool down for 2 hours. Do not try to take the cake out of pan while it is still hot because it is very hard to work with and you may ruin it.
10. Once the cake is already cool, wipe a knife or offset spatula with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Brush the top of the cake with a little bit of vegetable oil to prevent sticking to the cutting board when slicing it. Using an oiled knife or offset spatula, insert the knife or offset spatula on the corner of the cake pan and go around the corners of the cake pan to loosen it. Place plastic wrap on top of cutting board. Flip the cake pan upside down on top of the plastic wrap to release the cake. Tap the pan to let cake drop (come out). If the cake doesn't come out, insert the oiled knife or offset spatula on one of the corner and slightly press it inward to give space to insert your fingers so that you can insert the fingers underneath the cake to loosen and get the cake out of the pan. Once the cake is out of pan, make sure the oiled side of the cake (red layer) is placed on top of the plastic wrap. Wipe the knife with oil. Slice the cake according to the size you prefer. You have to grease the knife before slicing.
11. Serve the cake with tea or coffee.

Notes:

• Always wrap the lid with kitchen towel to absorb condensation liquid and prevent it from dripping to cake while steaming.
• Grease the bottom of cake pan so that the cake won't stick.
• Always check you have enough water in the steamer. Check the water level after each layer is fully cooked and before adding another layer. Alternatively, you can add coin at the bottom steamer. Once the water level is low, the coin will make noises and let you know the water level is low. At this point, you can wait until the current layer is fully cooked before adding more water. The water must be boiling before adding the next layer. So, don't add the next layer until the water has come to a boil.
• Always whisk the batter prior to adding it into the cake pan.

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