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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
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Spekkuk BumbuEditor's note: This recipe is adapted from James Oseland's book Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It was originally part of an article by Oseland on Indonesian cuisine. This butter-rich spice cake flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves is known as spekkoek (the Dutch spelling) or spekkuk. It's an inheritance from Holland's four-century rule in Indonesia. This recipe was given to me by Mami, my friend in Bandung, Indonesia, who's an expert in all things sweet. Because butter is a rare commodity in Indonesia, especially outside of big cities, many cooks often substitute margarine for it. Mami wouldn't dream of doing that. Spekkuk is a special-occasion cake. It deserves a splurge, she says. She usually makes this cake when important guests come calling or for her berbuka puasa (literally, opening the fast) feasts during Ramadan. Essentially a pound cake baked in a tube, or bundt, pan, it has a golden, faintly crisp exterior and a shamelessly rich, velvety interior. There are few things more satisfying than eating a warm slice of spekkuk along with sweetened tea (the traditional accompaniment) or icy cold milk (my favorite accompaniment). If all of your ingredients are at room temperature, this cake is relatively easy to makeand immensely pleasurable, too. Once it starts baking, the spicy aroma will perfume not only your kitchen but also your entire home.Lapis legit (literally layered stickiness ) is a spekkuk constructed of up to 25 thin layers, each no thicker than an eighth of an inchthe more the layers, the more grand the cake. It is made by spreading thin successive layers of batter, one layer at a time, and baking each new layer until it is cooked through. A fresh layer is spread on top, and the process is repeated until all of the batter is used up. Each layer needs about five to ten minutes of baking time. Some cooks alternate plain, white, spice-less batter with the golden-brown batter containing spices for a variegated effect. Other cooks only make lapis legit with ten thicker layers, as opposed to 25. Whatever the case, though lapis legit is lovely to look at, it tastes no better than a single-layer spekkuk, as it's made with the very same batter. Ingredients:
2 cups sifted cake flour (don't use self-rising flour), plus more for dusting |
1/2 teaspoon baking powder |
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg |
1/2 teaspoon ground clove |
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon |
pinch of salt |
3/4 pound unsalted butter (3 sticks), plus more for greasing |
1 2/3 cup sugar |
4 large eggs |
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten |
2 teaspoons vanilla extract |
1 tablespoon sifted confectioners' sugar (for garnish, optional) |
Directions:
1. 1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and lightly flour a 9 x 3-1/2-inch tube cake pan (or my preference use a nonstick pan of that size, and don't grease and flour it).
2. 2. In a medium bowl, resift the sifted flour along with the baking powder, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and salt. Resift the flour mixture one more time, then set it aside.
3. 3. In another bowl, beat the softened butter until it is soft and very pliant, about 1 minute (or about 4 to 6 minutes by hand with a wooden spoon). Gradually add the sugar, and beat on high speed until it is pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes (or about 6 to 8 minutes by hand).
4. 4. Beat in the 4 whole eggs by hand, one at a time, until the butter and egg mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes (or 5 minutes by hand).
5. 5. Add the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture in 3 equal parts, beating on low speed or stirring with the wooden spoon until the batter is smooth and the flour is well combined with the butter and eggs. Add the lightly beaten egg yolks and the vanilla, and continue to beat or stir until they are well mixed into the batter.
6. 6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it until the surface is even.
7. 7. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. This cake will nearly double in size as it cooks.
8. 8. Remove the pan from the oven and set the cake on a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. If necessary, run a thin knife around the perimeter and the inner rim of the cake to help detach it from the pan. Invert the cake, turning it out upside down onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
9. 9. Transfer the cake to a serving platter and sprinkle the top with sifted confectioners' sugar, if desired.
10. Adapted with permission from Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore
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