Earl Grey Kueh Lapis

Kueh Lapis is a traditional layered cake baked with egg yolks, butter and sugar.

It is extremely high in calories..

eating 1 thin slice (50g) of it is like swallowing 3 1/2 teaspoons of fats & you'd have to spend 30 minutes jogging off that 250 calories. 

& it is well-known for its tedious bake.

What inspired me? Last week, I had a friend who wanted to visit JB to get the famous Lavender kueh lapis. So the few of us drove to JB for the Kueh Lapis Hunt. It took us pretty long to find the bakery..& my friend bought several boxes (it's almost 2x cheaper there). 

So it was then & there I randomly decided to bake my very 1st kueh lapis. 

so here is is...with an earl grey twist:

mix & sieve all the dry ingredients

egg mania

grease the tin

line the tin

cream the butter & add the
sugar
egg yolks
condensed milk
rum 

lapis batter

egg whites - beaten to stiff peaks

fold in the flour mixture & stiff egg whites into the egg mixture

fill the tin with the 1st layer of batter

flatten the cake with the flat  part of a wine glass (that was what I used) & pour next layer's batter

despite the high calorie, it all boils down to moderation & portion control.

have a small slice this Chinese New Year ;)

I have 20 egg whites left, it would be frozen...
& there are plans for tea-infused angel cakes. ha

Makes one 8-inch square tin with 8 layers

Ingredients

-          Egg yolks, 25

-          Egg whites, 5

-          Butter, unsalted, 450g, room temperature/softened

-          Sugar, 350g

-          Condensed milk, 4 tablespoons

-          Plain flour, 150g

-          Milk powder, low-fat, 20g

-          Earl grey tea leaves, 1 bag, finely ground

-          Rum, 2 teaspoons

Methods

1. Preheat an oven to 180°C.
2. Cream the butter until smooth.
3. Slowly beat in the sugar until smooth & creamy.
4. Add egg yolks, condensed milk and rum, beating for another 3 minutes.
5. Sift the flour, milk powder and earl grey tea leaves.
6. Fold flour mixture into egg yolk mixture.
7. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold it into the rest of the mixture until fully combined.
8. Grease and line an 8” square tin.
9. Pour 1 cup of batter into the tin and spread it evenly; grill on bottom for 8 minutes and top for 3 minutes until surface golden brown.
10. Remove from the oven, use a cup or flat surface and flatten the cake surface.
11. Pour another 1 cup of batter and spread evenly (bang the tin on the table top to get rid of air bubbles); grill on top for 4 minutes until golden brown; repeat for the next 4 layers.
12. For the last layer, pour the remaining batter and spread evenly; grill on top until yellowish-brown for 3 minutes then grill on bottom for a last 7 minutes to fully cook the cake.
13. Immediately turn the kueh lapis out onto a wire rack.
14. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

How was it?

-          most of the layers got really brown (almost to the point of getting burnt) while the sides are still yellow-ish

-          way too sweet

-          texture was overly spongey (soft)

-          layers did not look defined

-          couldn’t taste the earl grey

Better it up!

-          use ½ or ¾ cup batter per layer

-          place the kueh lapis on the lowest racks during grilling

-          for the last layer, place on middle rack and bake at 180°C for 15 minutes.

-          reduce sugar to 300°C

-          use 2-3 bags of earl grey tea leaves

The Verdict

Recipe Adopted from...
Marfel's Kitchen