🇲🇾 Malaysian Cuisine

Kuih Lapis

Layered Steamed Cake

Prep Time 1.5 hours
Servings 8
Difficulty Medium
Calories 230 kcal

A mesmerizing rainbow of nine steamed layers, each tinted a different color, made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, and pandan — soft, bouncy, and peeled apart layer by satisfying layer.

Ingredients

  • 250g rice flour
  • 100g tapioca flour
  • 400ml coconut milk
  • 300ml water
  • 300g sugar
  • 1 tsp pandan extract
  • Food coloring (red, green, yellow, blue, purple)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. 1 Mix rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, salt, coconut milk, and water into a smooth batter.
  2. 2 Divide the batter into 9 equal portions. Tint each a different color (one portion with pandan extract for green).
  3. 3 Grease the baking tray. Pour the first layer of batter, about 3mm thick.
  4. 4 Steam over high heat for 5 minutes until the layer is set. Pour the next colored layer on top.
  5. 5 Repeat steaming each layer for 5 minutes until all 9 layers are done.
  6. 6 Allow to cool completely before unmolding. Cut into diamond shapes with an oiled knife.

Did You Know?

The nine layers of kuih lapis traditionally represent the nine levels of Malay royalty — each color a symbol of a different virtue or blessing.

From The Culinary Codex — http://theculinarycodex.com/dish/malaysian/kuih-lapis/