Kuih Pandan Lapis Batavia

I was left home alone one day, the silence was killing me.  There were no one to bug me and knowing me, cannot sit still and do nothing - my sister said that 'it must be the catholic schooling' in us - we feel guilty if we are not doing something.'  So, what a good time it was to stand in front of the oven and layer away.  This is a scale down from Kuih Lapis Batavia, not by choice but necessity, cos i had only a dozen eggs.  I have increased the sugar and egg white slightly thus making the batter lighter and the layers browned  faster with the addition of a little baking powder and the batter was sweeter.

Ingredients:

250g butter at room temperature
60g fine granulated sugar

12 egg yolks
60g fine granulated sugar
1 tbsp  brandy
2 tbsp condensed milk

80g cake flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp baking powder

4 egg whites
30g sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp pandan paste


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350f . Line a 6 inch square baking pan with greaseproof paper, making sure that it fits exactly the base.Grease only the base of pan and greaseproof paper only.  Do not grease the sides of pan..
2. Cream butter with 60g sugar till creamy.

3. Beat egg yolk with 60g sugar till thick. Stir in  brandy and condensed milk.

4. Sieve flour, baking powder and mixed spice.

5. Mix butter and egg yolk mixture well. Fold in flour mixture by thirds and mix well.

6. Whisk egg white with medium speed till foamy, add in cream of tartar and continue to whisk till white in colour then add in sugar and whisk until thick, soft stiff peak.

7. Fold egg white into egg yolk mixture and mix well. Add pandan paste to 1/3 of the batter and leave the other 2/3 plain.
8. Spread 3 heap tbsp of batter evenly and bake for 10 minutes.  Turn on the top fire only and brown the top of the first layer.  For the second layer, spoon 2 heap tbsp batter into baking pan. Spread the batter evenly, put to grill . Grill  till brown.(time for browning depends on your oven and how close the baking pan is placed near the grilling elements)   Remove from oven, use a cake tester or toothpick to prick holes on the top of cake.   For the third layer, use the pandan paste batter. Repeat the layering, 2 layers plain and 1 layer pandan, till batter finish. (Use the same type of spoons for the plain and pandan batter so that the layers will be even)

9. Unmould cake immediately and turn on to wire rack to cool.