Spekkoek

 

Spekkoek , popularly known as spiku is a layered cake of the Dutch-Indonesian origin. This cake is also nicknamed as thousand layer cake and is considered to be the most precious legacy of the Dutch colonialism. This ingredient rich cake cannot be eaten alone, so they are mostly served in slices. The cake is remotely connected to the typical Dutch biscuit called speculaas and spices used are similar to a Malaysian –Sarawak layered cake called Kek Lepis. The popular name lapis legit translates to sweet layered cake in Indonesian. This cake is mostly prepared and served during the special occasions across Indonesia like Christmas, Eid ul Fitr and Chinese New Year because the cake preparation is often perceived to be laborious and time consuming.

 

The word spekkoek normally translates to pork belly or bacon cake in chaste Indonesian, which refers to its alternating dark and light colored layers. The batter used in the preparation of the cake resembles to the sponge cake in more than one ways with the only difference that it contains more eggs than sponge cake.

 

HISTORY OF SPIKU
The exact date of its origin is still a source of debate amongst the food historians but it has been proved that the Dutch colonists introduced the cake. At one point of time they tried to influence the Indonesian cooking by forcing their flavors and essence. The Dutch introduced their lavish and laborious baking techniques in Indonesia and elaborated them by blending with the flavors of land. The Dutch added intensity to their sweet cakes by adding the local spices. Thus, and the recipe for spekkoek evolved over the time.

 

SPEKKOEK RECIPE: INGREDIENTS REQUIRED AND THE METHOD OF PREPARATION
Egg (whites and yolk), sugar, butter are common ingredients used in the preparation of the cake. The spice mix known as spiku powder may vary according to the availability of spices but normally it is prepared spices using cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon.

 

The cake is prepared in the same way as any other regular cake but the layers are firmed by placing the baked cake under the preheated boiler. Normally the cake is served after sprinkling with confectioner’s sugar.