3 Ways to Get Sticky with Singapore’s Nine-Layered Cake
Kueh Lapis Kukus is a traditional Nyonya steamed layered cake. Let’s have a language crash course: in Malay or Indonesian, Kukus = steamed, lapis = layered and kueh = cake. In Chinese, it is known as jiu ceng gao (九层糕) or kow chang kueh (in Hokkien) which also translates to ‘nine-layered cake’.
Do you know that it is made of two types of flour? Can you guess which two? Tapioca and rice flour! Coconut milk and pandan essence are also added present the slightly sweet kueh mixture.
Kueh Lapis Kukus is soft, chewy and slightly sticky. I like the feeling of it sticking to my tongue but, don’t worry, it is not so gummy that it will stick onto your teeth. Eating this needn’t be messy.
How do you eat this?
People have different eating styles:
1) Peel top layer, eat. Peel next layer, eat. Repeat.
2) Peel bottom layer, eat. Peel next layer, eat. Repeat.
3) Just bite only. It’s all the same anyway… I ain’t got time to spare.
Personally, I take to the first style of eating and have been doing that since young. It’s fun and the texture feels better. The good kueh will allow you to peel the layers off cleanly at one go. As for those who always use the third style… oh, c’mon, no time to enjoy life’s little pleasures? Okay, okay. To each his own, yeah?
This cake is one of the creations by the Peranakan community in the Singapore and Malaysia; they fused elements of both Malay and Chinese cooking to whip up some wonderful food and family recipes are passed down from generation to generation, among the women (Nyonyas). That’s why these delicacies are known as Nyonya kueh. Kueh Lapis Kukus is typically made with a myriad of vibrant colours that makes it so alluring.
Do you know how tedious it is to prepare this cake?
If you want a cake with beautiful colours, you need to split your mixture into different portions and add the various dyes (in correct proportions! So, it’s kind of a trial and error thing here). You will then need to steam it layer by layer, and each layer takes 3 minutes to be done. That’s not all — you need to let the cake set and cool for at least 4 hours before using a greased knife to cut it, so it won’t stick and can nicely come off. And that’s why your cake is pretty oily.
Watch how Kueh Lapis Kukus is made
Where can you get some of this kueh today?
Some traditional confectioneries like Lek Lim Nonya Cake Confectionery still make them. Certain stalls at hawker centres and coffeeshops also carry them. This kueh can also be found at more commercialised shops like Bengawan Solo which will, of course, be pricier.
People experimented with other colours not traditionally used in the kueh, and they turned out lovely.
