Coffee Princess Lapis Cake

Oh dear..... it's been close to six months since I last blogged. Thousand apologies to those who have been waiting for my updates here and especially to those who have left comments and waiting for my reply. I'm so sorry....

2016 has been quite rough for me...... it's all because I've agreed to take up more responsibilities at work this year (What was I thinking???). More commitment at work means that there's less time for me to do other things that are unrelated to work. So, baking and blogging have to be cut down.

Nevertheless, I still manage to bake and prepare some desserts on some weekends, often because I am stressed out with work.  This lapis cake recipe was shared by my cousin more than 30 years ago. The cake used to be very popular during Hari Raya back then. I had not baked it for sometime myself... I must have felt so stressed that I decided to bake a lapis cake....haha. If you are thinking of baking a lapis cake this coming Hari Raya, I would recommend this cake, especially if you're a coffee lover... 

Coffee Princess Lapis Cake

Ingredients:
250g butter - room temperature (I used unsalted.)
4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp coffee oil flavour (I used Bake King brand.)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp grape juice

20 cold egg yolks (cold eggs will produce thicker batter)
4 cold egg whites
50g cold water
250g sugar
1 tbsp ovelette (cake stabiliser)
1 tsp baking powder
150g cake flour (combined with baking powder & sifted)
a few drops red colouring

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 180-190 deg C (refer to the tips below). Use top heat only.  Line & grease (base only) of a 9x6 or 7x7-inch baking pan. Set aside.
2. Combine butter, condensed milk and salt in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add in coffee oil and grape juice, continue beating until well combined. Set aside.
3. Combine egg yolks, egg whites, water, sugar, ovelette and flour in a large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until thick & fluffy, about 8 minutes. (If you are using a hand-held beater, combine the eggs, ovelette & sugar and beat until thick & fluffy. Add in flour & cold water and beat until well blended.)
4. Add in the creamed butter mixture & mix thoroughly. (I used a hand whisk.)
5. Divide mixture into 2 parts.
6. Add in a few drops of red colouring into 1 part and mix thoroughly. Leave the other part plain.
7. Pour 2 ladles of plain batter (about 90-100g) into baking pan. Spread the batter gently and evenly using the back of a spoon. Grill for about one & a half to two minutes or until the cake is cooked & the top turns golden brown. Once cooked, press the top with a lapis cake presser or a mug/glass with flat bottom to pop any bubbles, if any.
8. Repeat step 7. 
9. Then pour 2 ladles of red batter into pan & bake.
10. Repeat step 9.
11. Then continue baking 2 layers of plain batter followed by 2 layers of red batter until finish.
12. After baking the last layer, bake the whole cake using top & bottom heat at 200 deg C for about 10 minutes.
13. Remove cake from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting and serving.

Some tips when baking lapis cakes:

1. I always bake my lapis cakes in my 20-year-old Baby Belling. I tried using my other ovens, but it took a longer baking time. So if you are using Belling oven, set the grill to No 3-4. That I believe is about 180-190 deg C. To gauge what temperature to set the oven at, bake each layer at a temperature such that it will cook & the top will turn golden brown in about 2-3 minutes. (Warning: don't try to wash the dishes while waiting for the layer to cook or your cake will end up burnt!) Just bear in mind, each layer must be cooked before baking another layer or the uncooked layer will not cook even after baking the next few layers.
2. Once the mixture is ready for baking, do not stir the mixture anymore. Just scoop the top part of mixture onto the pan... the bottom of the mixing bowl may contain water or oil residue. Do not use this residue as, if baked, it will produce a hard layer.
3. To produce nice & even layers, the amount of batter scooped for every layer must be the same. I usually use 2 ladleful or about 90-100g for each layer.
4. After pouring the batter into the pan, spread the batter gently and evenly using the back of a spoon. This step not only even out the batter, it also helps to pop any bubbles that are often present in the batter. Once cooked, press the top with a lapis cake presser or a mug/glass with flat bottom to pop any bubbles, if any.
5. After baking the final layer, I usually bake the whole cake for 10-15 minutes using the top & bottom heat at about 180-200 deg C. This step is required, especially for very moist lapis cakes, so that the cake, especially its sides, is fully cooked & not so wet.
6. As most lapis cakes contain a very high fat content from the eggs & butter, they keep very well! They freeze very well. I normally cut my whole cake into 4-5 parts. Then I wrap each part with a cling wrap, & then with an aluminium foil & followed by a newspaper. Then I freeze it if I'm keeping it for more than a week. Before serving, I just leave it in room temperature for a while before cutting.