Haw Flakes Layered Cake

Sarawak Style Layered Cakes... Long time never do this. I'm stingy to pay for the electricity the grilling uses.

I did this for Chinese New Year, I didn't bake any cookies. This is easier, at least I don't need to sit there doing nothing but shaping and filling cookies. For this I just put it in the oven, wait for the buzzer and do another layer. In between baking the layers, I can online, do this blog and fold my laundry, I have more liberty in short. More time for other things.

This time I used this type of Hawflakes, which I find to be not that good. The previous type that I used is the small pink packaging type. That one gives better flavour. To me this one in the picture is a bit too sweet and less tang.

I also changed the recipe this time. Did not use strawberry jam. Didn't use crushed Marie biscuits, but just cake flour.

The recipe this time is,

450gm butter
140gm sugar
10 large eggs
510gm condensed milk
240gm cake flour
few drops of red food colouring

Method:
1. Preheat oven on grill setting. (My oven has either 230C or 250C setting, so I used 230C)
2. Use a 9x9 inch square pan. Line bottom of pan. Warm up pan for step 8 (I do this over the hot water I prepared for the water bath later).
3. Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
4. Add in eggs, one by one. Beating well after each addition.
5. Mix in condensed milk
6. Sift flour and fold into batter.
7. Divide batter into 2 parts. Colour one part with red food colouring, leave the other plain.
8. Spread a ladle of batter(red) evenly onto hot pan.
9. Tilt pan left and right to level batter. Grill for 7 minutes or until golden.
10. Remove from oven and press cake layer to remove excess air. Spread another ladle of batter (plain) over the cooked layer, tilt pan to level batter and arrange haw flakes onto batter. Grill for 7 minutes or until golden.
11. Alternate step 9 and 10 until batter is finished.

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Pan needs to be warmed up at step 2 for even distribution of batter. You can either warm it up in the preheating oven or over a pot of hot water.

Switch off oven fan when u do this cake, if not, the bottom will burn at the end of the baking. If the fan cannot be turned off, like my oven, even on grill mode, bake this cake in a shallow water bath to prevent the base from over browning…my baking pan is 9X9 and my water bath pan is 10X10. Too big a water bath pan will leave u a very moist cake, and a longer browning time. But even if it gets too moist later, u can dry it up in the microwave on low for 10 minutes and then wrap it up again for even distribution of moisture from within.

Well, in order to make sure all layers are equal and that no either type of batter are in excess, I separate the batter into portions, kept in bowls. So that I will have equal layers, and no leftovers.

To serve,
Cut off dry ends, divide cake into 4 long pieces and slice each piece less than 1cm thick. This cake is not meant to be chomped on, but eaten slowly over tea. Taste better as it ages. I kept this at room temperature for over a week, and it still looks good. If kept in the fridge, it can keep for months.

Oh yes,
Nicole and Aunt Yee Wah, how was the pandan kaya layer cake??