KUIH BINGKA AMBON (KUE BIKA AMBON; AMBON HONEYCOMB CAKE)
Source: Adapted from The Best of Singapore Cooking
(Recipe for 8 pieces)
85 g sago or tapioca starch
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp instant yeast
145 g eggs
170 g undiluted freshly squeezed coconut milk
85 g sugar
20 g young, light green pandan leaves
ImageMy recipe is different from other kueh ambon recipes in three ways: it doesn't use a starter dough; it has much less yeast; and the coconut milk is hot rather than at room temperature when it's added to the batter. The extra heat speeds up the fermentation, so there's no need for a starter dough or huge amount of yeast.
Thoroughly mix tapioca starch, salt and dry yeast. Add eggs and whisk till smooth.
Stir coconut milk with sugar over medium heat till slightly hotter than hand-hot, i.e. pot is too hot to hold but not too hot to touch.
Stir batter and, at the same time, slowly pour coconut milk into batter.
Wash pandan leaves and cut into small pieces. Pound finely and strain to yield 1 tsp pandan juice. Discard pulp. Add juice to batter. Mix thoroughly. Set aside, covered, till batter is full of small bubbles, 2½-3 hours if you're in the tropics. Loosen starch in bottom of bowl and stir till just evenly mixed.
Preheat oven to 160°C with only bottom heat turned on. Oven should be ready at the same time as batter. Line 15 x 15 x 5 cm cake pan with 25 x 25 cm parchment paper.
Pour batter into cake pan. Bake in bottom of oven till batter doesn't jiggle when shaken, about 35 minutes. Increase temperature to 180°C. Turn on top heat. Move cake to middle of oven. Continue baking till golden brown, another 15 minutes or so. Remove from oven. Unmould by lifting parchment paper. Leave cake on wire rack till cold. Cut into 8 pieces and serve.
