Baking Spekkoek Recipe
List of ingredients For the spekkoek
500 g of soft butter
10 eggs, split
500 g fine granulated sugar or white caster sugar
275 g patent flour, sieved
5 tsp cinnamon
2½ tsp cloves powder
1½ tsp nutmeg powder
1½ tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp aniseed powder (optional)
Needed further
butter, for greasing
Baking spekkoek has been on my to-bake list for a while, but it never happened. Last month, the new book by Francis Kuijk plopped on my doormat containing, you guessed it, a recipe for spekkoek. That same weekend I was already in the kitchen to make this delicious spekkoek. You are sweet with it, but it is worth all the effort!
This spekkoek recipe comes from the Basic Indonesian book by Francis Kuijk. In this very complete cookbook you will find 130 Indonesian recipes, all with photos and very clear step-by-step explanation. From different kinds of satay and babi pangang to spring rolls and different kinds of sambal. It contains a lot of goodies! My favorite chapter is that with sweet recipes. I will definitely make more out of this besides this spekkoek!
Preparation: Spekkoek
Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Line the bottom of a spring pan of 22-24 centimeters with baking paper.
Beat the butter smooth and fluffy in a food processor. Then beat the egg yolks together with the butter. Add the sugar in batches, 2 tablespoons at a time. Mix well after each addition. Total mixing takes at least 10 minutes.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the butter mixture. Then gradually, 3 tablespoons at a time, fold the flour into the batter. Spoon half of the batter into another bowl. Strain the spices over the bowl and fold into the batter.
Bake the spekkoek
Spoon some of the natural batter on the bottom of the spring form and spread it evenly so that the whole bottom is covered with a thin layer (you can do this well with the back of a spoon or with a palette knife). Check how many spoons of batter you need for this, the layer should not be thicker than ½ cm. Bake this cake layer for 4 to 6 minutes (or more) until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove the cake from the oven and turn on the top grill element. Spoon the same amount of spiced batter carefully and carefully on the baked natural layer of the cake. If the cake batter seems to be too thick, to spread well without damaging the cake layer underneath, divide the amount of batter into smaller parts over the first layer and leave it for half a minute so that the batter melts a bit due to the heat . The batter is then easier to spread. Remember: just as many serving spoons as the natural batter. Put the spring form in the oven and bake the second layer for 4 minutes under the grill or until golden brown and cooked.
Repeat this and alternate between the natural batter and the seasoned batter until the batter is used up.
Change the position of the oven from the top grill to top and bottom heat at 150 ° C. Put the cake in the oven and bake it in 10 to 15 minutes. When baking, cover the top of the cake with aluminum foil if you don't want it to color any further.
Let the cake cool completely before removing the spring form and cutting the cake.
Francis tips for baking spekkoek
Something to watch out for during baking: the more layers of the cake are baked, the higher the cake will be in the spring form. So it is necessary to adjust the place of the cake in the oven to avoid burning.
This cake is easy to freeze. Cut the cake into smaller portions (for example, quartered) and wrap the portions individually in a double layer of aluminum foil.
You will find that in colder climates, the cake can be hard. (Just think of all the butter that the cake contains that hardens in cold weather.) Make sure the cake is at least at room temperature when you serve it. Preheat the oven to 100 to 150 ° C, if the room temperature is too low. Turn the oven off and heat the cake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cake is soft and creamy. I myself put the packed portions of cake on the central heating.
And remember: slices 1 cm thick, do not cut cake slices!
Finally, I don't use anise in my bacon cake myself, but many people love it. I have therefore included the recommended amount as an optional ingredient in the list.
