April 23, 2014
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Bika Ambon Cake
Recently, a cousin from the city of Medan came for a visit and gave me a box of one of my favorite Asian cakes, Kueh Bika Ambon.
For those who are still a virgin to the world of Bika Ambon, it is a baked leavened cake-batter that is made with coconut milk, eggs, tapioca flour, yeast, and flavored with sugar and pandan leaves. It is often called Honeycomb Cake, for the texture look of the inside of the cake resembles just that.
Golden in color, slightly oily to the touch, delicate bouncy chewiness in texture, and coconut custard-like in tropical sweetness, this cake is originated from Kota Medan, in the north of Sumatra Island.
It is by far one of the best cakes ever invented in South East Asia. I reckon it has a Dutch influence due to its baking technique, which is understandable, judging from the three hundred fifty over years of colonialism under them.
If you have yet to taste this Indonesian cake, I’d recommend you to have it on your list for things-to-eat from around the world. And if you’d like to have a go at baking it yourself, you may go online to try out the many versions of the original recipe.
Here’s one by food blogger Kitchen Tigress.
Comments (6)
That cake looks delicious even just to see. Do you think the Philippine Islands have something similar? I once ate a cake made by a person from there, and it had the same ingredients, but didn’t have the honeycomb appearance. What a distinguishing feature to the mouth watering description!
That looks so good. I want to take a bite. :B hehe
if they do, i wouldn’t be surprised. the south east asian countries often times share similar food ingredients due to their similar tropical climate and soil, though maybe differ in religion and culture.
you’re not the only one
That reminds me of that Chinese white sugar sponge cake.
http://archives.starbulletin.com/2003/05/21/features/story1.html
oh. this one is very different indeed. for one, the flavor and aroma won’t be as strong and fragrnt as Bika Ambon. you’ve just got to try it out if you ever get the chance someday.