Cookery director Meike: "My father often travelled with work to Holland, and from the first time he brought back this delicious legacy to the former Dutch East Indies, I was hooked. I remember sneaking thin slivers of this expensive treat with my brother and peeling apart the firmish layers to make the joy last longer. It’s less complicated to make than it looks, but it does take time. So I urge you to relax into the joyful rhythm of layering up so you too can share the bliss of sneaking a sliver!"
This Dutch delight is formed of spiced and plain firmish layers of batter. The spiced layer is comprised of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg and cloves and is sandwiched between plain layers of batter that both get grilled and brushed with butter. The result is a unique show-stopping cake that is sure to become a tea-time favourite.
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Yields:
20 serving(s)
Prep Time:
50 mins
Cook Time:
35 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 25 mins
Cal/Serv:
234
Ingredients
For the spice mix
2tsp.
ground cinnamon
1tsp.
ground ginger
1tsp.
ground cardamom, about 12 fat green pods
1/2tsp.
ground nutmeg
1/4tsp.
ground cloves
For the cake
250g
unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
250g
caster sugar
8
medium eggs, separated
200g
plain flour
To brush
75g
unsalted butter, melted
Icing sugar, to dust
Directions
Step 1In a small bowl, mix the spice mix ingredients and set aside. Heat grill to medium-high. Grease a 20.5cm round springform tin and line the base with baking parchment.
Step 2For the cake, in a large bowl using a handheld electric whisk, beat butter and half the sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in egg yolks, whisking well after each addition. Using a large metal spoon, fold in flour (mixture will be fairly stiff).
Step 3With clean beaters and in a separate bowl, whip egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Gradually beat in remaining sugar until meringue is stiff and shiny. Thoroughly mix a large spoonful of the meringue into the butter mixture to loosen it, then fold in the remaining whites in 2 batches. Spoon half the mixture into a separate bowl (weigh for best results), and fold the spice mixture into this bowl.
Step 4Spread a thin layer of the plain mixture (about 3tbsp) into the base of the prepared tin, spreading to an even layer with the back of a cutlery spoon. Put on rack so the top of the cake tin is about 7.5-10cm under the grill. Grill for 11/2-3min, or until the cake layer is just cooked and very lightly golden (keep checking on it). Brush cake (not sides of tin) with melted butter. Repeat layer, grilling and brushing, alternating the mixtures (you should end up with about 12 layers, but it doesn’t matter if it's more or less).
Step 5 Cool completely in tin before transferring to a cake stand, dusting with icing sugar and serving in thin slices.
To store
This cake keeps well, and gets better with a little age. Keep well-wrapped in clingfilm and store at room temperature for up to 7 days.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).