This cake is also called Surabaya and is a delicious 3 layered cake, coming from Indonesian cuisine. Three batter mixes are prepared, two with a naturally produced yellow colour, the other is mixed with cocoa powder to produce a dark brown colour. The layers of cake are glued using strawberry jam. Chopped nuts may be added to the layers for texture for variations. There are a lot of egg yolks used in this cake and that what makes the cake so rich.

This makes quite a big cake, perfect for sharing. Line a baking tray and another 9” x 6” baking tray with baking paper. In a whisking bowl, put the egg whites (and egg yolk colouring – optional). Beat the egg whites until foamy, gradually add in the icing sugar tablespoon by tablespoon. The egg white will expand and reach the soft to hard peak in 2-3 minutes. Add in the egg yolk one by one and follow by the condensed milk.

Beat for another 3-4 minutes. Stop the machine and sift the baking powder and cake flour into beaten eggs. Fold carefully until well mixed. Add in the corn oil and fold in until well combined. Transfer the batter to the baking tin. Bake in the pre-heated oven of 200 degree Celsius for 10-12 minutes until the top turn golden brown. Let the cake cooled completely. For the yellow portion, cut into 2 equal halves.

Take one portion and spread sparingly with strawberry jam. Put the chocolate portion on top of the jam. Spread sparingly with strawberry jam on the chocolate layer and finally place the other yellow half on top. The cake is done and cuts into your preferred sizes for serving.

Ingedients;

  • 20 egg yolks
  • 200 g caster sugar
  • 250 g butter
  • 5 egg whites
  • 100 g flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • ¾ tablespoon cocoa
  • 8 tablespoons strawberry jam, you may substitute with your favourite jam here

Instructions;

  1. Grease and dust three 20 cm (8″) square or round sandwich tins.
  2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until creamy. Beat the butter until creamy.
  3. Beat egg whites until it thickens. Mix the beaten butter and egg yolks together, gradually adding into the mixture the flour and egg white.
  4. Add the vanilla essence. Divide this batter into three equal parts.
  5. Sieve the cocoa into one part of the batter, mix well and pour into a 20 cm (8″) sandwich tin.
  6. Pour the remaining two parts of batter into the two other tins of the same size.
  7. Bake with moderate heat at 120° C or 250° F for 15-20 minutes, starting with the cocoa butter.
  8. Bake the two other tins.
  9. Warm the strawberry jam and pass the jam through a coarse sieve.
  10. Lastly sandwich the cocoa layer between the plain layers, spreading strawberry jam between the layers.