Layer Cake (千层糕)

" Thousand Layer Cake which you can even make at home"

Layer cake is an expensive cake to purchase at bakery, especially at those renowned bakeries such as bengawan solo and etc. One layer cake costs about $18 to $25. Actually the high price of this layer cake, not just for its taste, but also the effort of making such cake. It's time consuming as it's baked layer by layer.

I got the recipe from one magazine, and tried it!

The ingredients I used here are not something hard to obtain, method is simple, too. Just that, more time and attention will be needed to get it done. Perhaps I was lack of patience for first trial, my cake layers were much thicker than it supposed to be (sobbing)!! The layers were uneven, too. :( ~ But, but... the taste is good though (chuckling)!

Give it a try, with more patience and detail into it. You can make it better! Check it out:

Serves 6 - 8
Ingredients
15 medium eggs (8 whole eggs: use both egg yolk and egg white; another 7 eggs: only white will be used)
340gm butter
340gm castor sugar
225gm cake flour, sieved
5 tablespoons of condense milk
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1 baking tray (size 8 x 8 x 2 inches)

Method
1) Mix butter and vanilla essence in a mixing bowl, whisk until light and fluffy.

2) Place egg white and baking power in another mixing bowl, and whisk on maximum speed until the mixture is thicken and firm (till fluffy and adhere onto upturned spoon).

3) Add in sugar, bit by bit, and continue whisking till finish. Add in condense milk. Continue whisking.

4) Add egg yolks, one at a time, whisk well after each addition of yolk till finish.

5) Pour in the egg mixture into the fluffy butter and mix it well using a folding method.

6) Add in sieved flour, and combined well.

7) Line a baking tray with non-grease paper and grease it with butter.

8) Using a large scoop, pour in 2 scoops of the cake mixture and spread it evenly on the baking tray. Bake it in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 5 - 7 minutes.

9) Once the layer turns golden brown, remove it from the oven, using the back of a spoon, gently press to even out the layer.

10) Repeat steps 8 and 9 till cake mixture is completed. Slice into smaller pieces when cool. Serve.

Tips: You may wish to add prune into the layer cake. Use 200 gm prune (each halves it). Place sliced prune in alternate arrangement.
* Increase 2 more minutes baking time for each layer if the surface of layers hasn't turned golden brown.
* Use both the top and bottom heat, but you may place the baking tray at the upper level of the oven to have your cake baked more at the top and not so heated at the bottom.