The pinnacle of traditional cake-making, the perfect kueh lapis boasts at least 20 layers, with some even comprising up to 50 layers. With each impossibly even veneer of sponge measuring just mere millimetres, the geometric confection is truly an edible feat of engineering.
Each bite offers pure bliss. Crammed within the dense yet moreish treat are copious amounts of butter and eggs, alongside the baker’s own blend of spices, bound together by flour, heat and patience. First, the richness of the butter-eggs base comes through, followed by the uplifting scent of spices and other aromatics. A perfectly made kueh lapis should be moist, sweet, complex and luxurious all at once, yet never overwhelmingly “heavy” or oily.
The kueh lapis has roots in Europe and Asia
Just like its multi-layered appearance, the kueh lapis embraces many origin stories. While it’s widely sold and savoured in Singapore, it’s recognised as being an import from Indonesia, where it’s known as kue lapis legit, which means sweet layer cake.
You may have also heard Indonesian friends refer to it as spekkoek, which literally translates to bacon cake in Dutch, to describe the alternating strips of meat and fat on a strip of the cured pork belly. However, while this other name might be used interchangeably with kue lapis legit, the classic spekkoek refers to a two-batter layer cake with visibly thicker layers — but of course, made with no less effort.
This Dutch influence hails from Indonesia’s colonial era, which is said to have begun in 1596 when the first ships landed on West Java.
There are also tales that another predecessor of the kueh lapis is Germany’s iconic spit-roasted layer cake, the baumkuchen. Just like the Asian version, perfecting this similarly spiced sweet requires the precise skill of a master craftsman. However, baumkuchen is drier than its cousins, kue lapis legit and spekkoek.
Classic or contemporary?
Today, we see all variations of the kueh lapis: Eye-catching rainbow versions racking up likes on social media, a roll cake rendition made by a university lecturer’s Medan-based mum, matched with durian puree to celebrate the King of Fruits, gluten-free, keto-friendly, wrapped in mooncake snowskin, slathered with speculoos, baked with tea instead of spices, and studded with prunes or fresh fruit.
Look up recipes online, and you’ll find endless variations that call for the addition of condensed milk to the batter, a different mix of spices, rum or some other heady alcohol, vanilla, the brushing of butter onto each baked layer, and so on.
At The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, the OG classic trumps all the new-fangled adaptations. (The Fullerton Hotel has even been immortalised in a giant kueh lapis sculpture!) Its kueh lapis has been a mainstay for almost two decades, and uses a traditional handed-down family recipe that is now under the hotel’s custodianship. The only tweaks, notes Fullerton’s Executive Pastry Chef Siddharth Prabhu, are slight changes to the ingredients to incorporate the best quality ingredients available in the market.
He adds: “We have a dedicated team of bakers who are specially trained to preserve the traditional techniques and authenticity of this time-honoured legacy.”
Aside from carefully curated premium ingredients (down to the specific size of the eggs, which are at peak freshness), The Fullerton’s precious kueh lapis recipe demands a secret blend of archipelago spices, including cinnamon.
Specialised tools are also key to The Fullerton’s stellar kueh lapis cakes. Its team imported a salamander grill from Japan and customised a Lapis baking pan according to its specifications, which ensure perfectly-even baking and colour, according to Prabhu. To achieve each layer’s even thickness, the team also uses a traditional Lapis press (typically a stainless steel plate with a handle).
A blend of science, art and patience
“In addition to the usual ingredient preparations and pre-blending of the spice mix, the baking process has three distinctive steps that require special attention, precision and effort,” says Prabhu. “These include whipping the butter and flouring the flour and spices, whipping the egg whites to form a meringue, and layer-by-layer baking over a duration of four hours to achieve up to 50 distinct layers per cake.”
Every single kueh lapis sold at the hotel is indeed a masterpiece, as each follows the traditional effort-intensive baking method by hand, he adds.
Guests can savour a complimentary slice of The Fullerton Hotel Singapore’s kueh lapis alongside each a la carte order of coffee or tea, and take home a whole cake at $69 in Classic, Prune or Fruit.
The kueh lapis is truly a work of art – try it and you’ll quickly see why.
How To Pair Kueh Lapis with Tea and Coffee
The best brews to serve, according to The Fullerton Hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef Siddharth Prabhu.
Tea
English Breakfast Blend
A traditional blend of black teas originating from Assam, Ceylon and Kenya, English Breakfast Tea enhances the warm notes of the archipelago spices in kueh lapis with its rich, aromatic and malty flavour, while lifting the buttery mouthfeel of the cake.
Chai Tea
Typically comprising a mix of spices like cinnamon and cardamom blended with black tea, the heady notes of chai tea bring out the complexity of the spices in kueh lapis for a delightfully intense and immersive tasting experience. We recommend adding a splash of milk and honey to the tea for a more rounded finish.
Coffee
Local Coffee, or ‘Kopi’
Kueh Lapis pairs well with our ubiquitous local ‘kopi’, which is brewed with high-caffeine robusta beans. The beans are roasted in a wok with sugar and butter or lard, which caramelises the beans and lends a distinctive aroma. Its dark, bitter intensity and slightly acidic finish balances the sweet richness of kueh lapis, giving a well-rounded and truly local tasting experience.
Fullerton Blend Coffee
A specially customised blend of robusta and arabica beans, this signature blend delivers the best of both worlds with the smoother and sweeter notes of arabica beans, tinged with the familiar flavour of local kopi. (This lovely blend is intended to be enjoyed with The Fullerton’s kueh lapis; to share this heritage experience with guests, The Fullerton serves each a la carte order of coffee with a complimentary slice of kueh lapis.)
The Fullerton Hotel’s Afternoon Tea with Marina Bay View package (from $278) includes six-hour access to a newly renovated room with Marina Bay views, a complimentary bottle of house wine, a three-tier afternoon tea set for two persons served in the room and an hour’s access to the infinity pool.
Click here to explore more delectable afternoon tea experiences at The Fullerton Hotel.