Bika ambon

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Heat 400 g coconut milk with 15 g knotted pandan leaves over low heat, stirring, until it starts to steam, then turn off the heat and let it cool to about 40°C. The pandan perfumes the coconut milk, and letting it cool keeps it from killing the yeast. The coconut milk is ready when it feels warm to the touch, has turned a pale greenish ivory and smells of pandan.

   Low heat.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Stir 7 g instant yeast, 10 g granulated sugar and 20 g all-purpose flour into 60 g warm water, cover and leave for about fifteen minutes. This step tells you the yeast is alive before it goes into the whole batch. The starter is good when it's thick with bubbles, has doubled in size and smells pleasantly sour.

   Suggested time: about 15 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Whisk 160 g egg yolks, 100 g eggs, 220 g granulated sugar and a pinch salt together until the sugar has nearly dissolved. You only need to blend them, not whip them, because the yeast will provide the air in the cake. The mixture is ready when it turns pale yellow and no longer feels gritty under the whisk.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Add 200 g tapioca starch to the egg mixture and stir until dissolved, pour in the starter, then gradually add the coconut milk, strained of its leaves, stirring steadily. Adding the liquid slowly keeps the tapioca starch from forming stubborn lumps. The batter is ready when it's thin and smooth, with no white streaks of starch at the bottom of the bowl.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave it somewhere warm for about two and a half hours. A long rise lets the yeast produce plenty of gas, and those very bubbles become the honeycomb strands as the cake bakes. The batter is ready when the surface is covered in a thick layer of foam and smells lightly of rice wine.

   Suggested time: about 150 minutes.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Brush to taste vegetable oil over a 22 cm square pan, put the pan in the oven and preheat both to 170°C, using only the bottom element if your oven allows. A hot pan sets the base of the cake right away, and the heat pushes the bubbles straight up to form the vertical strands. The pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles gently on it.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Stir the batter gently to pop the largest bubbles, pour it into the hot pan and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes, switching on the top element for the last ten minutes if you want a golden top. Long heat from below helps the hollow channels form evenly from the base to the top. The cake is done when the top is mottled golden brown, a toothpick comes out free of batter and the edges pull slightly away from the pan.

   Bake at 170°C for about 45 to 55 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Let the cake cool in the pan for about an hour, then turn it out and slice it lengthwise into rectangles with a sharp knife. The cake only firms up once it's completely cool, and cutting it hot will crush the honeycomb strands. It's just right when the cut face shows clear hollow strands running from bottom to top.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done