Around the world in 80 (cough, nearly) bakes - week 1

Malaysia!
Never been, no idea about baking in Malaysia at all!

So, a google gave me this idea. It's called Kuih Sarang Semut, or 'honeycomb cake' or 'anthill cake' due to the interesting honeycomb structure which forms as it bakes.

And the results... Delicious! Think this might become a favourite - a little faffier than the usual but the results are spongy, kind of chewy and a bit crumpets, with a delicious caramel flavour. Worth a go (and you sound well fancy saying what you've baked :)

Here's the recipe I used...

Ingredients (I used a 2lb loaf tin)

• 250g sugar
• 250ml water (weigh it if you want it accurate!)
• 100g stork / marg / butter
• 250g plain flour
• 6 eggs
• 180g condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

Method:

1.  Put the sugar in a pan over a medium heat until all melting into caramel, then turn the heat to low until it goes the colour of golden tea like this:

Don't stir it and don't use a non stick pan - the sugar might crystallise and turn into a grainy solid burny lump. Unfortunate. If this happens, make a sad face and start again.

2.  Now, this is the bit that comes with a health warning - be CAREFUL!!! The caramel is heinously hot and you're about to make it boil and splutter. All in the name of cake. Why not?! So, standing well back, add a tablespoon of water at a time while the pan is off the heat and stir it in. It'll all go crazy and a bit set and boil - that's OK:

Add the water bit by bit - it'll take a good few minutes to add all the water in. Keep stirring to melt any set sugar - you may need to warm it up a bit again. (NB - washing up the pan can be fun - hot water will melt the sugar off nicely, don't panic!

3.  Add the butter or marg into the caramel off the heat and stir until melted, and set aside. Tricky part done :)

4. Now the more conventional cakey part - in a mixer, place the flour and add about half of the caramel butter mixture (lukewarm, not hot). Beat it for a couple of minutes until smooth and not lumpy. Don't worry about overworking the flour and getting glutenous, it's meant to be kind of a tad rubbery (in a nice way!). Once all the lumps have gone, gently drizzle in the rest of the liquid until it's all mixed. It'll be tres sloppy. Fear not.

5.  Now, add the eggs one by one to add to the slop along with the condensed milk and vanilla paste.

 Left is initially, right is after all the slop is added together.

6. Now SIFT (I know, I hate sifting, but here I imagine you'd get lumps to end all lumps if you didn't) the baking powder and bicarb in and mix mix mix for a minute or so until it looks bubbly.

7.  Pour into the tin... I know, it looks terrible and crappy and sloppy and fizzy. I was more concerned than I like to admit. 

8. Now, the eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed I didn't say to preheat an oven at any point... you put this in a COLD oven. Witchcraft. So, plonk it into your oven, shut the door, put the temp to 150 degrees C and bake for an hour or so, until a knife / skewer / cocktail stick / pokey thing comes out clean. You will have something like this...

Yay! Look at all those lovely little tunnels and holes for the ants to run through! More to the point, it's deee-lish. And lasts really well wrapped up in a bit of cling film. Go Malasia!!!

Next week... Iran. Iran?!....

JB x