Kue Lapis — layered Indonesian steamed rice-flour cake
Kue lapis is a striking layered Indonesian dessert — nine or more thin, brightly-coloured strata of steamed rice-flour batter that are peeled apart one layer at a time. The texture is bouncy and faintly chewy, somewhere between mochi and a firm jelly. Pink and green alternating layers are the classic festival look.
i. Origin & history
Kue lapis belongs to the larger family of Southeast Asian layered steamed cakes, with cousins in Malaysia, Singapore and the Peranakan kitchen. The unrelated spekkoek (or kue lapis legit) is a Dutch-influenced baked layer cake with very different texture and ingredients — confusingly, both share the "lapis" name.
ii. Ingredients
Makes 16 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust
- 200 g rice flour
- 100 g tapioca starch
- 250 g sugar
- 600 ml thick coconut milk
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 pandan leaves, knotted
- 1 tsp red food colour
- 1 tsp green food colour or pandan paste
iii. Method
- Simmer 200 ml of the coconut milk with the pandan leaves and salt for 5 minutes; cool. Combine remaining coconut milk with sugar; stir to dissolve.
- Whisk both flours into the cooled pandan coconut milk, then strain into the sweetened coconut milk. The batter should be smooth, thin, and pourable.
- Divide into two bowls. Tint one pink, one green.
- Lightly oil a 20 cm square steamer tin. Steam empty for 5 minutes to heat. Pour in a thin ladle (about 5 mm) of pink batter; steam 5 minutes until set. Pour over a layer of green; steam 5 minutes. Continue alternating until you have at least 8 layers.
- Steam the finished cake an extra 10 minutes. Cool completely (4 hours minimum, ideally overnight) before turning out and cutting into diamonds. Peel layers apart to eat — that is half the pleasure.
iv. Tips & common mistakes
- Thin layers only. 5 mm per layer is the right thickness; thicker layers don't peel cleanly.
- Wait between layers. Each must set fully before the next is poured.
- Cool fully before cutting. A warm kue lapis collapses under the knife.
v. Variations
Pelangi (rainbow) kue lapis uses every colour. Kue lapis legit is the Dutch-influenced baked layered cake with butter, eggs and spice — different dessert, same name. Modern versions add coconut milk colour, cocoa, or pandan-only.
vi. Common questions
What is kue lapis?
Kue Lapis is layered indonesian steamed rice-flour cake, from indonesian & malaysian cuisine. The texture is bouncy and faintly chewy, somewhere between mochi and a firm jelly
Where is kue lapis from?
Kue Lapis is from the indonesian & malaysian dessert tradition; the recipe and history are detailed above.
How long does kue lapis keep?
See the storage note in the Quick facts panel: 3 days at room temperature.