Indonesian Cakes & Desserts. William W. Wongso

      4 Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Set aside to cool before cutting into serving pieces.

      Serves 4 Preparation time: 30 mins Cooking time: 50 mins

Rice Pyramids with Palm Sugar Filling

      200 g (1 cup) uncooked glutinous rice, washed and soaked for 3- 4 hours (or overnight)

      100 g (1 cup) freshly grated coconut

      ¼ teaspoon salt

      2-3 banana leaf sheets, softened and cut into 18-20 small squares (12 cm / 5 in across)

      100 g (½ cup) finely chopped palm sugar

      1 Drain the glutinous rice and grind in a blender to the texture of fine breadcrumbs, scraping the sides of the blender with a spoon or spatula to ensure the rice is all ground.

      2 In a mixing bowl, combine the ground rice, grated coconut and salt; the mixture should be crumbly.

      3 Press a banana leaf square in the middle and crease one side to form a wide cone. Fill the tip of the cone with 2 tablespoons of the ground rice mixture, then hollow out the middle. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of the chopped palm sugar into the hollow, then top with another scant 1 teaspoon of the ground rice mixture to cover the sugar. Make sure the palm sugar is completely enclosed (to prevent leakage during steaming).

      4 Fold the base of the triangle over to enclose neatly and arrange the cones on a steamer tray. Steam over medium heat for 25 minutes.

      Makes 18-20 cakes Preparation time: 30 mins + 3 hours soaking Cooking time: 25 mins

      Prepare the ground rice and coconut mixture, the chopped palm sugar, and the leaves.

      Fold a banana leaf square into a wide cone then fill it with some of the rice mixture.

      Make a hollow in the rice mixture then place some palm sugar in it and top with a little

      Fold the edges of the cone over to enclose the filling then arrange on a steamer tray.

Sweet Coconut Pancakes

      150 g (1 cup) flour, sifted

      2 eggs

      500 ml (2 cups) thick coconut milk

      1/2 teaspoon salt

      2 tablespoons oil

      Coconut Filling

      100 g (1/2 cup) palm sugar or dark brown sugar

      60 ml (¼ cup) water

      100 g (1 cup) freshly grated coconut

      ¼ teaspoon salt

      1 pandanus leaf, tied into a knot

      1 Make the Coconut Filling by bringing the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns syrupy Add all the other ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture dries up. Remove from the heat, discard the pandanus leaf and set aside.