In Year 1995, i got to taste a special cake in Medan (Indonesia) that remains deeply etched in my mind; honeycomb cake. It was only much later that i got to know of its actual name, Bika Ambon.
Although it has its origins at Medan (where you can supposedly find an entire street selling bika ambon), you can find them available nowadays in other parts of Indonesia. Its rising popularity means you do get honeycomb cakes that don't make the cut.
In Batam, kueh lapis is THE souvenir to buy but i was drawn to this pop-up store by Khadijah at Mega Mall Batam Centre. With samples for people to try out, i gamely took a piece from the nondescript plastic box and loved what i had! p.s. mom finds it extremely oily though.
Knowing fully well that the cake doesn't taste as good after sleeping in the fridge, i could only get a box, likely about half a kilogram.
A picture of the content for your viewing pleasure; at first glance, i must admit it didn't look as appetizing as its taste. Pockmarked and gelatin-like in texture; you should take a piece of the sample whenever it's available and check out the taste!
Cut up a slice once i reached home; looks like honeycomb doesn't it? I absolutely love the light milky sweetness that's infused with traces of lemongrass, lime, cinnamon and turmeric powder. Pity it's super laborious to make at home but if you are game enough to try, check out the video by ieatishootipost! For me, i am happy to buy.
=====
Location
Ground Floor Atrium (Pop Up Store),
Batam Island, Indonesia
Website
Instagram
Pricing
60,000 Rupiah - A Box
(about 500 grams)
Hi Calvin.I love bika ambon too. You can still eat it after it is in the fridge overnight. You need to cut and put it in toaster. Ard 200degrees for 5 to 7min (play around with timing if it is still hard).it will be soft and bouncy to touch.keep it in the freezer if you wanna keep it for long. Usually i will buy boxes of bika ambon and cut it in four parts,wrap it in aluminium foil and freeze the. Still taste good once its toasted.
ReplyDeletei am so grateful for your comment! Shall buy more the next time i visit Batam / Indonesia as i am so in love with bika ambon! once again, thanks so much!
Delete