This is my entry for this month's LP theme "Distinctly Pinoy with a TWANG" hosted by ces.
UPDATE: This cake was featured in GMA-7's 100% Pinoy for the segment on Fusion Dessert.
Here's the video for the said segment. Notice that the website being read by ChefKC for the recipe is this very same webpage with the photos down below.
Presenting, the BIBINGKA CAKE with a TWANG!
I had been wanting to try to make bibingka and found several recipes for them. While the most traditional would call for live charcoals above and under the batter, which resulted in toasted surface, I wanted a "tamed" version (for the sake of my intended tasters, my husband and in-laws). I found a recipe which seemed promising, and the original recipe can be found here.
When I first made them, I modified the recipe, wanting more of a Filipino taste to it by using 1 cup coconut cream and 1 cup milk instead of the 2 cups of milk called for in the recipe, then I added small squares of sliced white cheese on top during the last 5 minutes of baking. I offered one to one of my Pinay friends (I poured into three 8-inch round pans), and several slices to my MIL. We all loved this plain (as in no frosting) bibingka, although my MIL was intrigued by the cheese (she could not identify it and had to ask me what it was!). I loved the smooth texture albeit its heaviness, and the longer it sat in the fridge (less than 1 week, that is), the better it tasted!
BUT, I wanted to experiment more, hoping to offer some sort of an Americanized bibingka cake that I could offer to guests during my birthday (I try not to offer experiments on Pinoy dishes/foods during birthday celebs of my kids or hubby, as they usually have preferences that I try to stick to). Since I have observed that, in contrast to my inkling towards sponge cakes, my in-laws and hubby prefer the crumbly cake (which, to me, sort of represent a cake that is at least one day old). So for that, I thought of experimenting with the bibingka recipe using the ordinary rice flour instead of the sweet rice flour (I figured it would result to crumbly texture, because that's what I have observed with siopao , puto, and bibingka if made with rice flour as opposed to the ordinary flour.)
So my final recipe for the batter was as below, which I poured into three 9-inch round pans:
Ingredients: 2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine 6 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup premium coconut cream (Thai) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cup rice flour 2 tablespoons baking powder
Procedure: Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Cream the butter and sugar well (around 5 minutes on medium speed). Slow down the speed and add eggs one at a time.
Meanwhile, mix flour and baking powder. Mix the milk and coconut cream. Add this to the egg-cream mixture, alternating with the dry ingredients a little at a time. Add the vanilla and stir. Pour into two 9-inch round pans. Bake immediately for 35-45 minutes (keep checking!)
Since this is a fusion of Filipino and American cuisine, I did not use banana leaves (I do not have them anyway!) nor charcoal, but used the oven instead.
To make it more Americanized, I prepared JMom's
SEVEN MINUTE FROSTING 1-1/2 Cups sugar 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 egg whites 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Mix sugar, cream of tartar, salt, egg whites, and water in a pot or bowl over simmering water. Beat steadily over low heat with an electric hand mixer until the frosting stands in peaks, about 5-7 minutes, no more. (Overcooking will make your frosting brittle upon cooling). Remove from heat and continue to beat until thick enough to spread. Add the vanilla before spreading.
(I asked my stepd to taste the frosting, and her reaction was, "Hey, I know this! This is Fluff!" It indeed tasted like Fluff, only not sticky, and the sheen was superb! It is less sweet, too.)
As an additional Pinoy touch, I used sweetened macapuno as filling in between the two layers of cake. I actually mixed it with the 7-min frosting, which turned out to be a disastrous mistake as it made the filling runny, so that when I placed the top layer of cake, it squeezed out most of the filling. Next time, I will use just the macapuno as filling, and the frosting will be used exclusively to cover the whole cake.
I used some sprinkles to make it colorful.
Quite reluctantly, I offered it as dessert to hubby, and HE LIKED IT! I asked his opinion on whether it would be enjoyed by the others in his family as well. DEFINITELY! The next day my MIL came to give me brocolli, and I gave her two slices of the cake to bring home and share with FIL. They loved it!
I will definitely serve this on my birthday in December.
I bet this will also be a big welcome as cupcakes for school functions.
sa wakas, nakapasok din ako sa blog mo, manang :) there might be something wrong with your coding, check mo manang, in case you're wondering why your readership is down. Either ang tagal mag-load or it doesn't load at all.
I'm glad the frosting worked well for you; your sD is right, it is called fluff down here too :) another name I found for it is marshmallow fluff. That is truly fusion cooking. Great idea making bibinka into a cake with frosting!
hi ces, thanks a lot! My pinay taste buds would prefer the use of sticky rice, super sarap and smooth talaga even w/o frosting.
hi jmom, first off, salamat sa post mo on coconut cake. I am guessing blogger might have been d problem, coz I had been trying for the past days also to log in but could not. Okay naman ngayon ang commenting. I will try to post again later this week.
Hi, Manang. Thank you for posting this recipe. I have been trying to find a bibingka recipe like this. Everything I have been reading is more like kalamay. My mother and I tried the golden bibingka recipe in Aling Charing's book and that was a failure. I have not tried this, but am very excited to do so. I will post once I have done so.
My personal preference would be the first one I made with sweet sticky rice flour, but that is not like the bibingka I used to enjoy in PI (just to warn you; you might prefer the non-sticky rice flour. My friend Fe brought one whole 8-in round, and her son liked it so well.
Both of your cakes look delicious. I was looking for binbingka recipes to serve at a Filipino dinner party I'm hosting Sunday, and I love your variation, as I'm not sure how my guests would react to traditional bibingka. I can't wait to try this! Also, you posted it on July 18--my birthday! What a fun coincidence.
I made the Americanized version for my Filipino Food party on Sunday night, and everyone loved them and wanted to take the leftovers home! It was a hit, and I'm planning to make some to bring to my mom when I visit my parents in California for Thanksgiving. Thanks again for sharing the recipe!
i tried ur Bibingka recipe...but after 45 minutes, my bibingka was not like the one that i used to buy in the philippines and it didnt look like your bibingka that is being shown in ur website...
though the top of the cake was already brown when i took them out of the oven, it was moist and it looked like it was under-baked...it was almost like gelatenous or parang maja blanca or something..please help!!!
i tried ur Bibingka recipe...but after 45 minutes, my bibingka was not like the one that i used to buy in the philippines and it didnt look like your bibingka that is being shown in ur website...
though the top of the cake was already brown when i took them out of the oven, it was moist and it looked like it was under-baked...it was almost like gelatenous or parang maja blanca or something..please help!!!
I am not sure what went wrong...probably your oven heat is lower than mine??? Maybe you could have tried baking it longer???
I have made this at least 3 times and it always turned out the same. Julie (another poster/blogger above) also made them (you can check out her blog for bibingka that points to my recipe here). I guess you have to do a trial and error with your oven's cooking temp and time.
Hi Manang I tried the bibingka recipe wow thats great hay nku wla na akong masabi sa mga recipies mo its GREAT. I always buy bibingka in a box coz I dont know how to do it, But this time I made it. Since wla akong makitang coconut cream I made it myself. I cooked the coconut milk and put white sugar no measurement till its really sticky. I still have left over so i can used it again make bibingka or something else. I didnt put icing just the coconut thing kc masyado na sweet with icing. But anyways thanks alot for ur recipies made my day Im not bored na wala kc akong magawa aside from taking care of my baby. Salamat ulit
Hi Kate G, Glad you liked them. I always make these, either the pure sticky rice flour or the regular rice flour without the frosting. I make small loaf sizes. My kids and I love them. Sarap merienda.
Name: Manang Kusinera Home: Maine, United States About Me: Filipina wife to an American. This foodblog is a chronicle of my adaptations in the kitchen to reach a compromise between my adventurous taste buds and my fussy-eater husband's. It also serves as a teaching tool to fellow Fil-Am newbie wives and hopefully will serve as reference that my children (and their would-be spouses) can always look back to in the future.
Some posts include the recipes. For those older posts without the recipes, CLICK ON THE TITLE to get to the recipe page, then hit the back button to get back here. You may also want to go to the April archives to see the complete list of recipes and posts.
DISCLAIMER: MK is not a culinary expert nor a nutritionist. naghanap lang ako ng magagawa para wag mabuwang...
definitely a big welcome! great great recipe!truly indigenous! wish i could have a bite! thanks for the entry manang! bravo!!!