Kek Lapis Sarawak - The World's Most Complicated Dessert

Kek Lapis Sarawak is a traditional Malaysian cake, famous for both its intricate look and the process it takes to make.

Inspired by the pastries enjoyed by Dutch colonists, Kek Lapis Sarawak was born in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, around the 1970s.

It is essentially a more elaborate version of Kek Lapis Betawi, elevated to an art form by the Sarawaks.

The outer layers of the cake are beige or brown to help hide the complex cake inside. When you cut the cake, you will see the inside of the cake has colors and geometric shapes that require both logical thinking and a rich imagination to create.

Kek Lapis Sarawak Cake.

Making a Kek Lapis Sarawak can take anywhere from four to eight hours, depending on both the complexity of the design and the skill of the baker.

The arduous process begins with baking layers of fluffy cakes in a deep pan. Layers of gouache are gradually added which each take about 10 minutes. But baking the colorful soft cake is only half the difficulty.

Complexity, the secret to a complete Kek Lapis Sarawak cake is assembling the cake blocks according to the pattern thanks to the binder of jam or condensed milk.

Seasoned Kek Lapis Sarawak makers recently told Atlas Obscura that making this Malaysian delicacy can be extremely difficult for the uninitiated, as just one mistake can ruin the perfect design, leaving you with nothing left to display after hours of hard work in the kitchen.

Making a Kek Lapis Sarawak can take between four and eight hours

'For me, it was easy but certainly for a beginner, it is difficult for them to pick up quickly because it is really difficult to understand,' said Sarawakian Jennifer Chen, who has been Kek Lapis Sarawak since the 1980s. speak.

Even Chen, with all his experience, has to draw on paper when planning his cake designs, and even so, designs can still go awry. Fortunately, she has the skill and experience to remake things in a new pattern.

'You need to think about this model,' added another Kek Lapis Sarawak master.

Let's say you want to do Kek Lapis Sarawak. You need to know how to put Cadbury chocolate in the middle so that the cake does not break. It is very complicated. Once made a mistake can make it not perfect.

Kek Lapis Sarawak is considered one of the most difficult cakes to make.

Because of its complexity, everything has to be made by hand, Kek Lapis Sarawak is considered one of the most difficult cakes to make, making it a challenge even for seasoned bakers.

This is also a relatively expensive dessert in Malaysia, costing upwards of RM250 ($60) a cake.