The Philippines is known for having the longest Christmas season in the world. The four months that end with the syllable –ber are considered Christmas months. Stores, malls, houses are starting to look like Christmas as early as September and the holiday season extends until Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings which falls around January 6. My Dutch family find it weird, but hey its a Filipino tradition and indeed nothing beats "Paskong Pinoy" (Filipino Christmas).
Speaking of "Paskong Pinoy" bibingka is one of Philippines delicacy and is popular during Christmas season. It is made with rice flour, coconut milk, eggs and butter, for the topping grated coconut, cheese and salted eggs. Baked over hot coals (top and bottom) in a clay pot lined with banana leaf.
I missed those Filipino delicacy like puto bumbong and bibingka that is commonly sold along the streets or outside the church during "simbang gabi". So to feel the Paskong Pinoy spirit here in Holland I decided to make this bibingka. I made it with cake flour though, I have rice flour but the glutinous ones and I dont want the cake to have rubbery and chewy texture so I experimented with cake flour. If you have rice flour go ahead and use it. The taste was really delicious! The scent of burnt banana leaf brings back a lot of childhood memories. Puto bumbong will be next this week.
Bibingka is best serve warm.
bibingka - makes 1 (8 inch)
1 cup rice flour (I used cake flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar, more for the top of the cake
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp melted butter, more for the top of the cake
1 salted egg, sliced thinly
grated cheese
banana leaf
grated coconut
1 cup rice flour (I used cake flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar, more for the top of the cake
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp melted butter, more for the top of the cake
1 salted egg, sliced thinly
grated cheese
banana leaf
grated coconut
- Preheat oven to 180 C. Line 8 inch baking tin with banana leaf and brush it with butter.
- In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the sugar.
- In a seperate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then beat in the coconut milk and melted butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten liquid ingredients. Stir gently until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour the mixture onto prepared baking tin.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes take the cake out of the oven, arrange slices of salted eggs and sprinkle with grated cheese on top. Continue baking for about 10 minutes. You can check the doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the cake and if the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Then I move the oven rack to the highest position in the oven and turned my oven setting into this symbol " \/\/\/\/ " and let the top of the cake brown a little. Laugh all you want but I don't know the broiling setting of my oven, I even doubt if it has one so I used the grilling setting. Once done take the bibingka out of the oven.
- Brush the cake with butter and sprinkle with sugar and grated coconut. Serve warm.
