Fat Tuesday: Summer Vacation

So really, I was planning to travel somewhere amazingly awesome this summer, but then I went to the dentist. Boo. So for now, my tongue will be traveling alone. First stop, Indonesia! This cake is extremely rich, just wait until you see how much butter and how many eggs are in this little thing, but it has a great milky flavor and unique texture. Very different from our regular American cakes but delicious! If you're brave enough to give this recipe a try, I suggest doing it on a colder day and with some company around...it took about 2 hours to complete!

Thousand Layer Cake

Ingredients:

2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp mace

1 tsp cardamom

1 tsp ginger

3 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

12 eggs, large

1-1/4 c. flour

Preheat broiler. Yes, you read that right. This cake is baked in thin layers using the broiler. Spray the bottom and side of a 9-inch round cake pan; line bottom with wax or parchment paper.

Combine spices and set aside.

In separate bowl, combine butter, 1/2 c. sugar, vanilla and salt. Add egg yolks and beat until smooth. Fold flour into batter with a rubber spatula.

In another bowl, beat egg whites with remaining 1/4 c. sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg yolk mixture, being careful not to over-mix.

Divide batter between 2 bowls. Add spices to one bowl and stir well. Now you have a bowl of spiced batter and a bowl of plain batter. Starting with the spiced batter, pour about 1/2 c. into pan, spreading it to form a thin layer (about 1/8"). Put pan under broiler for about 2 min. or until the layer is light brown on top. Remove pan from oven and spread 1/2 c. plain batter onto cooked layer; broil until firm. Repeat layering pattern, alternating between spiced and plain batters, until batters are gone.

Slice into thin layers and enjoy!