Brilio.net - Bika ambon is a traditional cake that has recently gone viral again thanks to a review by a famous food vlogger, Shely Che. In her video, Shely reviews bika ambon made by Ci Mehong, a culinary entrepreneur who is famous for her various food products. Although there was an incident where insects were found in the cake, Shely still acknowledged the deliciousness and distinctive texture of Ci Mehong's bika ambon which is chewy and not oily.
Tricks for making Ci Mehong style bika ambon
photo: TikTok/@shelyche
Ci Mehong herself has been widely known as a culinary content creator on TikTok. The woman who actively promotes her kitchen's cakes has gone viral because she sells food at quite expensive prices.
Inspired by the success of Ci Mehong's bika ambon, here is a complete guide in general to making chewy, perfectly nested, and non-greasy bika ambon at home. Watch until the end to find out Ci Mehong's secret to making bika ambon that is just the right amount of sweet without adding a lot of sugar.
The secret to the perfect nesting texture.
The nesting texture of the bika ambon does not happen by chance. There are several key factors that influence the formation of the nest:
1. Proper fermentation: The dough needs to be fermented for 4-6 hours at room temperature. This process allows the yeast to work optimally and produce air bubbles that will form nests.
2. Baking temperature: Use a hotter top flame than the bottom flame. This forces the air bubbles to move upwards and form the distinctive tunnels of bika ambon.
Tips for getting a chewy texture without being oily.
One of the characteristics of Ci Mehong's bika ambon is its chewy but non-oily texture. To get similar results, you can apply these tips:
1. Choose quality tapioca flour and sift it carefully to avoid lumps.
2. Use coconut milk with medium consistency - not too thick or too thin.
3. Pay attention to the composition of the eggs - use more egg whites than yolks to reduce the fat content.
Ingredients needed.
The main ingredient:
- 250 grams of tapioca flour, sifted
- 50 grams of medium protein wheat flour, sifted
- 6 eggs (separate the whites and yolks)
- 200 grams of granulated sugar
- 400 ml thick coconut milk from 1 coconut
- 1/4 tsp salt
Yeast Solution Ingredients:
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 100 ml warm water (temperature 36-38C)
Spice:
- 3 pandan leaves
- 2 lime leaves, remove the leaf veins
Baking Pan Grease Ingredients:
- Enough margarine for greasing
- Baking paper
Steps for making bika ambon.
Initial Preparation:
1. Prepare the yeast solution: mix instant yeast, granulated sugar, and warm water. Stir well and let stand for 10 minutes until it foams (a sign that the yeast is active).
2. Boil coconut milk with pandan leaves, lime leaves, and salt until boiling. Stir continuously so that the coconut milk does not split. After boiling, cool to room temperature.
3. Prepare a special baking pan for bika ambon, grease it with margarine and line it with baking paper.
Making the Dough:
1. Beat the egg whites until half fluffy, set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes with a mixer on high speed).
3. Add the tapioca flour and wheat flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture gradually while stirring until evenly mixed.
4. Pour in the cold coconut milk little by little while continuing to stir evenly.
5. Add the yeast solution, stir until completely mixed.
6. Finally, add the beaten egg whites gradually, stir with a spatula until evenly mixed (do not overmix).
Fermentation and Roasting:
1. Cover the dough with a clean cloth, ferment for 4 hours at room temperature.
2. After 4 hours, the dough will foam and have a fragrant aroma typical of fermentation.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C. Use a higher top heat than the bottom heat.
4. Pour the mixture into the pan to a height of 3-4 cm.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the surface is brown and when pierced, no dough sticks.
6. Cool the bika ambon at room temperature before removing from the pan.
By following the detailed guide above, you can make bika ambon with a chewy texture and perfectly nested like Ci Mehong's. So, how do you make it just the right amount of sweetness, not too much?
According to Ci Mehong, her bika ambon is not too sweet because she doesn't add much sugar. In her upload on TikTok, she wrote about the use of palm fruit water in making bika ambon. It turns out that this palm fruit water functions to enrich the natural sweetness without the need for additional sugar. In addition, its function is to provide a distinctive aroma that cannot be replaced by other ingredients, help the fermentation process because it contains natural sugar, and produce a more chewy and elastic texture.
Tricks for making Ci Mehong style bika ambon
photo:TikTok/@pikbakinghouse
If you have trouble getting palm fruit water, you can replace it with young coconut water mixed with a little palm sugar. Although it will not produce the same aroma as palm fruit water, at least it can approach the desired characteristics.
Well, how? Interested in making Ci Mehong style bika ambon?