During the holiday season, you'll surely see the food and treats you look forward to. Familiar tastes and smells spark so much joy at family gatherings. One tradition you may be excited about is Bibingka, the Philippine treat wrapped thoughtfully in banana leaves.
Bibingka is a cake typically made with rice flour, sugar and chicken eggs, with an addition of salted duck eggs and the local soft cheese made with milk. The cake is commonly topped with freshly grated coconut and is baked in a clay oven over a wood fire.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1-1/4 cups coconut milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tsps. baking powder
- melted margarine, almost at room temperature (as long as it doesn’t solidify)
- grated cheese
Directions
- Beat the eggs well until light and creamy.
- Dissolve the sugar in 1/2 of the coconut milk.
- Mix and sift dry ingredients and add by spoonfuls to sugar and coconut milk mixture.
- Add the rest of the coconut milk alternately with the dry ingredients, starting with the dry ingredients, and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat well. Add the well-beaten eggs and melted margarine.
- Line four small round pans with banana leaves. Pour mixture into pans, spreading it thin and evenly.
- Bake in a pre-heated hot oven (375 F). When cooked, brush the top with butter and sprinkle with grated cheese and sugar. Serve with grated coconut.
