Lapis Surabaya – Layer Cake
Lapis Surabaya is a traditional butter cake dating back to the Dutch colonial era. It features three moist, fluffy layers, held together with strawberry jam. The layers are baked separately and assembled with jam or buttercream. Its rich texture and unique flavor make it a favorite for special occasions like Idul Fitri, Chinese New Year, and Christmas.

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Lapis Surabaya
Lapis Surabaya is a rich, buttery Indonesian cake with three layers—two yellow and one chocolate. Originating from the Dutch colonial era, it’s also known as ‘spiku,’ derived from the Dutch word ‘spekoek,’ meaning layer cake. Despite the name, it contains no pork fat; the term refers to its layered appearance.
Popular in Surabaya, ‘Spiku’ is considered a symbol of good luck, especially during Chinese New Year, similar to Lapis Legit, which also represents luck with its multiple thin layers.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients

Ingredient Notes
Eggs – Use organic, omega or range chicken eggs. You will be using the egg yolks mostly. Do not discard the egg whites. Keep it in a closed container in the fridge. You can use it to make other good bakery products, like Cat Tongue Cookies (Lidah Kucing).
Butter – The more premium the butter, the better the outcome. If you have been baking for some time, you must know which brand is the best in your area.
Indonesians are really excited about Wijsman butter, and it’s the top choice for making Lapis Surabaya cake. For the best results, mix it with another brand of unsalted butter in a 6:4 ratio, with Wijsman being the majority. Most premium baking recipes use this brand, and it never disappoints.
Confectionery sugar – Confectionery sugar is powdered sugar. Using this sugar will make the cake very smooth and soft. Grind regular white sugar if you don’t have confectionery sugar.
Cornstarch – Cornstarch will make the cake more bouncy and fluffy.
How to Make
- In a mixing bowl, mix the egg yolk, whole eggs, and powdered sugar with low speed, gradually to high speed for 10-15 minutes. (image 1, 2)
- The batter should be pale and thick (image 3). Pour in the dry ingredients: corn starch, milk powder, cake flour. Sieve the dry ingredients first.
- Prepare the butter in room temperature. When it softens, mix it with low speed for a while, gradually turn it up to high speed until pale and light. (image 4, 5)

- Mix the butter into the egg mixture with a spatula. Fold the batter and make sure you see the pale butter blend well with the egg batter. (image 7, 8)
- Once you are done mixing and folding, divide the whole batter into 3 parts. (image 9)
- Keep 2 parts as they are (yellow), put in cocoa powder and 1 tsp of chocolate paste in the other one (image 10, 11, 12). Mix well.
- Pour the batter in the greased 24×24 cm pan, already lined with baking paper.
- Bake in the preheated oven 180°C for 20 minutes.

- Take out the pan from the oven, and take out the cake from the pan. Let it cool on the cooling rack. (image 13)
- Spread some jam on one side of the yellow cake and 2 sides on the chocolate cake. Assemble the cake together, yellow, chocolate, yellow accordingly. (image 14, 15, 16, 17)
- Let the cake set for an hour at least (image 18). You can slice the cake and wrap each slices with a nice packaging. Enjoy!

Expert Tips
- Let the cake settle, the next day the cake gets moister and it will be more delicious.
- When mixing the butter mixture and the egg mixture, you need to fold very swiftly. Not too fast and not too slow, either. You can use spatula or a whisk.
- Remember to beat the egg mixture until pale and light. Check if it leaves trail. It will be around 10-15 minutes, to be safe.

FAQs
Storage
Keep the cakes wrapped with cling wrap or in a closed container for up to two weeks in a chiller. If you keep it in the freezer, it can stay for up to one month.
Our Favorite
Indonesian Cakes

Lapis Surabaya
Equipment
- 3 baking pan 24x24x4 cm
- 1 standing kitchen mixer
- 1 hand mixer
Ingredients
- 800 gr egg yolk around 53-55 eggs
- 200 gr whole egg 4 eggs
- 380 gr confectionery sugar
- 40 gr cornstarch
- 40 gr milk powder
- 100 gr flour
- 600 gr butter
- Strawberry jam or Chocolate jam
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix the egg yolk, whole eggs, and powdered sugar with low speed, gradually to high speed for 10-15 minutes.
- The batter should be pale and thick. Pour in the dry ingredients: corn starch, milk powder, cake flour. Sieve the dry ingredients first.
- Prepare the butter in room temperature. When it softens, mix it with low speed for a while, gradually turn it up to high speed until pale and light.
- Mix the butter into the egg mixture with a spatula. Fold the batter and make sure you see the pale butter blend well with the egg batter.
- Once you are done mixing and folding, divide the whole batter into 3 parts.
- Keep 2 parts as they are (yellow), put in cocoa powder and 1 tsp of chocolate paste in the other one. Mix well.
- Pour the batter in the greased 24×24 cm pan, already lined with
baking paper. - Bake in the preheated oven 180°C for 20 minutes.
- Take out the pan from the oven, and take out the cake from the
pan. Let it cool on the cooling rack. - Spread some jam on one side of the yellow cake and 2 sides on the chocolate cake. Assemble the cake together, yellow, chocolate, yellow accordingly.
- Let the cake set for an hour at least. You can slice the cake and wrap each slices with a nice packaging. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Let the cake settle, the next day the cake gets moister and it will be more delicious.
- When mixing the butter mixture and the egg mixture, you need to fold very swiftly. Not too fast and not too slow, either. You can use spatula or a whisk.
- Remember to beat the egg mixture until pale and light. Check if it leaves trail. It will be around 10-15 minutes, to be safe.
I love this lapis surabaya recipe so much, and so do my customers. Every festivals, orders for this cake will be coming in and I have to limit them. Try it, you will not regret it! 🙂