Malaysian Caramel Honeycomb Cake
Malaysian Honeycomb Cake is a chewy beehive-like texture cake with caramel taste. The crust is a little bit crunchy on the outside and the texture inside is very chewy and bouncy.

Malaysian Caramel Honeycomb Cake is a chewy cake, a little bit crispy on the outer skin with honeycomb texture inside. It tastes of caramel and toffee.
Another cake that is almost similar to this cake is Banh bo nuong, a Vietnamese honeycomb cake with pandan flavor. Its recipe is almost the same as Malaysian honeycomb cake. The difference is in some of the ingredients. But they both have the honeycomb texture.
I have been trying to make this Malaysian Caramel Honeycomb Cake, but to tell you the truth, I felt a little bit reluctant because of the amount of sugar in the recipe. It was a lot for a bundt cake.
But I love the texture. Once I tried the cake in my friend’s house, the tapioca flour made the cake so chewy and the caramel taste is wonderful, even though for me it was too sweet.
I tried making the recipe many times by reducing the amount of sugar in it. I finally made one that is not too sweet but the sugar is just enough to make the caramel.
How to Serve Malaysian Honeycomb Cake
I think this chewy cake is best served with Oolong Milk Tea or Rose Milk Tea or even Lemongrass Pandan Drink! A simple cup of black coffee is also very nice.
It’s like a treat in the afternoon!
You can serve it hot, warm or cold. All is just fine.
Ingredients to Note

SUGAR – You can use regular white sugar or palm sugar if you want. Palm sugar has a very fragrant flavor but regular white sugar has this toffee and caramel taste.
The trick is not to let the sugar burn too much, it can make the cake a bit bitter if the sugar is burnt. So you have to wait on the sugar. Do not leave it. It takes only about 5-8 minutes to let it caramelize.
HOT WATER – The water has to be hot. Pouring in the hot water requires a little bit technique. You can’t pour the water all at once. Pour it in at least 3 parts. The caramel and water will splash. Be careful!
Let the water and caramel dissolve and turn off the stove. Let it cool down.
CONDENSED MILK – The recipe states 120 ml condensed milk. You can use all white condensed milk. I use half milk and half chocolate. I want the cake to have a little bit of chocolate-y flavor.
If you can’t find chocolate condensed milk, you can just use whole white condensed milk.
ALL PURPOSE FLOUR OR CAKE FLOUR – All-purpose flour or cake flour is used to make the cake sturdy enough and to add density.
TAPIOCA FLOUR – This is the most important ingredient of all. You cannot substitute this with other flour. This is why the cake is chewy.
BAKING SODA AND BAKING POWDER – Baking soda and baking powder combined will make the cake porous like honeycomb texture.
BUTTER – Butter is needed to add moisture to the cake.
IMPORTANT NOTE – The batter of this cake is different from other cakes. It is more liquid-y, it is not thick like usual sponge cake batter.
You need to strain it to have a smoother texture in the cake.
Malaysian Honeycomb Cake Recipe
- 250 gr sugar
- 400 ml hot water
- 4 eggs
- 60 ml condensed milk
- 60 ml condensed milk (chocolate)
- 120 gr cake flour
- 120 gr tapioca flour
- 120 gr melted butter
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
Instructions
- First, let’s make the caramel.
- Put the sugar in a pan. Turn on the stove, medium heat. When the sugar starts to melt, turn it to low heat. You have to wait on the pan. Stir with your spatula once in a while. Wait patiently for the sugar to turn golden brown and all the granules dissolve in the caramel.
- Pour the hot water in at least 3 parts slowly. Do not pour all at once. It will splash all over the pan and you might get splashed. It is super hot.
- Let the caramel and water dissolve. Turn off the stove and let it cool down.
- Grease the bundt pan.
- Whisk the eggs until foamy.
- Pour in the condensed milk. Whisk well.
- Sieve in the all-purpose flour and then tapioca flour. Whisk until blended.
- Pour in melted butter. Whisk.
- Put in baking soda and baking powder.
- Pour in the caramel water in parts. Whisk well. Let the batter rest for a while, at least 10 minutes, while you pre-heat the oven.
- Strain the batter into the pan.
- Bake in the oven 200°C low heat for 45 minutes. And then 180°C low and upper heat for 15 minutes.
- Test with a bamboo stick. If nothing sticks, then the cake is done.
- Take out the cake from the pan. Leave it on the cooling rack.
- Cut the cake when it is no longer hot. You can cut the bottom part to see the honeycomb texture inside.
- Enjoy your honeycomb cake!













Tips and Trick
- If you can’t find chocolate condensed milk, just replace it with regular condensed milk, so it becomes 120 gr condensed milk.
- You may use palm sugar instead of regular white sugar to make the caramel.
- The batter is liquid-y, so don’t worry. It is not like thick batter you find in sponge cake.
Storage
Keep the cake in a closed container in the chiller. If you like to eat it warm, reheat in the oven for 10 minutes.
FAQs
Q: Why is the batter runny unlike other normal cake batter?
A: Malaysian honeycomb cake’s batter has a lot of liquid content and it is runny. It is unlike sponge cake batter or butter cake batter that are usually thick.
Q: Can I use other types of sugar?
A: Yes, you can use other types of sugar such as coconut sugar or palm sugar.
Q: Why does my cake taste bitter?
A: The caramelization process is crucial. If the sugar is not caramelized properly, it can either lead to a burnt taste or fail to provide the necessary rich flavor and color.
Q: Why doesn’t my cake have the honeycomb texture?
A: Honeycomb texture comes from the baking soda. Make sure that the baking soda is still good and fresh.
If you like this recipe, you can also check my other Asian cake recipes like Ang Ku Kueh With Purple Yam.

Malaysian Honeycomb Cake
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 sauce pan
- 1 strainer
Ingredients
- 250 gr sugar
- 400 ml hot water
- 4 eggs
- 60 ml condensed milk
- 60 ml condensed milk chocolate
- 120 gr cake flour
- 120 gr tapioca flour
- 120 gr melted butter
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Put the sugar in a pan. Turn on the stove, medium heat. When the sugar starts to melt, turn it to low heat. You have to wait on the pan. Stir with your spatula once in a while. Wait patiently for the sugar to turn golden brown and all the granules dissolve in the caramel.
- Pour the hot water in at least 3 parts slowly. Do not pour all at once. It will splash all over the pan and you might get splashed. It is super hot.
- Let the caramel and water dissolve. Turn off the stove and let it cool down.
- Grease the bundt pan.
- Whisk the eggs until foamy. Pour in the condensed milk. Whisk well.
- Sieve in the all-purpose flour and then tapioca flour. Whisk until blended.
- Pour in melted butter. Whisk.
- Put in baking soda and baking powder.
- Pour in the caramel water. Whisk well. Let the batter rest for a while, at least 10 minutes, while you pre-heat the oven.
- Strain the batter into the pan.
- Bake in the oven 200°C low heat for 45 minutes. And then 180°C low and upper heat for 15 minutes.
- Test with a bamboo stick. If nothing sticks, then the cake is done.
- Take out the cake from the pan. Leave it on the cooling rack.
- Cut the cake when it is no longer hot. You can cut the bottom part to see the honeycomb texture inside.
- Enjoy with your favorite tea!