Sapin-Sapin (Multi-colored Sweet Rice Cake) Recipe

Mix together the sweet and regular rice flours, sugar and coconut milk, strain until flour is dissolved.

Divide the mix into 4, about 1 1/4 cup each bowl.

Using yellow food color, put about 8-10 drops on one of the bowls, and mix in 1/4 tsp anise seed. Set aside.

Put about 8-10 drops red food color in one of the bowls, then add 1/4 tsp. anise seed. Set aside.

Measure 1/4 cup powdered Ube and dissolve in one of the bowls, and add 4-5 drops purple food color. Set aside.

Add the coconut cream to the last bowl to make it pearly white.

Set the steamer, then prepare 2 pieces 6-inch aluminum foils by brushing the bottom and sides with oil.

Starting with purple, pour half of the mix on each of the foils, steam for 7-8 minutes or until set.

Then pour yellow, and cook for 7-8 minutes, same with the red and lastly the white.

Separately on a shallow pan, toast the shredded coconut until golden brown, then cool down a bit and grind coarsely.

To assemble, invert the cooked sapin-sapin cake on a serving plate, divide in 8 and top with coconut bits on center of each slice. Serve extra toasted coconut on the side.

Cooking Tips:

Omit the anise seed if you prefer, just add a teaspoon of vanilla instead.

The anise seed is added only to the yellow and red because the purple is already flavored and the white has to remain immaculately white.

No purple food color, mix blue and red until you get your desired shade.

Just like in kalamay, try using kitchen shears to cut the Sapin-sapin, it’s so much easier than using a knife.

Try to make a cover for the foil so the moisture from the steamer lid doesn’t go into the cake. You could cut a round cardboard (slightly bigger than the foil) and cover with aluminum foil.

Be extra careful when taking the lid out to check for doneness as steam coming out of the foil is just as dangerous as frying in hot oil.