Special Sapin Sapin with Latik Toppings
“Colorful and flavorful sapin sapin recipe made of glutinous rice flour, rice flour with bits of sweetened jackfruit (langka), coconut sport (macapuno) and purple yam (ube) and topped with latik; a pleasant snack and dessert treat.“
Sapin sapin is a popular Filipino dessert that you can easily make at home. You can serve it in regular days and even serve it during special occasions.
This recipe is not too sweet. And with the additions of jackfruit (langka), coconut sport (macapuno) and purple yam (ube jam) made this dessert more flavorful. Other recipe calls for artificial flavor to make this dessert. But I opted to use some tidbits of the above fruits to add more flavor and color to the dessert.
What is sapin sapin?
Sapin sapin, meaning layers, is Filipino rice cake made of glutinous rice flour, rice flour, sugar, coconut milk, condensed milk and flavorings. What’s distinct about sapin sapin among other ‘kakanin’ or rice delicacies is its layers of varying colors and every color represents a different flavor.
Normally, sapin-sapin is composed of 3 layers: the bottom layer is colored yellow and has the flavor of jackfruit (langka); the middle layer is white and has the flavor of young coconut or macapuno or just plain coconut milk; the top layer is purple in color and has the flavor of purple yam (ube). It is also usually sprinkled with coconut curd or latik, made from simmering down coconut milk or cream.
Additional tips
Use sweetened jackfruit (langka), coconut sport (macapuno) and purple yam (ube jam/ halaya). This will truly add sweetness and flavor to this dessert. If you can’t, you can buy flavorings instead of using food coloring only.
Make your own coconut curd or latik. You can use coconut cream (kakang gata) as it is more concentrated and reduce much quicker. I recommend that you to take the extra effort instead of using toasted coconut shreds or desiccated coconut. These golden curds taste so much better than dried/ toasted coconut. Then you can brush the coconut oil into the rice cake to add aroma and flavor.
Don’t forget to generously grease the inner sides and bottoms of your mold. This will make it easier to remove from the mold after steaming. As the rice cake is sticky, it will really stick to the pan if you happened to skip this step which can ruin your rice cake. You can use any mold you prefer but just take note that the steaming time may vary due to mold sizes. Small mold means less steaming time.
Use kitchen towel or cheesecloth to cover the lid, this will prevent the water from dripping into the batter.
Try this recipe at home and see how your family would enjoy it. Happy tummy!
Watch on YouTube: Special Sapin Sapin
Special Sapin Sapin Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing bowls (3 pieces)
- Whisk and rubber spatula
- Steamer
- 3 medium size llanera or tin mold — or puto mold
- Measuring cups and spoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut cream (kakang gata) — for making coconut curd or "latik"
- 1 and ½ cups glutinous rice flour
- ½ cup rice flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup condensed milk
- 2 cups coconut milk
- ½ cup purple yam (ube halaya)
- ½ cup sweetened coconut sport (macapuno)
- ½ cup sweetened jackfruit (langka)
- 1 tablespoon purple food coloring — optional
- 1 tablespoon yellow food coloring — optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine glutinous rice flour, rice flour and sugar. Mix to blend. Pour coconut milk and condensed milk. Mix until well incorporated and sugar is completely dissolved.
- Divide batter equally in three separate bowls, straining the batter as you transfer to remove lumps. This will also guarantee that your batter will be smooth.
- In one bowl, put the chopped jackfruit and mix. Add yellow food coloring if you prefer the mixture to have a bright yellow color. Set aside.
- In the second bowl, add the chopped coconut sport and mix well. Set aside.
- Toss in ube yam or halaya into the third mixture and mix well to blend. Add purple food coloring if you prefer the mixture to have a bright purple color. Set aside.
- Generously brush inner sides and bottom of the llanera/ tin mold with oil.
- Pour ube-flavored mixture up to one-third of the llanera. Tap and shake to remove some bubbles. Do this to all molds.
- Place the llanera in the steamer and steam for 8-10 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out a bit clean. Don't overcook this layer as it will not stick together with the next layer if over-steamed.
- Slowly pour coconut sport-flavored mixture over purple layer. Steam for about 10-12 minutes or or until toothpick inserted comes out a bit clean. Again, don't overcook this layer as it will not stick together with the next layer if overcooked.
- Carefully pour the langka-flavored mixture over white layer. Steam for around 12-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Note: If you think that the mixture is still a bit runny, try to steam for 3-5 minutes more. Remove llanera from steamer and transfer into a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the coconut curd/ latik: In a pan over medium heat, pour coconut cream and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally until liquid starts to thicken.
- Continue to cook and lower the heat. As oil starts to separate and solids begin to form, continuously stir and scrape sides and bottom of the pan to prevent from burning. Continue to cook and stir until curds turn golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl to cool down and set aside.
- Using a rubber spatula (brushed with oil), gently run around the sides of the pan to loosen the rice cake. Place a wide, flat serving platter over cake pan and gently flip. Tap the pan a few times to release the sapin-sapin onto the platter (purple color as the top layer).
- Brush top and sides of sapin sapin with coconut oil. Sprinkle latik on top.
- Serve and enjoy!
