Kek Batik

It is a no-bake cake which is basically Marie biscuits broken into quarters then folded into chocolate custard made from Milo chocolate drink powder, eggs, condensed milk and vanilla extract. It was introduced to me by a Malaysian friend from Soompi way back in 2007. She loves preparing this as a snack for her kids and she kind of mentioned it in one of our chats. I was right away intrigued and asked for the recipe. I had to go search every Asian store for Nestum breakfast cereal which is one of the ingredients.

Unfortunately, I lost the recipe she gave me then so I had to improvise and came up with this. I skipped Nestum and added special dark chocolate chips for a real chocolaty flavor. Dark is always my bet so sugar content is well controlled even as I used condensed milk. Lining up a greased loaf pan I used with parchment paper helped so it was easy releasing the cake. Result is a prettier and yummier version of the first one I made- more chocolaty than sweet; soft but not soggy and the little crunch here and there from the biscuits is a big bonus. This is how I made it:



Kek Batik
Ingredients:
½ cup Milo
¾ cup special dark chocolate chips
½ cup boiling water
1¼ stick unsalted butter cut into cubes + ¼ for melting the chocolate chips
½ can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
5 eggs- separated
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 pack Marie biscuits (200g)

Method:
Break each biscuits into quarters and set aside (I used a thin knife)
Line the base and sides of a greased loaf tin with parchment paper
Beat the egg whites separately until fluffy and lightly beat the egg yolks.
Melt ¼ stick of butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Add the chocolate chips and stir continuously followed by Milo chocolate.
Slowly add boiling water into the mixture while stirring until smooth.
Add butter, condensed milk, sugar, egg whites, egg yolks and vanilla into the saucepan and stir until well incorporated.
Lower the heat and continue to cook until it becomes thick but still soft custard- about 12 minutes.
Turn off the heat and fold in Marie biscuit pieces- carefully so as not to break the pieces further.
Transfer the batter into the loaf tin and press down gently using the overlapping parchment paper to make sure there are no air pockets. This also helps to even the top.
Allow to cool before storing in the refrigerator for four hours or overnight before slicing with a serrated knife.
Enjoy