Almost a botched job

My mom had this really great recipe for the 9 layer cake (Jiu Cheng Gao). I made it a few times a couple of years ago... Tried and tested and approved by friends and colleagues then. When i moved to China, i left my recipe book behind, well there were only a handful of recipes in it anyway.

A couple of weeks ago, i had this craving for jiu cheng gao. Just imagining the layers peel off made me salivate. So i went online to look for recipes, the easiest i could find - least number of ingredients and least number of steps. I finally assembled the ingredients this morning and made my first dessert in my new home.

Tada... It looks "pale" compared to Bengawan Solo's, i didn't want to add too much colouring. But it's pretty right? The taste is so-so, not oily enough, too sticky. I need to adjust the portions next time. My mom's recipe was def better.

Actually, the picture above was the best looking cut. Initially I almost botched the whole batch cos i couldn't wait for it to cool (hehe, i eager beaver). The cake stuck to the knife like superglue!

This was what it looked like when i first dug into it piping hot. I almost cried when the cake came out like this. Mountain man had to console me all morning.