Banh Bo Nuong (Baked Coconut Honeycomb Cake) Recipe
Sweets and drinksBaked GoodsVietnam120 minutes including two proofs
Banh bo nuong is all about the honeycomb inside, those vertical channels running the full height of the cake. It smells of coconut milk, the top bakes to a light crisp gold and the crumb is chewy and soft.
The hardest part is the tin, because a cold tin or cold oil leaves you with no honeycomb at all. Both proofs need their full time. Cut them short and the batter is underfermented, which gives a dense cake. Pour the batter through a sieve to catch the large bubbles.
This batch weighs about 606g, at roughly 158 calories per 100g.
Method
Mix 100g rice flour, 50g tapioca starch, 3g brown yeast, 100g coconut milk and 50ml water. Work it into a smooth mass with a spoon, cover and proof for 30 to 40 minutes.
After the dough has proofed for 25 minutes, put 150g coconut milk in another bowl, warm it in the microwave for about 1 minute and stir in 121.5g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend until dissolved.
When the mixture has cooled a little, stir in 2g brown yeast and 1 vial vanilla powder and leave it to bubble for about 10 minutes.
Combine the proofed dough with the coconut milk mixture until smooth, then cover and proof for another 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200 degrees C until it is properly hot, with the tin inside heating alongside.
Take the tin out, coat the sides with cooking oil and return it to the oven so the oil heats through.
Pour the batter through a sieve into the hot tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
Push a skewer into the center. If it comes out dry, the cake is done. Cool, then cut into pieces.
Tips
There are no eggs in this one, so it works for vegetarians.
The tin and the oil both have to be hot, otherwise the honeycomb never forms.
Coconut milk, peanut salt or toasted sesame salt on the side make it better still.
Proof the batter somewhere warm, around 30 degrees C. In cold weather, set the bowl next to a pot of warm water.
Opening the oven partway through collapses the cake, so wait until minute 35.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so stir it into the warm coconut milk and stir again after 5 minutes to finish the job.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.