Learn how to make squishy and rich bika Ambon or Kuih Bingka (honeycomb cake) with this easy, no-fuss recipe that gives you an amazing honeycomb texture. All the tips you need to know to make bika Ambon successfully.

WHY IT’S CALLED BIKA AMBON
Bika Ambon is one of the very popular cakes originated from my hometown Medan. Why is not called bika Medan then you would ask. LOL. There are few speculations. One of them is because bika ambon was first sold at the intersection of Ambon street and Sei Kera street. The other is because it was brought by the Ambonese people to Medan and the Medanese loved the cake and started making and selling it.
It is actually considered a delicacy. It is made famous by this one shop who started selling only Bika Ambon cake and a few years later, the whole street of Mojopahit is filled with other shops selling Bika Ambon too. Those shops are especially busy during the holiday season like Chinese new year, Eid al Fitr, Christmas, I mean..you name it, any occasion. People purchase them mainly for gifting. You will see people packing tens of boxes of these cakes to bring back home all across Indonesia and to overseas too.

HOW BIKA AMBON IS TRADITIONALLY MADE IN INDONESIA
I haven’t had Bika Ambon for a really long time. I always thought it was difficult to make. In Medan, Bika Ambon is traditionally made using Palm Wine (Tuak in Indonesian) instead of yeast. Palm wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the sap of palm tree (according to wikipedia) and it is used in many other cakes back in the old days. I saw my grandma used tuak often in her other baking. Here in Minnesota (or perhaps in the U.S. I must say), I don’t have access to Palm Wine and so yeast is used. The result is still really good.
BIKA AMBON IS A DIFFICULT CAKE TO BAKE
At least that’s how I feel! The cake itself doesn’t require fancy ingredients or complicated techniques, BUT, getting a consistent honeycomb texture is quite a challenge. The temperature of the oven is the challenge! I try my best to describe how I bake it in my oven. Perhaps you can replicate the same, but perhaps you need a modification in temperature or setting of your own too because every oven is different. If you fail the first time in achieving the honeycomb texture, don’t give up! Pay attention to what you have done every time you make it so you know what you can try to do differently next.
WHY YOU WILL LIKE THIS RECIPE
1. TASTE LIKE THE REAL THING
I’m not kidding! I was beyond thrilled to have made this probably at least 5 times and they always turned out great. The cake is squishy, soft, with that amazing kaffir lime leaves aroma.
2. NO FANCY EQUIPMENT NEEDED OR DIFFICULT-TO-FIND INGREDIENTS
All the ingredients can be easily sourced. You may need to get kaffir lime leaves from the Asian store, but if you are lazy, you can always get it from Amazon. You don’t need to do fancy set up to bake the cake either. Just need your oven to bake the bika ambon. That’s it.
3. GREAT HONEYCOMB TEXTURE
Seeing those tubes running from top to bottom just made my day. In Indonesia we call this bika ambon bersarang. Bersarang means honeycomb-like.
4. NO MIXER NEEDED
You don’t need a mixer. Only a whisk or spatula to whisk the ingredients
5. USE WHOLE EGGS
Most recipes needs only a certain amount of yolks but not the whites and you are left with egg whites, which you can use for something else, BUT, this recipe uses whole eggs which means you need fewer eggs and no hassle of separating egg yolks from egg whites
6. NICE NATURAL COLORS FROM YOLKS AND TURMERIC
Since we use whole eggs, turmeric is added for a more intense yellow that usually comes from a recipe that uses only yolks

INGREDIENTS
This recipe uses pretty common ingredients with the exception on kaffir lime leaves, which you may need to find at the Asian grocery store or get it online from Amazon. (affiliate links)
Tapioca flour
Turmeric powder
Lemongrass stalk
Instant yeast (my favorite instant yeast) or Active dry yeast would work
Eggs
Coconut Milk
Kaffir Lime Leaves
Sugar
Salt

MATERIAL OF THE PAN MATTERS
I highly recommend using a metal cake pan like aluminum with at least 2 inches height such as this or this. It conducts heat better and the cake cooks in a timely manner. Do not use glass, ceramic, or silicone material to make bika ambon.
HOW TO MAKE AUTHENTIC BIKA AMBON AT HOME
1. PREPARE STARTER (BIANG)
Place flour, sugar, and yeast in a bowl. Stir to mix. Cover and let it rests for 15 minutes.
2. The starter will double in size and foamy. If it doesn’t, your yeast is no longer good. Do not proceed with the recipe until you get a new yeast
3. Place the coconut milk, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, lemongrass stalk,kaffir lime leaves in a saucepan. Cook on low heat until sugar melts and do not let the coconut milk to boil
4. If you have a thermometer, check to make sure it is between 105-115 F (40-46 C). This is a lukewarm temperature for the yeast. If you don’t have a thermometer just dip your clean finger in there and it should be comfortably warm. We don’t want to kill the yeast
5. Mix tapioca starch with salt, crack in 3 eggs and whisk to combine. Add the coconut milk mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the starter and whisk to combine
6. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for 3-5 hours (do 5 hours if you can). Since it is winter here when I made this, I use my oven “breadproof” function and let the batter sit in there. The batter will have lots of bubbles because of the yeast and has a nice fermentation aroma
7. Brush the pan really well with oil. I usually don’t line with parchment paper or banana leaves. You can if you want to. Brush the banana leaves with some oil.
7. 30 minutes before the end of fermentation, preheat the oven to 330 F.Put your empty baking pan on top of another baking sheet and put it in the oven to preheat it together with the oven. Make sure the pan is preheated for at least 30 minutes. The pan needs to be hot when the batter hits the pan. You can test the pan by sprinkling some water on it. If you hear a sizzling sound, the pan is hot enough. If not, preheat the pan another 5-10 minutes.
8. When the oven is done preheating, give the batter a really good stir as the tapioca flour tends to settle at the bottom. Stir in all the bubbles gently. Make sure everything is mixed in. Pour the batter into the preheated pan quickly while the pan is still hot. You should hear a “sizzling” sound.
9. Place it on the middle rack and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the cake is dry to the touch on the surface and springs back when you gently push it. If it’s still wet, bake for another 5 minutes and check again. If it’s dry after that, increase the temperature to 350 F (both top and bottom heat) and remove the baking sheet. I use convection mode/fan mode to create that top and bottom heat environment and bake for another 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean
10. The cake should be dry to the touch and bounces back when you gently press it. Let the cake cools down completely before cutting, may take 3-4 hours
11. Run a plastic knife around the edges to loosen the cake and you can gently peel the cake off the pan without much problem. The texture of the cake is very resilient and bouncy

You will not be disappointed with the result. The texture and taste are just spot on! The cake is soft and you can bend it without tearing the cake. The squishiest ever too!


CAN I COOK BIKA AMBON ON THE STOVE IF I DON’T HAVE AN OVEN
I have recently tried to cook bika ambon on a stove using a non-stick saucepan with a lid in two different experiments. Both times they took way too long (almost 2 hours) just for the cake to cook and the result is not significantly different with oven method. The bottom of the cake gets easily burnt too. I feel like there are too many variables here: material of the saucepan, the heat on the stove is not consistent, etc..etc. It’s hard to cook it on the stove because too low of the heat and the tapioca starch will sink to the bottom and you end up with a custard and too high of the heat the bottom of the cake get burnt before it gets cooked through. I decided to stick with the oven method because the heat is more consistent and I can control the temperature.
TROUBLESHOOTING
1. No bubbles after 3-5 hours of resting the batter
This could be caused by:
-The yeast is no longer active
-The coconut milk mixture is too hot and the yeast is killed when you mix it in
2. No honeycomb texture
This could be caused by:
–The yeast is no longer active and you don’t get many bubbles after fermentation but you bake the cake anyway
–The baking pan is NOT hot enough
–The oven is too warm or not warm enough
Oven temperature is very crucial when it comes to baking bika ambon. Too hot and the honeycomb won’t form. Not hot enough the starch will separate from the eggs and your bika ambon turns into custard
3. The cake is dense
-Again, the yeast may be no longer active and doesn’t leaven the cake
-You may want to check your oven. If the oven is not warm enough then the starch will separate from the eggs creating a dense layer instead and if it’s too hot, the cake will collapse and shrink when you pull it out making the cake all dense and leathery instead of springy
4. The cake collapses
The batter could be too watery. Make sure you measure the ingredients correctly with a scale if possible. OR The cake is not cooked through and it will collapse when you pull it out from the oven. You really need to know your oven and make sure your oven temperature is accurate too

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER BIKA AMBON
STORING: Bika Ambon can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week max. They do tend to harden once it is refrigerated.
REHEATING: Simply steam them over high heat for 1 minute and they are as good as new or you can microwave them by placing them on a plate and then cover with a damped paper towel and microwave on high for a minute or until heated through and soften.
Recipe was originally adapted from Kitchen Tigress in 2017 and I standardize the recipe for easy measuring and add some aromatics to the batter. Sept 23,2020 update: After vigorous many rounds of testings again (5 batches in one week LOL), I decided to use “starter (biang)” and change some techniques of baking and cooling down for consistent honeycomb texture.
Bika Ambon Panggang / Kuih Bingka (with honeycomb texture)
Ingredients
For 5 to 6-inch square cake (A good size to start if it's your first time baking):
Starter (biang):
- 4 g instant yeast see notes
- 7 gr all-purpose flour
- 7 gr sugar
- 15 ml warm water
Coconut milk mixture:
- 170 ml coconut milk
- 85 gr sugar
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 5 kaffir lime leaves cut into strips
- 1 stalk lemongrass bruise to release flavor
Cake batter:
- 85 gr tapioca starch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 165 g eggs weight of 3 large eggs without the shells
For 7 or 8 inch square cake:
Starter (biang):
- 8 g instant yeast
- 14 gr all-purpose flour
- 14 gr sugar
- 30 ml warm water
Coconut milk mixture:
- 350 ml coconut milk
- 180 gr sugar
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 10 kaffir lime leaves cut into strips
- 2 stalks lemongrass bruise to release flavor
Cake batter:
- 180 gr tapioca starch
- ½ tsp salt
- 300 g eggs weight of 5 large eggs without the shells
Instructions
Prepare starter:
- Place all ingredients for the starter in a bowl. Stir to mix. Cover and let it rests for 15 minutes. The starter will double in size and foamy. If it doesn't, your yeast is no longer good. Do not proceed with the recipe until you get a new yeast
Prepare the coconut milk mixture:
- I use canned coconut milk. Shake the can before opening because the water separates from the milk. Place the coconut milk, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass in a sauce pan. Cook on low heat until sugar melts and the mixture is warm but do not let the coconut milk to boil. Remove from the heat and discard the leaves after that and make sure the mixture is warm and not hot (we don't want to kill the yeast later)
- If you have a thermometer, check to make sure it is between 105-115 F (40-46 C). This is a lukewarm temperature for the yeast. If you don't have a thermometer just dip your clean finger in there and it should be comfortably warm
Prepare the batter:
- Mix tapioca starch with salt, crack in 3 eggs and whisk to combine. Add the coconut milk mixture and stir until combine. Stir in the starter and whisk to combine
Let the batter rest:
- Cover with a plastic wrap and let it sit at a warm place (about 30-32 C/86-90 F degrees) for 3 to 5 hours. Do 5 hours if you can, the honeycomb texture is better when I proof it longer. Since it is winter here when I made this, I use my oven "breadproof" function and let the batter sit in there. It helps to speed up the fermentation
Preheat empty pan in the oven:
- The batter will have lots of bubbles and foamy because of the yeast activity. It should also has a pleasant aroma from the yeast fermentation. 30 minutes before the end of fermentation, preheat your oven to 330 F (165 C), bottom heat only, which is what most conventional oven is. If you use a convection oven (top and bottom heat), you may want to lower the temperature by 15-20 degrees.
- Brush the pan really well with oil. I usually don't line with parchment paper or banana leaves. You can if you want to. Brush the banana leaves with some oil
- Put your empty baking pan on top of another baking sheet and put it in the oven to preheat it together with the oven. Make sure the pan is preheated for at least 30 minutes. The pan needs to be hot when the batter hits the pan. You can test the pan by sprinkling some water on it. If you hear a sizzling sound, the pan is hot enough. If not, preheat the pan another 5-10 minutes.
- When the oven is done preheating, give the batter a really good stir as the tapioca flour tends to settle at the bottom. Stir in all the bubbles gently. Make sure everything is mixed in. Pour the batter inside the preheated pan quickly while the pan is still hot. You should hear a "sizzling" sound.
- Place it on the middle rack and bake for 45-50 minutes or longer for 5-6 inch cake. It may take 60-80 minutes for 8-9 inch cake. The cake should be no longer wet on top and springs back when you touch it. There is no need to open the oven door during baking. If it's still wet after the instructed baking time, bake a bit longer in a 5 -minute increment. Check again
- After the cake surface is dry and springs back when you touch, remove the extra baking sheet and increase the temperature to 350 F (180 C) using both bottom and top heat. Use convection mode (fan mode) if your oven has one, this will create that top and bottom heat environment. If your oven doesn't have a convection oven, and only broiler (top heat), then turn this on. You need to watch out if you use a broiler as it may brown very quickly. I would use a low broiler if you can choose between low or high heat. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and no longer wet. If it is, bake it a bit longer
- Remove from the oven and let it cools down completely inside the pan placed on a cooling rack. This may take 3-4 hours
Unmoulding cake from the pan:
- Run a plastic knife around the edges to loosen the cake and you can gently peel the cake off the pan without much problem. The texture of the cake is very resilient and bouncy
Serve:
- Slice the cake with an oiled knife to desired size. Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. After that, store in the refrigerator. They may harden because of there's coconut oil, which will harden at a cold temperature just like butter. You can reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds or so or until just warm or use a steamer to heat it up until just warm
91 comments
Perfect recipe👌 thanks a lot! The tips, steps and video really helpful👍🏼
I’m so glad you find them helpful and the recipe works for you 🙂
Hi 🙂
I saw other recipes need to slightly open the oven door when the cake was baked. Did you do that too for this recipe? Thanks.
Hi Madrien, I did not because my oven won’t let me LOL! it would keep beeping. So I baked without and control with temperature. You can try though if your oven lets you.
I’ve tried many other Bika Ambon recipes, in Indonesian and in English. This one is by far resulted in the best result. Thank you, Marvellina x
Hi Mee, I’m glad you enjoy this so far 🙂 Thank you for trying and for letting me know!
Hi there! thanks for the recipe!
i’ve yet to try it out but i noticed that you mentioned there was a prior version adapted from kitchen tigress. I haven’t got to see that recipe, but was just wondering what went wrong with that?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi Cheryl, that version doesn’t use any starter (biang). Nothing’s wrong with the recipe. I get a consistent result in terms of the honeycomb texture when I used starter. If you google kitchen tigress bika ambon you will be able to see her recipe.
Hi, sorry, I just noticed that you have a recipe for an 8 inch pan. Will try my luck soon. Thanks.
No problem Cheah. Good luck. I hope it turned out for you 🙂
Hi, I’m Cheah of Nofrillsrecipes. I only have 8 inch sq and round pans. Do you think the above recipe will be ok with an 8 inch pan? Or can I bake it in a Corning ware or Pyrex dish, say size about 7 inch? Thanks
Hi Cheah! Thank you for stopping by 🙂 I have the recipe for 7 or 8 inch square pan, uses 5 eggs in the recipe card in case you missed it. I won’t recommend baking it in a corning ware or pyrex dish though, I’m afraid the cake may not be cooked properly. This cake is very finicky when it comes to heat. I recommend using a regular baking pan if possible.
Could we use sourdough starter instead of yeast to prepare biang?
Hi Shar, I’ve never worked with a sourdough starter before, so I really can’t tell you much about that unfortunately.
I made this twice, follow recipe as is. The taste is amazing! I’ve tried some that were sold/made by other Indonesians here in Southern Ca and I found those to be too sweet. The first time I waited 3 hrs for the yeast. The cake’s honeycomb texture wasn’t quite right. The holes were more horizontal rather than vertical and there were many dense areas. The second time I made it, I waited 5 hrs. Much better honeycomb texture! Only the top 1/5 were slightly dense and the rest were perfect. Maybe I’ll wait a little bit longer next time. I’ll be making more for sure! Thank you! I can’t believe I can make Bika Ambon. 😃
Ha..ha..I know right? homemade Bika Ambon! Never knew I would bake this at my very own kitchen! You are right on the honeycomb texture. I find that the longer I let it ferments, the better the honeycomb texture. Somebody also mentions about using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast to yield better honeycomb texture. I tried that a few days ago and it does seem to be quite true (or perhaps just a coincidence too with 5-hour of proofing!)
Hello Marvellina,
Wanted to try your recipe, but slightly confused. Is the recipe using coconut cream or coconut milk? Thanks in advance
Claire
Hi Claire, Sorry for the confusion. It is coconut milk. I use canned coconut milk. Coconut cream it’s a bit too thick. I have updated it accordingly. I hope it turns out great for you!!
Hi Marvellina, thanks for sharing the recipe. I fell in love with Bika Ambon when I first tasted one from Medan almost 15 years ago. Since then, I have been trying to find a recipe that works.
I had tried your recipe twice, following exactly the steps and everything, but both times I also failed. I used the recommended cake tin size, 7inch square. In the oven at 150oC, the cake rose very high, about 1.5 inch above the rim. The total cake height was about 4.5inch. I baked for 45 mins and the cake was still jiggly and I continued to add on the time. However, the cake was still jiggly even when I had already baked it for 1.5 hrs. I kept on increasing the time until 2.5hrs had lapsed and it was still jiggly. After 3 hours, the cake was still jiggly and the skewer came out still slightly wet. I couldn’t bake it any longer like this. I took the cake out and it just deflated. When I cut the cake, I find that it’s on the wet side and sticky. I wonder what went wrong. The yeast was okay as I did get a fair amount of bubbles. I wonder if the size of the cake tin should be bigger so that the cake won’t be too thick and hard to cook through? Thanks again.
Hi Kit, sorry for the trouble you are facing with bika ambon. Oven setting and temperature is really quite challenging with baking bika ambon and everyone’s oven is different too. I personally have tried many different settings and temperatures myself that seem to work for others but didn’t work for me. It seems like your oven may need a higher temperature for the cake to cook through. If I may recommend to preheat your empty pan in the oven at 165 C while you are preheating the oven for about 10-15 minutes.Then pour the batter in and palce the pan at the middle rack to bake 30-45 minutes or until no longer jiggly and then switch to convection mode at 180 C for another 15 minutes to brown the cake. Not a bad idea to move it to a larger pan like 8 inch to try and see if that will help it cook faster. I hope it works out for you.
Hi Marv, I tried this new version of Bika Ambon recipe from you. Happy to let you know that this time it worked! Yay! Thanks a lot!
Hi Kit, yay!! I’m glad it did!! Thank you for letting me know 🙂