Soft and fluffy cake is filled with Nutella and rolled into horseshoe shape is one of the popular Hari Raya cakes. The cake is made without using any emulsifier or artificial ingredients.
What is kek tapak kuda Nutella?
Kek tapak kuda Nutella is one of the popular cakes in Malaysia and Singapore and just recently gaining popularity in Indonesia. You will see this cake often when it’s near Eid Al-Fitr (Hari Raya Idul Fitri) celebration. We call it Lebaran in Indonesia.
Tapak kuda means horseshoe in English. The cake is named as such because of its shape, like a horseshoe. The original kek tapak kuda is made with more eggs and butter to yield a richer cake.
My version of tapak kuda Nutella
I use sponge cake, similar to the one I use to make Swiss roll using the egg separation method, similar to making chiffon cakes. So they are leaner, soft, and fluffy.
How to make soft fluffy tapak kuda Nutella without emulsifier and artificial ingredients
1.You can use 10 x 10 square pan or 9 x 13 pan. It will be slightly thicker cake with 10 x 10 square pan. This will yield two small tapak kuda rolls, about 6 slices each roll
2. Spray the baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or brush some oil and then line with parchment paper on the bottom and the side
3. In a medium-size mixing bowl, mix the hot cocoa with hot water to form a thick paste and set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven. For a convection oven, please lower the temperature by 20 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, oil, sugar, and milk until combined
5. Sift in the cake flour and salt. Whisk to mix until combined and no lumps
6. Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature. Place egg whites in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until foamy on medium speed and then add cream of tartar or lemon juice/vinegar and whip again for another minute then and 1/3 of the sugar and continue to add sugar until you use it all up. Whip until the egg white develops a medium-firm peak. When you lift the meringue up it will hold up its shape but the tail will bend. Do not whip until stiff peak. The cake will crack when you roll it later
7. Fold about 1/3 of the meringue into the egg yolk batter and use a whisk to fold or whisk until combined
8. Continue to fold in the next 1/3 until and swipe down and fold over again to combine
9. When you get to the last 1/3, switch to a spatula and use a swipe down and fold over method to combine. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Sometimes the batter gets stuck there and doesn’t get combined with the meringue
10. Remove about 200 grams of the batter and put into the hot cocoa bowl. Use a rubber spatula to swipe down and fold over to combine
11. Spread the hot cocoa batter onto the pan evenly. Using a dough scraper or rubber spatula to even out the surface. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles
12. Transfer the remaining batter into a piping bag. Pipe the batter on top of the hot cocoa batter
13.Then very gently use a rubber spatula or dough scraper to level the surface so it’s even. Tap the baking sheet on the work surface 2-3 times to pop any air bubbles
14. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes and then switch to convection mode (fan mode) and bake for another 3 minutes or until the top is golden brown and dry to touch. If you don’t have convection mode, bake another 5 minutes and check to make sure the top is golden brown and dry to touch. It is important that the top is dry to touch so this layer won’t peel off when you roll later
15. Remove the cake from the oven and then lift it out from the pan immediately to a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper from 4 sides. This helps to prevent wrinkles on the surface. Let it cool down like this for 5 minutes (I use a timer to actually time it)
16. If you have crusty edges, trim those edges off so you can roll without breaking the cake. Then cut the cake in half vertically on the short side. Then cut the parchment paper into half to separate the two. In the step-by-step photo, I only do half the recipe so I didn’t cut in half. Place a new piece of parchment paper on top of one of the cake, larger than the cake, and flip over to the other side. Peel off the parchment paper. Repeat with the other one
17. Using the parchment paper to help you gently roll the cake into half on the long side. Repeat with the other cake
18. . Keep them rolled in this position. Let the cake cool down before spreading with Nutella
19. Very gently unroll the cake. Spread the filling all over the surface, living about 1/4 inch around the edges
20. Very gently roll the cake back. Repeat with the other cake. Spread some Nutella on both ends to keep the cake moist while you keep them chilled in the fridge
21. Loosely tent with parchment paper, not touching the surface of the cake. Store in the fridge for at least 1 hour before you plan to cut the cake. I keep it in the fridge like this until the next day and the cake is perfectly moist and the skin is intact
22. Remove from the fridge and trim the edge of both ends and the edge of the long side to make it look “neater”. Then cut into slices, about 1-inch thick is an appropriate thickness I think. Put each slice on a muffin cup liner for presentation. You don’t have to but it does make it easier for people to pick up and eat
Variations
1. Different flavor/color: You can also replace vanilla with pandan essence for pandan flavor or add 2 tsp of cocoa powder to the cake batter for all chocolate flavor
2. Filling: Traditional tapak kuda is filled with Nutella, but you can use peanut butter, jam, Lotus Biscoff spread, etc
Did you make this tapak kuda Nutella recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Kek Tapak Kuda Nutella (Nutella Horseshoe Cake)
Ingredients
Cake batter:
- 60 gr egg yolks about 3 yolks
- 42 gr oil you can use melted butter for a richer taste
- 42 gr milk
- 50 gr cake flour
- ¼ tsp salt
For chocolate layer:
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp hot water
Meringue:
- 90 gr egg whites about 3 egg whites
- 60 gr sugar
- ½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar or 1/4 tsp of cream or tartar
Filling:
- 150 gr Nutella just an estimate amount
Instructions
- You can use 10 x 10 square pan or 9 x 13 pan. It will be slightly thicker cake with 10 x 10 square pan. This will yield two small tapak kuda rolls, about 6 slices each roll
- Spray the baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or brush some oil and then line with parchment paper on the bottom and the side
Prepare the cake batter:
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven. For a convection oven, please lower the temperature by 20 degrees. In a medium-size mixing bowl, mix the hot cocoa with hot water to form a thick paste and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, oil, sugar, and milk until combined. Sift in the cake flour and salt. Whisk to mix until combined and no lumps
Prepare meringue:
- Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature. Place egg whites in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until foamy on medium speed and then add cream of tartar or lemon juice/vinegar and whip again for another minute then and 1/3 of the sugar and continue to add sugar until you use it all up. Whip until the egg white develops a medium-firm peak. When you lift the meringue up it will hold up its shape but the tail will bend. Do not whip until stiff peak. The cake will crack when you roll it later
Fold meringue into the cake batter:
- Fold about 1/3 of the meringue into the egg yolk batter and use a whisk to combine and continue to fold in the next 1/3
- When you get to the last 1/3, switch to a spatula and use a swipe down and fold over method to combine. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Sometimes the batter gets stuck there and doesn't get combined with the meringue
- Remove about 200 grams of the batter and put it into the hot cocoa bowl. Use a rubber spatula to swipe down and fold over to combine
Pour into the baking pan:
- Spread the hot cocoa batter onto the pan evenly. Using a dough scraper or rubber spatula to even out the surface. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Transfer the remaining batter into a piping bag. Pipe the batter on top of the hot cocoa batter. Then very gently use a rubber spatula or dough scraper to level the surface so it's even. Tap the baking sheet on the work surface 2-3 times to pop any air bubbles
Bake:
- Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes and then switch to convection mode (fan mode) and bake for another 3 minutes or until the top is golden brown and dry to touch. If you don't have convection mode, bake another 5 minutes and check to make sure the top is golden brown and dry to touch. It is important that the top is dry to touch so this layer won't peel off when you roll later
Cool down:
- Remove the cake from the oven and then lift it out from the pan immediately to a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper from 4 sides. This helps to prevent wrinkles on the surface. Let it cools down like this for 5 minutes (I use a timer to actually time it)
- If you have crusty edges, trim those edges off so you can roll without breaking the cake. Then cut the cake in half vertically on the short side. Then cut the parchment paper into half to separate the two. In the step-by-step photo, I only do half the recipe so I didn't cut in half. Place a new piece of parchment paper on top of one of the cake, larger than the cake, and flip over to the other side. Peel off the parchment paper. Repeat with the other one
- Using the parchment paper to help you gently roll the cake into half on the long side. Repeat with the other cake. Keep them rolled in this position. Let the cake cool down before spreading with Nutella
Spread the filling:
- Very gently unroll the cake. Spread the filling all over the surface, living about 1/4 inch around the edges. Very gently roll the cake back. Repeat with the other cake. Spread some Nutella on both ends to keep the cake moist while you keep them chilled in the fridge
Chill the cakes:
- Loosely tent with parchment paper, not touching the surface of the cake. Store in the fridge for at least 1 hour before you plan to cut the cake. I keep it in the fridge like this until the next day and the cake is perfectly moist and the skin is intact
When ready to serve:
- Remove from the fridge and trim the edge of both ends and the edge of the long side to make it look "neater". Then cut into slices, about 1-inch thick is an appropriate thickness I think. Put each slice on a muffin cup liner for presentation. You don't have to but it does make it easier for people to pick up and eat
How to store:
- Leftover can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. If it's very humid where you are, keep them in the fridge for no more than 3 days. The longer you store in the fridge, the drier the cake gets
