Rainbow-Coloured Kuih Lapis Makes Appearance On 'The Great Australian Bake Off' Episode

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Operating on a weekly elimination process to find the best all-round baker from amateur contestants, each episode tasks bakers with three different challenges. The first is to create a signature bake, something to show off their tried-and-tested recipes.

The second is a technical bake, which tests how competitors follow instructions by being given the same recipe to create, with the judges ranking all the dishes without knowing who made them. The third is a show-stopper challenge, which requires competitors to produce an item that is professional in appearance and taste.

In the latest episode, titled International Week, all competitors were tasked to bake various desserts from around the world. The signature bake saw competitors making two savoury Turkish Pides, a traditional Turkish flatbread baked with toppings or stuffing, while the show-stopper challenge saw them making jacked macaron stacks, which are super-sized macarons.

However, the episode's technical challenge saw the inclusion of an all-time favourite Malaysian dessert, which had many people intrigued and delighted.

In a TikTok that was uploaded to the official page of streaming platform, BINGE, the judges from the series, Rachel Khoo and Darren Purchese, discussed the dessert as part of a snippet for the episode. 

"When I see this cake, I just have to smile because this is the cake from my childhood. This cake is very well known in Southeast Asia. Made with coconut, tapioca flour, and rice flour, it's actually steamed, so you don't need an oven for this cake," said Khoo in reference to the rainbow lapis.

Khoo then taught Purchese how to eat the delectable dessert, telling him that cutlery is not required for the item. One picks it up, peels a layer off, and pops it into their mouth.

"They are amazing," dubbed Purchese at the sight of the kuih.

In the episode, multiple contestants revealed that they had never come across the rainbow lapis cake, with some stating that they never even made steamed cake before.

By the end of the judging, all contestants received positive reviews about their individual creations, with Singaporean-born contestant Laura Foo claiming the win for the challenge.

"It's very important to me that this was represented well. I have the same childhood memories as you, peeling off each of those layers, so it means a lot that I got to make this for you and that you loved it," said Foo to Khoo, before the judge came over to give her a hug.

Multiple people from various Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia and the Philippines, reflected on their own versions of kuih lapis.

"As an Indonesian, I did peel the kue lapis when I was a kid. It was my childhood snack!" wrote one person, while another Malaysian commenter said something similar.

"Just go to Southeast Asia, we have lots of those. Every Southeast Asian country has their own version," remarked another user.

Others also expressed their excitement over seeing kuih lapis featured on the Australian competition show.

In a funny sequence, multiple users even commented how surprised they were that the judges were eating the dessert correctly, the same way Southeast Asians would. 

"That's what we enjoy so much about kue lapis, peeling the layers one-by-one when eating it," penned an Indonesian user. 

One user even expressed their hesitation when watching the video, but was delightfully surprised when Khoo ate the dessert correctly. 

"You successfully ate it just the way most Malaysians would enjoy it," wrote another user.

According to a description on Khoo's background, the television host was born in Croydon, South London, to an Austrian native mother.

Khoo's father, however, is Malaysian Chinese, hailing from Ipoh, Perak. In 1968, he emigrated to the UK when he was just 16 years old. 

Having initially worked in public relations, Khoo eventually took a three-month patisserie course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, before diving into the world of desserts. Publishing books on baking, Khoo has even appeared on multiple television shows prior to landing her role as a judge for The Great Australian Bake Off last year. 

Diving into her heritage, Khoo also explored the cuisine and heritage of Malaysia in a BBC television special titled A Cook Abroad: Rachel Khoo's Malaysia back in 2015. Such a discovery makes it no surprise that Khoo chose an intrinsically Malaysian dessert when given the opportunity to set a challenge on the show.