Saturday 3 January 2009

tutu cakes...the singapore answer to cupcakes??

so, i spent a lot of my childhood growing up in Singapore and one of my most favourite things to eat as a child, were tutu cakes or kueh tutu. i guess whilst most other children were growing up having cupcakes or fairy cakes (depending on what part of the world they were in) i grew up eating these. tutu cakes are basically little steamed cakes made from rice flour and with a filling of either sweetened coconut or chopped peanuts. often it's the simplicity of things that most appeals to me and these little cakes couldn't get much simpler. they are prepared on the spot and steamed in a couple of minutes and can be eaten while they're soft and warm straight from the steamer. so today while i was out, i found a counter selling them and just couldn't resist a trip down memory lane and a chance to experience a childhood favourite snack. i think generally it was being able to watch the whole process that fascinated me most and of course the fact that they could be eaten straight away. see for yourself...

the process of making the cakes - rice flour put first into the mold, the coconut is put on top

the cake is then covered up with more rice flour - you can see the chopped peanuts and the sweetened coconut...i've always been a coconut kinda gal!

the cakes are popped in the steamer

steamed for mere minutes in the very serious looking steamer...

then taken out and placed on a small square of banana leaf to stop them sticking together

you get 5 for $2.00 - in a plastic bag, no less!

and most importantly they must be instantly enjoyed, while still warm...a perfect little light fluffy cake...soft and delicate just like a tutu!

and inside...moist, sweet coconut...5 of these little guys are never enough!

you can find these little cakes in most food courts and hawker centres in Singapore...a local delight...made on the spot and not to be missed!

13 comments:

Faery said...

oooohhh I LOVE coconut, that's why I have atree in the backyard, but these things look so yummy, Is it possible to have the recipe? :)
I have a surprise waiting for you in my blog

Unknown said...

hi faery...not sure about the recipe...all i know is rice flour, sugared coconut mix and then more rice flour...then steamed for 2-3 mins...i could do a search though to see if i can find something more detailed :) thanks for the surprise :)

Faery said...

Thank you Sinead you are very kind, I really love coconut :)

Sleepless said...

these bring back a lot of my childhood memories too. will look for them my next trip to Spore

Nikki @ NikSnacks said...

that's kinda cool. I feel like I could attempt to make something like these at home. Then again, I might just wait and travel to Singapore some day and experience them then.

. said...

Theses cakes are super cute! We had never seen them before and are now determined to find a recipe. Thanks!

Steph said...

Those cakes look so cute. The cakes itself remind me of those steamed BBQ pork buns you get at dim sum. I've been searching everywhere for a recipe that will give me the amazingly soft and fluffy bun. I don't think it's regular all purpose flour. I think I'm going to have to start looking into rice flour.

janis said...

i love these!!
but i'd always request for the peanuts, not the coconut :)

Anonymous said...

So is it just dry rice flour? Or is it made into a dough? It sounds so simple if it's only flour. The coconut filling sounds yummy too.

Affordable homes said...

coconut lovers will surely like this one.

Crunchasarus Rex said...

I sure missed this one .. :(
Haven't had them for the last 10 yrs. Ahhh.. the price of migrating .. eh. :)

shieda said...

hye..
i'm new here..
u just remind me about putu piring..
at malaysia we call that.
its the same thing.
really good and can't stop eating it.
hehee...
cheers!!

rea said...

Hi...
those tutu cakes looked so temptating. I think u could find similar cakes here in Bali... perhaps u ever heard or know about kue putu? the filling is usually made from palm sugar.