KUCHING: Come every Hari Raya Aidilfitri, a house in Kampung Paroh near here will attract many visitors for the past 20 years.
Interestingly the throng of those coming for the Raya visit, known as ‘berjarah’ in the Sarawak Malay dialect, that can reach several hundreds are not only friends, relatives or local residents but also guests curious to sample the famous layered cake, commonly known as ‘kek lapis’ of house owner Noriah Kapli, 46.
According to the mother of four, it has since been a tradition for her, with the help of her younger sister, Norhidayah, 29, to serve various types of layered cake to guests during Aidilfitri.
“Actually what I’m doing is giving alms, foster friendship and share the profits from the sales of my layered cakes. Back in 1997, I served six types of layered cake and then I try to increase the number of different kinds of layered cakes to be served every year. This year (2017), I prepared 36 types of layered cake to be served,” she told Bernama yesterday.
Noriah, who has experience in whipping up delicious layered cakes since aged 19, said every year her guests come from all strata of society and races such as Chinese, Bidayuh, Kelabit and Lun Bawang.
Among the layered cakes served this year are those with interesting names such as ‘kek lapis cheese’, ‘kek lapis India’, ‘kek lapis idola’ and ‘kek lapis goyang dangdut’.
Noriah, who also takes orders for her layered cakes, said based on the market price, a cake measuring eight inches by eight inches could fetch between RM70 and RM120 per piece.
“Apart from that, I also serve traditional layered cakes created since the 70s and 80s such as ‘kek lapis kaca permata’, ‘kek hati parek’ and ‘kek belacan’.
“This year’s 36 types of cake can last until the seventh or ninth day of Hari Raya,” she said, adding that it took about three hours to produce a piece of cake.
Serving an assortment of layered cakes is part of Noriah’s community contribution given that she is also the owner of the Facebook Fans Page Resepi Mamat Kent with 189,649 members and frequently shares recipes and tips on baking layered cakes on social media. — Bernama