Kue Cubit (Indonesian Pinch Cake)

A recipe for Kue Cubit (Indonesian Pinch Cake)! These little pinch cakes can be formed with a variety of flavors and toppings for quite the fun treat.

Kue Cubit are mini cakes from Indonesia formed in a special pan. The name directly translates to Pinch Cakes due to their small size, particularly since they can be picked up with a pinch of the fingers and finished in a couple of bites.

These cakes are popular in markets and food stalls. Along with plain vanilla cakes, they now come in a variety of colorful flavors including green tea, pandan, taro, chocolate, fruit, and more.

Kue Cubit are traditionally made in a mold pan called a Cetakan Kue Cubit, often with specialty shapes, and are cooked on the stovetop. Lace/Spiderweb crepes called Kue Laba-Laba can also be made by drizzling the batter across the pan.

A Few Tips

If the batter is too thick to pipe into the pan, stir in a little more milk. If too thin, add a little more flour. Take care not to add too much flour or they will lose their light and fluffy texture.

I do not have a Cetakan Kue Cubit, so I used an Aebleskiver pan (Amazon link) and filled the cavities about 1/3 full. The Aebleskiver pan doesn’t come with a cover, so I used a glass one that fit snugly around the pan.

A takoyaki, poffertjes, or other pan with individual cavities will also work. The amount of batter may need to be adjusted based on the size. Too much batter and the bottom of the pinch cakes will darken too much before the interior has a chance to set.

If your pan is not nonstick, grease the cavities across the bottom and sides with butter or vegetable oil. I used aebleskiver hooked wooden sticks (Amazon link) to remove the Kue Cubit. You can also use a couple of small spoons.

Cook the Kue Cubit until just barely set and still a little shiny on top or until cooked completely through in about 4 minutes. Take care not to overcook.

Adjust the heat between low and medium-low as needed to prevent the bottoms from burning. In my cast iron pan, I kept the heat on the lowest setting.

After cooking half of the plain vanilla batter, I mixed in about 1 teaspoon matcha dissolved in a teaspoon of hot water for a vibrant green color.

I topped the pinch cakes with chocolate sprinkles (meises), crushed chocolate creme cookies/Oreos, and shredded, toasted coconut. My personal favorite combination was the Matcha Kue Cubit with crushed chocolate cookies. Other options include kitkats, shredded cheese, or even fresh fruit.

Kue Cubit are best served warm from the pan.

Looking for more Indonesian recipes?

Try:

• Chicken Sate
• Soto Betawi (Betawi Beef and Coconut Soup)
• Sate Lilit Ayam (Balinese Chicken Satay)

This recipe was originally posted in September 2016 and updated November 2021.

Kue Cubit (Indonesian Pinch Cake) Recipe

Adapted from Hey Theresia

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Kue Cubit (Indonesian Pinch Cake)

A recipe for Kue Cubit (Indonesian Pinch Cake)! These little pinch cakes can be formed with a variety of flavors and toppings for quite the fun treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indonesian

Keyword cake, dessert, Indonesia, Indonesian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings 25 -30 Kue Cubit

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) milk
• 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled, plus more butter or vegetable oil for greasing the pan

Optional toppings:

• 1-2 teaspoons matcha green tea powder
• 1-2 teaspoons hot water
• Chocolate sprinkles
• Crushed chocolate creme sandwich cookies
• Toasted, finely shredded coconut

Instructions

• In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.
• Slowly mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Whisk in the vanilla extract, milk, and butter until just combined to form a smooth batter. Cover and allow to rest for 1 hour.
• Place an Indonesian cake mold or aebleskiver pan over medium heat.
• Once heated, grease the cavities and decrease heat to medium-low/low.
• Whisk the batter a couple of times to mix, then transfer to a pastry bag or plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into the greased cavities, about 1/3-1/2 full depending on the size of the pan.
• Cover the pan and cook for about a minute.
• Top the cakes with desired toppings such as sprinkles, cookies, or coconut. Cover the pan again and cook to desired doneness, until the tops are just barely set and still a little shiny or up to 4 minutes to completely cook through. Adjust the heat between medium low-low as needed to cook the interior without burning the edges.
• To make the Matcha Kue Cubit, whisk the matcha into the hot water until dissolved, then stir into the batter. Add more if needed to create the desired color.
• Carefully remove the Kue Cubit with a hooked wooden stick or small spoons. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing as needed, and serve immediately.