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Cantik Manis Recipe (Indonesian Sweet Pretty Cake) » Indonesia Eats

HomeEasy RecipesCantik Manis Recipe (Indonesian Sweet Pretty Cake)August 31, 2010733ShareFacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsAppLinkedinReddItEmailPrintTelegramMixLINE

Cantik means pretty while manis means sweet. It’s straight forward translated from its name. Even though the name is cantik manis, I reduced the sugar amount from the recipe that I saw in my Yasa Boga cookbook. It’s very easy to make, no steaming or baking process. Cantik manis is also popular during Ramadan in Indonesia. Usually, there are evening markets that sold traditional goodies before the Iftar time, so people can buy and bring them for breaking their fast at home or mosque.

Anybody who wants to participate in Joy From Fasting To Feasting (season-III) who is hosted by Lubna Karim, feel free to click the link above. You don’t have to be a Muslim to join the event. The more the merrier, don’t you think?

Originally, these little cute dessert cakes are wrapped individually in thick plastics or banana leaves. However, I couldn’t find thick plastic wrappers and too lazy to thaw and shape my frozen banana leaves. I used my bite-size brownie squares 24-cavity silicone and putu ayu moulds. Below is the pictures.

Cantik Manis
– Indonesian Sweet Pretty Cakes –

Ingredients:
• 100 g colourful sago/tapioca pearls (Indonesian: biji mutiara)
• 50 g mung bean flour (Indonesian tepung hunkwe)*
• 500 mL coconut milk (If you use a 400 mL coconut milk in a can, just add another 100 mL water)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 90 g sugar (the recipe calls for 100 g)
• 1 pandan leaf, knotted
• banana leaves or plastic sheets, for wrapping (I used moulds)

Sago PearlsMethods:
• In a boiling water, put sago pearls and cook until done and transparent and strain.
• Dilute mung bean flour with some parts of coconut milk and set aside.
• Boil remaining coconut milk and pandan leaf with salt, then add mung bean flour mixture and stir. Add sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add sago pearls, stir well and remove from heat.
• Pour the mixture into moulds. Leave to cool. Unmould the cakes and serve.

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Cook’s Note:
* For people who can’t find tepung hunkwe, you may substitute for the Korean mung bean starch by reducing the amount of mung bean flour that I used in this recipe.

Mung Bean Flour & Starch
Mung bean flour is known as tepung hunkwe in Indonesian. However, there is a bit different with the Korean mung bean starch on the right hand side picture. If you notice tepung hunkwe is translated as flour not starch since it’s mixed with vanilla. The Korean one is pure starch.FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsAppLinkedinReddItEmailPrintTelegramMixLINEPrevious articleBinte Biluhuta Recipe (Milu Siram – Gorontalo Corn Soup)Next articleCSN Giveaway and Indonesia Eats Cook-UpIndonesia Eatshttps://indonesiaeats.comAn Indonesian-born who lived in Winnipeg Edmonton, Canada for more than a decade prior to move to Edmonton in 2017. Indonesia Eats is a memoir of her homeland.

  1. Ju (The Little Teochew) August 31, 2010 At 9:10 AMReally cantik!! I have never seen these colourful sago pearls. Only in white and green. Oh, I must really look harder. Great idea using those moulds. I would be too lazy with the banana leaves too!Reply
  2. Gulmohar August 31, 2010 At 11:02 AMAs the name says they look so pretty and cute..and I loved the name too 🙂Reply
  3. MaryMoh August 31, 2010 At 12:52 PMBeautiful dessert…..mmmm. But I can't find both the hoonkwe and the Korean type here. Maybe you have to make this for me 😛Reply
  4. Indonesia Eats August 31, 2010 At 1:23 PM@Ju: thanks for visiting my blog. Wiffy was also saying the same. She only can find the whites. The pearls that I have here was imported from Thailand@Gulmohar: me too@Mary: sure, I'll be happy to make some for youReply
  5. Mom's the little one August 31, 2010 At 1:43 PMmemang 'cantik' koq.. foto nya juga cantik. Duuh.. belum pernah ketemu pears sago secantik ini disini.. 🙁Reply
  6. Cooking Gallery August 31, 2010 At 2:02 PMYour cantik manis are so cantik…!! I need to make those as well in the future. I never really liked jajanan pasar back home but now I crave for them!Reply
  7. Subterfuge Diva August 31, 2010 At 6:36 PMVery pretty, Pepy, and so simple to make!Reply
  8. baking.serendipity August 31, 2010 At 6:56 PMI've never seen these before but they look gorgeous and almost delicate.Reply
  9. Jun Belen August 31, 2010 At 7:59 PMThose sago spheres are so lovely and colorful. I grew up with only just the regular, unflavored kind.What a very pretty dessert.Reply
  10. BabyBeluga August 31, 2010 At 10:27 PMKesukaan aku waktu kecil, kalau gag salah di Indo dibungkus either ama daun pisang atau plastic ya.Reply
  11. Torviewtoronto September 1, 2010 At 2:39 AMso colourful looks deliciouscheck out the event in my siteReply
  12. Jason's BBQ Adventures September 1, 2010 At 6:26 AMFeel weird saying this coming from a BBQ Guy, ahh those are so adorable! I do like the use of banana leaves!Reply
  13. Evan @swEEts September 1, 2010 At 6:30 AMThey are definitely very pretty.. the colors of the tapioca pearls make it gorgeous.. I'm very interested in the flavor.. I'm hoping I can find these ingredients at our local international food store!Reply
  14. Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets September 1, 2010 At 6:31 AMLove the pretty pastel colors and the lighting in your shot is great. My only familiarity with mung bean starch is a spicy Szechuan cold noodle dish made by cooking the starch with water into a paste, then setting it into a hard gel that can then be sliced and tossed with sauce.Reply
  15. Cook in a Bar September 1, 2010 At 7:08 AMReally interesting post, and as always, lovely pictures!Reply
  16. Anncoo September 1, 2010 At 7:43 AMWOW! These are cute and pretty really good for desserts. Will ask my cousin to get the sago from Thailand.Reply
  17. May Ling Wu September 1, 2010 At 10:39 AMI love how these look like little presents! Wish I could have one now 🙂Reply
  18. Little Corner of Mine September 1, 2010 At 11:58 AMSo pretty! I want one. I have a packet of Korean mung bean starch that I don't know what to do with it. Guess your recipe comes in handy, thanks! 🙂Reply
  19. tigerfish September 1, 2010 At 4:03 PMI love the soft colors here…each one is like a shy jewel. Preciously yummy and sweet.Reply
  20. Indonesia Eats September 1, 2010 At 5:47 PM@Mom's the little one: belum nemu aja kali 🙂@Cooking Gallery: same here.@Subterfuge Diva: indeed@baking.serendipity: no need to bake too@Jun: It may be different now 🙂@BabyBeluga: yups seperti yang tersebut diatas@Torviewtoronto: thanks@Jason's BBQ Adventures: with the use banana leaves, the cakes have a different nice aroma 🙂@Evan: let me know if you can't find them@Xiaolu: We have a mung bean vermicelli as well and we call it soun@Cook in a bar: thank you@Anncoo: hope your cousin can get it for you.@May Ling Wu: I wish i could give you a try as well@LCOM: nahh now you can use that starch@Tigerfish: indeed. thank youReply
  21. noobcook September 1, 2010 At 8:45 PMthis is so so pretty with the colouful sago. I want to steal your bottle if I can't find it here heheReply
  22. Chef Dennis September 3, 2010 At 4:47 AMthanks so much for pointing me in the right direction! I love those little pearls, and now I have a new dessert to try an make!Reply
  23. Paula September 7, 2010 At 2:17 AMlooks so cute!Reply
  24. Jane Ko November 5, 2010 At 8:42 AMIs there a difference between mung bean flour and mung bean powder?http://atasteofkoko.blogspot.com/Reply
  25. Monica Adriana December 6, 2010 At 7:07 AMmbak pepy, this is my favorite traditional cake! brings back my childhood memory.. should try make this sometimes later for sure!ur blog is really inspiring me..Reply
  26. 20 Delicious Indonesian Desserts - Food Fun & Faraway Places August 20, 2017 At 7:39 PM[…] Cantik Manis (Sweet Pretty Cake) | Indonesia Eats […]Reply
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