Sarawakian twist makes mooncakes a huge hit

Rainbow temptation: Maria Kek Lapis employee Lydia Ibrahim showing a colourful array of kek lapis mooncakes available at the bakery at Main Bazaar in Kuching. — ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star

KUCHING: The mooncakes at Maria Kek Lapis bakery come with a uniquely Sarawakian twist as the filling consists of colourful layers of kek lapis, Sarawak’s famous layer cake.

Proprietor Maria Ngui has been selling these special mooncakes since 2018 after first trying them out with family and friends.

“I got the idea to make kek lapis mooncakes in 2017 as I wanted to do something different from what was available in the market.

“At that time, no one was doing it so I thought I would give it a shot.

“But when I first started making it, I didn’t dare promote it to my customers. I only made it for family and friends to try,” she said.

Ngui, whose bakery is located at Main Bazaar here, said the encouraging feedback from her family and friends gave her the confidence to start selling the kek lapis mooncakes the following year.

She said the mooncakes sold well in 2018 and 2019, though sales were later affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This year, sales are picking up again. At the beginning of the month, we were making about 200 mooncakes a day.

“Now that it is closer to the Mid-Autumn Festival, we’re making 700 to 800 pieces daily,” Ngui added.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, traditionally celebrated with mooncakes, falls on Sept 10 this year.

Ngui’s mooncakes are available in the traditional baked skin and snowskin varieties, with a wide range of kek lapis flavours.

“Marble velvet and tiramisu are the most popular flavours,” she said, adding that she hoped to pass down the kek lapis mooncake recipes to the next generation of bakers.