Recipe: Liver Cake - Bánh Gan

By Helen Le Published: October 3, 2018

  • Prep: 30 mins
  • Cook: 50 mins
  • Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins

  • Yield: 1 (4-6 Servings)

Literally translated, bánh gan means “liver cake”. Don’t worry this cake contains no liver; it’s only called that way because, the appearance should somewhat resemble a piece of liver. It has this dark brown greyish color and the texture looks so much like liver. But Don’t let the looks and name scare you! This cake is served cold and the flavor is rich and creamy, quite similar to flan.

Print
Ingredients
Instructions
  • Toast the star anise in a dry pan for 2 minutes till fragrant.
  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the palm sugar with a cup of coconut milk. Stir to dissolve. Then toss in the toasted star anise. When the sugar is completely melted (after about 4 minutes), take off the heat and leave to cool.
  • Preheat your oven to 180C (375F) Grease the 20cm 8-inch baking pan with some cooking oil or spray and put it into the oven to heat it up.
  • Crack 4 eggs in a bowl. Use a whisk to break the yolk and stir till homogenous. Making sure the whisk always touch the bottom of the pan to avoid creating to many bubbles.
  • Next, in a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp rice flour with 2 tbsp water. In another bowl, mix 1 tsp cacao powder with 1 tbsp hot water. Stir to dissolve. Then add to the egg mixture.Stir to combine.
  • The pan has been heated in the oven for 10 minutes, it’s now nice and hot. Take it out using kitchen gloves and immediately pour the mixture into the pan through a sift. You should hear a sizzling sound. Back into the oven it goes. Bake 40 minutes at 180C or 375F.

Currently, you can order Helen’s cookbook on amazon or you can order items that Helen often uses in the kitchen.