Martabak manis
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
A thick, honeycombed griddle pancake cooked in a heavy pan, slathered with butter, sugar, chocolate, peanuts and condensed milk, then folded — Indonesia's favourite night-market sweet.
Martabak manis is an Indonesian dessert, ready in about 1 hour 25 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and butter. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 1 h
- Total
- 1 h 25 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 363
Ingredients
For the filling
Method
Step 1
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the flour, sugar (opens in a new tab), salt, egg (opens in a new tab), milk (opens in a new tab) and baking powder (opens in a new tab) into a smooth, thick batter. Cover and rest for 1 hour.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 2
Heat a heavy 24 cm pan over medium-low heat. Whisk (opens in a new tab) the baking soda (opens in a new tab) into the batter, pour it all in and swirl some up the sides.
- 2 min
- medium-low heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Step 3
When bubbles cover the surface, sprinkle with the 3 tablespoons of sugar (opens in a new tab), cover and cook until the top is set and the base deep golden.
- 10 min
- low heat
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 4
Spread generously with butter (opens in a new tab), scatter with peanuts and chocolate (opens in a new tab) and drizzle with condensed milk (opens in a new tab). Fold in half, press, brush the outside with more butter, and cut into wedges.
- 3 min
About this dish
- Origin
- Indonesia · Commonly attributedRelated to apam balik in Malaysia and Singapore; the dish is thought to have Hakka or Bangka Chinese roots.Also popular in Malaysia, SingaporeMore food from Indonesia
- Dish
- Snack · Dessert · Desserts · Street food · Sweets & confectionery
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried
- Taste
- sweet, buttery, nutty
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free - Good for
- Street food · Child-friendly · Festive & celebration
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour · Butter · Sugar · Egg · Milk · Baking powder
- Techniques
- Pan-frying
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom milk, butter, dark chocolate (70–85%), sweetened condensed milk
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg
- Contains: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts, dark chocolate (70–85%)
- May contain: Tree nutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
- May contain: Soyfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
363 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 120 g · recipe makes 8
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 10%
- Carbohydrate 50%
- Fat 40%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 363 kcal | 302 kcal |
| Protein | 9.1 g | 7.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 46.3 g | 38.6 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 43.8 g | 36.5 g |
| Sugars | 19.2 g | 16 g |
| Added sugars | — | — |
| Fibre | 2.5 g | 2.1 g |
| Fat | 16.2 g | 13.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 7.3 g | 6.1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 44 mg | 37 mg |
| Sodium | 292 mg | 243 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.7 g | 0.6 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 247 mg
- Calcium
- 124 mg
- Iron
- 2.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 49 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 78 µg
- Vitamin C
- —
- Vitamin D
- —
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- —
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- A cast-iron pan gives the even, steady heat needed for the honeycomb texture.
Common mistakes
- Too-high heat: the base burns before the thick middle sets.
Serve with
- Cheese and chocolate together is a popular Indonesian combination.
Storage
- Best warm; keeps at room temperature for the day.
Reheating
- Warm in a dry pan over low heat.
Variations
- Apam balik (Malaysia): A thinner, crispier version from Malaysia.
- Martabak telur: The savoury stuffed version with egg and minced meat.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- All-purpose flour250 g
- Egg1 piece · 50 g
- Milk300 ml · 309 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 10 min
Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.
Rest · about 1 h
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 15 min
Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.
- Start to finish: about 1 h 25 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
If something goes wrong
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Cracked or domed top
Likely causes
- Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
- Too much leavening
- Overmixed batter
What to do
- Lower the oven 10–15 °C
- Use the exact leavening amount
- Fold just until combined
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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