06/11/2026
So what makes White Flour Bakes’ Nab Vam cake so special? It’s simple—I bake what I love, so you can enjoy it too.
I love Hmong Nab Vam. It’s distinct from Vietnamese tri-color or Filipino halo-halo. There’s a certain essence—nahom—that we add, and it has to be just right. Too little, and it doesn’t taste like Nab Vam. Too much, and it’s like eating perfume. 😆 That balance is everything.
When I was younger, my mom made Nab Vam using the simplest ingredients. Tiny tapioca pearls—some pink, some white. Pandan cendols made entirely by hand. We even used our rice cooker to press the cendol dough through to get those strings. Making cendol was absolutely my least favorite part. My mom kept it simple: plain simple syrup only. No palm sugar, no caramel syrup.
What I loved most was watching my mom. She’d crack open a frozen gallon of water, hold it steady with one hand, and whack it with the back of a butcher knife until it shattered. Those icy pieces would go straight into our bowl of Nab Vam. Ice-cold Nab Vam with perfectly rich coconut cream was rare in our home—and when we made it, we made it to last for days.
This Nab Vam cake brings me right back to those moments. Back to a time when you couldn’t just pick up a cup of Nab Vam at an Asian grocery store. We made it ourselves—with effort, patience, and a lot of love.
So what’s in this cake? Just like the Nab Vam I grew up with, it’s simple—but full of flavor and memory. It’s a two-layer pandan coconut sponge, layered with coconut whipped cream. Each layer is lightly brushed with simple syrup. You can’t have Nab Vam without that pure sweetness. When Nab Vam gets watered down, you know it’s time to stop. I’ve tried this cake with and without the syrup, and it truly makes a difference. I don’t use it just to moisten the cake—it’s a memory. It’s what my mom used, and it’s what gives this cake its full, familiar flavor.
White Flour Bakes will be at the Midtown Farmer’s Market this Saturday from 9am to 1pm with Nab Vam slices and Tres Leches slices.
