[1] Spekkoek is popular in Indonesia and is served as a holiday treat, especially for natal, imlek, and lebaran.

In the Netherlands, the sliced cake can be found in most grocery stores and Asian markets (tokos).

The Dutch term spekkoek translates literally as pork belly (or bacon) cake, a name derived from its appearance of dark and light layers.

[citation needed] Spekkoek is thought to have been made by the wives of Dutch administrators in Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) during the colonial period and served during evening tea.

[4] As a spekkoek commonly has more than 18 layers, baking it requires patience and is a very labour-intensive process.

Where clove buds or cardamom seeds are difficult to find, bakers can use spekkoek powder as a replacement.

Due to the effort required to bake the cake, it is a rather expensive delicacy, costing about €20 per kilogram in 2010 in the Netherlands.