Which Thai layered dessert is traditionally steamed in nine layers?

The Thai layered dessert traditionally steamed in nine layers is khanom chan. Its name combines khanom, meaning dessert, with chan, meaning layer or layers.

Khanom chan is made from a batter typically containing rice flour, tapioca flour, coconut milk, sugar, and sometimes arrowroot or mung-bean flour. The batter is divided and colored or flavored—pandan is especially common—then poured into a mold one thin layer at a time. Each layer is steamed until set before the next is added, producing the dessert’s smooth, springy texture.

Nine layers are considered auspicious in Thailand because the word for nine, kao, resembles kao, meaning to advance or move forward. For that reason, khanom chan is associated with progress, good fortune, promotion, weddings, housewarmings, and other important ceremonies.

The dessert is sometimes confused with Indonesian or Malaysian kue lapis and other Southeast Asian steamed layer cakes. They share ingredients and techniques, but khanom chan is the specifically Thai dessert in this question. Its layers may be green and white, pink and white, or several colors, and the finished cake is commonly cut into small squares.