It does not take many dollars, days or a passport to delight the senses with aromatic, tasty treats that transport instantly in space and time.

All that is required are some spices. Sit down to a mug of mulled cider, and common apple juice is transformed into a momentous, steamy experience. Go a little further, adding cardamom and perhaps a pinch of cloves to your coffee, to relive a time when this elixir stimulated the senses as it inflamed Persian passions.

The Dutch understood the importance of certain seasonings found in Southeast Asia and especially in Indonesia, which it colonized as the Dutch East Indies from the early 1600s until World War II.

The Dutch East India Co. shipped nutmeg and cloves, cinnamon and cardamom to Holland and all of Europe for centuries. Along with native flavors and those brought over land via Middle Eastern and Asian trade routes, Indonesian spices brought tropical heat to European fare, even in the dead of winter. According to some sources, their medicinal properties could even raise the dead!

Centuries of foreign influence on Indonesian cuisine also has made its mark. One striking example can be found in multilayered, patterned butter cakes served at very special occasions. The best known of these is called Spekkoek, Lapis Legit, or Thousand Layered Cake. Its alternating layers of plain and spiced buttery pound cake produce a dessert that is not only fragrant and delicious but its striated appearance resembles a good piece of bacon, from which the name is said to derive. It is a wonderful accompaniment to spiced coffee or mulled cider, too.

If you have spices, a lot of eggs and patience, you can create your own Thousand Layer Cake. Have a slice of tropical warmth, centuries of history and conquest, and share it all with friends and family right in your own kitchen. Here's one recipe:

Preheat a broiler, or heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a buttered 9-inch springform pan with buttered parchment paper.

1. Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Beat in egg yolks.

2. In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat egg whites with salt until stiff. Fold into yolk mixture, and then fold in flour.

3. Divide batter between two bowls. Add combined spices to one bowl; stir well.

4. Pour about ½ cup of the spice batter into the pan, spreading to form a thin layer. Place pan under a preheated broiler for 2 minutes, or bake, until the layer is firm and very lightly browned.

5. Spread ½ cup of the plain batter over the top and broil or bake until firm. Repeat layering and broiling until all batter is used.

6. Let the cake cool, and then remove from pan. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

7. Enjoy!