Allow 4 eggs, 1 cup of ube halaya, and 2 cups of grated edam cheese (sub: gouda or mild cheddar cheese) come completely to room temperature.

Take 2 large pieces of banana leaf and cut it into large rectangles that's big enough to cover a 9" round pan or cast iron skillet, around 10" to 15" rectangles. Pass the pieces of banana leaves over a stove flame for a few seconds to soften it and make it easier to mold. If using frozen banana leaf, defrost it first and gently pat them dry before passing over a flame. Passing over the flame will also remove any remaining moisture from defrosting. Make sure there are no rips in the leaves.

With an oven rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 C).

Take a 9" round pan or 9" cast iron skillet and line it with the two rectangles of moldable banana leaf, crossing the banana leaves over each other so that they go all the way up the sides. Mold the leaves to the shape of the skillet so that the banana leaves overshoot the sides of the skillet a bit.

Take a large bowl and a sieve, add 2 1/2 cups rice flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup sugar. Sift these into the bowl, then whisk them together to combine.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in 5 tbsp melted butter, 1 (13.5-oz) can coconut milk (1 2/3 cups), the 4 room temperature eggs, the 2 cups room temperature grated cheese), and 1 tsp ube extract. Whisk together until it is smooth.

Take the 1 cup of room temperature ube halaya, add in 1 tsp of ube extract, mix it together to combine, and transfer into a disposable piping bag or ziploc bag and cut a 1/2" hole at the tip.

Pour about half of the batter mixture into the banana leaf-lined pan. Use the piping bag to distribute about half of the ube halaya over the batter by creating round dollops of ube halaya throughout the batter. Pour the remaining half of the batter into the pan. Then again pipe small round dollops of with the remaining ube halaya.

Take 2 salted eggs and slice them into quarters, resulting in 8 pieces. Arrange the pieces of salted egg in the batter. I like to arrange them in a circle towards the outer edges of the pan.

Bake in the preheated oven at 400 F (205 C) for 25 minutes.

Take the bibingka out and brush the top surface with 2 tbsp of melted butter, and sprinkle 1/4 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut over the top. I like to add the coconut towards the center so they don't cover the slices of salted egg.

Return the bibingka to the 400 F (205 C) oven to continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the bits of coconut on top are browned. If you have a thermometer, the internal temperature should be 190 to 200 F (88 to 93 C)

Let it cool in the pan on a metal rack for 15 minutes. Then holding on to the banana leaves, transfer to a chopping board. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!