Pandan Cake

We’ve been receiving quite a number of requests for a Pandan Cake recipe, so finally here it is.

There are many things to go through before we get to the recipe. First of all, our version of the pandan cake is a bit different to the classic Malaysian padan chiffon cake. The chiffon cake involves the making of a meringue while our version is a bit simpler, yet quite delicious if we may say so ourselves. You don’t need a stand mixer or a hand held electric mixer for this recipe either, because you can just use your juice blender to beat the eggs and the sugar together.

Second, about the pandan extract. We made our own by processing pandan leaves with coconut milk and water in the blender and straining it. But if you have pandan essence, you can just use that; just add around a teaspoon or so to 1/3 cup milk and use that in step 9.

Also about the vanilla essence, we’ve made this cake with and without it. Pandan though aromatic has a really subtle grassy and nutty flavor and some of us do think that the flavor gets lost a bit when we use vanilla. Some of us on the other hand thought it worked out pretty well with vanilla too. So, we’ll leave this decision to you.

And finally about the topping, it’s a really simple coconut sauce because we think the flavor of coconut pairs really well with pandan. But here’s the thing, coconut milk goes bad quite easily so it’s better to keep it in the fridge and drizzle it over the cake slices just before they are served. You can prepare the coconut sauce with more sugar if you prefer it sweeter. You can also opt for something like a simple coconut glaze topping instead if you want more sweetness. And lastly, the cake is nicer if you store it at room temperature.

Ingredients:

For the cake

• 3 cups chopped pandan leaves (our pieces were an inch wide)
• ½ cup coconut milk (we used Kara brand)
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1 cup flour
• 2 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup sugar (2/3 cup if you want the cake sweeter)
• ½ cup oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence (optional)

For the topping

• 1 cup coconut milk (we used Kara brand)
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. sugar (or to taste)
• 3 tbsp. water
• 1 ½ tsp. corn flour
• 3 tsp. water (for dissolving the corn flour)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Rub 2 teaspoons of oil on the bottom and sides of a 7 ½ inch diameter cake tin. You can just use your fingers for this, after thoroughly washing them of course. Then dust the tin with around a tablespoon of plain flour. You can just place the flour in the middle of the tin and just gently tap while turning the tin this way and that to have it distributed evenly at the bottom. To dust the sides, hold the tin vertically, place the flour on the side, and then just turn it like a wheel while tapping. All of this might sound confusing, but you’ll find it’s quite simple when you actually do it.
3. Add the pandan leaves, coconut milk, and water to a juice blender and process until the leaves are completely crushed. 
4. Strain the mixture into a small bowl. You should be able to extract 1/3 cup. Set it aside.
5. Sift together the flour and the baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
6. Beat together the eggs, sugar and oil until you get a creamy texture. For this you can use a stand mixer, hand held electric mixer, or even your juice blender. If you are using your juice blender, running it for around 2 minutes on low would do.
7. Transfer the egg mixture to a bowl.
8. Add around 4 tablespoons of the flour mixture into the egg mixture and mix until the flour is fully incorporated. You can just use a spoon for the mixing.
9. Then add in around 2 tablespoons of the pandan extract and mix until combined.
10. Repeat steps 8 & 9 until you run out of flour and pandan extract.
11. Add and combine the vanilla essence if you are using it.
12. Pour the mixture into the cake tin you prepared before.
13. Place the tin on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. For us this took 25 minutes. But oven temperatures differ, so keep an eye on it and make the necessary adjustments. 
14. While the cake is baking, start preparing the topping by adding the coconut milk, salt, sugar and water to a pot. Mix well to combine everything together and cook on low heat until it begins to simmer.
15. Quickly combine the corn flour with the 3 teaspoons of water and then pour it into the pot. Mix well and let it cook for another 30 seconds. Then pour it into a container and let it cool down a bit. It will thicken a little while it cools down too.
16. When the cake is baked, take it out of the oven and let it cool down. Once cooled, remove from the tin.
17. When you are ready to serve, slice, and then drizzle the topping over the slices being served.