Pandan Chiffon Cake

Name: Pandan Chiffon Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 100 ml coconut milk; 2 tbsp water; 15 pandan leaves; 5 egg yolk(s); 80 g sugar; 70 ml coconut oil; 1 tsp baking powder; 100 g cake flour; 5 egg white(s); 0.5 tsp white vinegar; 0.5 tsp salt

Pandan chiffon cake is soft, fluffy, moist and fragrant. In this recipe, the addition of coconut milk enhances its flavour. The fragrance and colour of the cake come from the pandan leaves extract.

4.71 stars

Grace

Total Time

Preparation 30 mins
Cooking 60 mins

Dish Type

Dessert

Alternate Names

班蘭戚風蛋糕, Pandan cake, Kek Pandan Chiffon,

Cuisines

Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesian, Bruneian

Nutrition per Serving

Calories

144 kcal

Carbs

14 g

Fat

9 g

Protein

3 g

Cait

Loved the cake (and so did my family)! This was my second go at making the cake. On my first attempt the flavour was correct but the texture wasn't - it was light and aerated from the top down to about the 2/3s the way down and then thick and undercooked to the base. This time I upped the oven temperature by ten degrees on the control and stuck to the 1 hour guide - success!

Mike Jones

Today tried this Pandan Chiffon Cake. Taste good, not too sweet. Only the colour not green. Maybe not enough pandan juice.

Eileen

I am quite satisfied with the result although it deflate a little bit. I made this one is 27cm and I double your recipe. But I find it after I baked finished, I purposely left in oven for 5 mins and took out. Before I took out, it deflate lower by 2 cm . I can't figure why as egg whites I checked thick enough and it wont drop down not overdo it. Any suggestion to prevent it ?

Graeme chow

My first pandan cake.
Done with pandan leaves and coconut oil. Next time i will try to make it more fluffy and soft.

Michelle Lim

it just real result worth trying the recipe of pandan chiffon cake

sudarsono

Sophia Chia

Very tasty though low and with a rubbery bottom layer (tasty, too). I used 16 pandan leaves and put them through a slow juicer. I waited some hours to have a concentrate and used the leftover water for herbal tea. The taste is definitely that of pandan but the colour is barely green

Joanna

This is a sure hit for my family. It did not last a day!

Bing

First trial.
When in oven, the cake was high thou have cracks.. But when out from oven ten mins later, it became flat. Why??:(

Tracy Lee

Nice stiff peaks. This photo was taken holding the bowl upside down in the air, and the egg whites didn't fall out. We had to swap out extract for pandan leaves, as we couldn't find pandan leaves during lockdown here in London. Also, we added lots of green food colouring to the finished batter, but due to the amount of dark egg yolks used in the recipe, the green food colour didn't show up. The cake is still very yellow. It tasted great, but will try the recipe again to see if it will rise higher next time. Our cake tin is 10in x 4in (25.4cm x 10cm). Do not use a non-stick pan. The batter needs to cling to the edges of the pan as it rises.

Deborah Ann Miller

Pandan chiffon cake is like a dream cake due to its fluffiness, softness and moistness. The fragrance of the cake comes from the extract of pandan leaves which is also known as screw pine leaves.

This recipe offers a step by step guide with all the tips needed to come up with the perfect pandan chiffon cake.

How does pandan leaves taste like?

Pandan leaves is quite neutral in taste and has a grassy note because it is after all, a type of perennial grass. It is mainly used for its colour and aroma.

Can pandan leaves be substituted?

Unfortunately, pandan leaves cannot be replaced as it provides a very special aroma.

Where to buy pandan leaves or pandan extract?

Frozen or fresh pandan leaves are sold at Asian grocers. Otherwise, bottled pandan extract can also be found in Asian grocers. They are normally displayed along with the colouring and other extracts for baking/cooking.

Alternately, of course, you may replace it with orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla, coffee or any flavour of your preference.

Is baking powder needed?

No. If you do not want to use baking powder when making chiffon cake, you may omit it. Baking powder is recommended to ensure that the cake rises in case the other steps were not done properly.

To prevent a dense chiffon cake

Chiffon cakes are loved for its airiness. Besides using the help of baking powder, you need to ensure each step is done very carefully. However, making a perfect chiffon cake is very tricky because it depends on the eggs and how you mix the ingredients together.

Egg whites must be fully beaten until stiff. However, they shouldn't be over worked as the cake might not rise. Egg whites which are over worked will not form a stiff peak. This will result in a flat and dense cake.
Sugar helps to stiffen the egg whites. It's recommended to use fine sugar which is recommended for baking in this recipe as it is important for the sugar to dissolve, helping to create the shine and stiffness that is needed for a perfect chiffon cake.
Egg yolks on the other hand must be beaten to incorporate air. Beat till the colour of the yolk turns pale.
When combining the mixture as shown in step 6, carefully fold the batter and not lose the air in the egg whites.

Each step needs to be adhered to closely. Take time to watch the video above to understand the steps.

What is the difference between a sponge cake and a chiffon cake?

Chiffon cake is generally more airy compared to sponge cake. It is also more moist because of the oil used in the recipe.

Does the pan require greasing?

No, the cake pan does not need to be greased because the batter needs to cling onto the pan to rise.

How to store chiffon cake?

Once the cake has cooled, store it in an air-tight container. It should keep well for three days. However, I bet that it would be finished within a day or at the very most, two!

Ingredients

Servings:

100 ml: coconut milk
2 tbsp: water
15: pandan leaves
5: egg yolk(s)
80 g: sugar
70 ml: coconut oil
1 tsp: baking powder
100 g: cake flour
5: egg white(s)
1⁄2 tsp: white vinegar
1⁄2 tsp: salt

Steps to Prepare

Step 1 of 8

- 100 ml coconut milk
- 2 tbsp water
- 15 pandan leaves

Blend the pandan leaves with 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of coconut milk. Sieve the blended pandan leaves to obtain the extract. Set aside.

Step 2 of 8

- 5 egg yolk(s)
- 20 g sugar

Beat egg yolks until the colour lightens. Add sugar. Continue beating until mixture is even and creamy.

Step 3 of 8

- 70 ml coconut oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100 g cake flour

Add oil, the rest of the coconut milk and pandan leaves extract. Mix well. Add sifted baking powder and cake flour into the mixture.

Step 4 of 8

- 5 egg white(s)
- 60 g sugar
- 1⁄2 tsp white vinegar

To prepare meringue, add sugar to egg whites a little at a time. Beat at high speed until it is foamy. Once it begins to foam, add vinegar.

Step 5 of 8

- 1⁄2 tsp salt

Continue beating the egg whites at medium speed. Add salt too. Beat the egg whites mixture until stiff. Do not overbeat.

Step 6 of 8

Add the meringue into the batter in batches. Fold in till batter and meringue are mixed thoroughly.

Step 7 of 8

Slowly pour the batter into a mould (ca. 18-22cm) while tilting the mixing bowl to get rid of air bubbles. Use a rubber spatula or chopstick to quickly run through the batter to pop air bubbles.

Step 8 of 8

Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for about 1 hour or until golden brown. Once brought out of the oven, place it upside down until it cools to room temperature.

Published: April 2, 2016

33 Discussions

4 years ago

Eileen

Hi Grace, today I bake this pandan chiffon cake. Is nice & not too sweet. Only the colour not so green as yours. May I know how much pandan juice u extracted from the pandan leave?

4 years ago

Eileen

Hi Grace, what is the best chiffon cake mould size for this recipe?

4 years ago