Pandan Cake

Written By Claudia Choi

Serves: 12 | Prep time: 45 minutes | Cook time: 45 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 eggs (separated)

  • ¾ cup Caster sugar

  • ¾ cup Rice bran oil (or any vegetable oil)

  • 1 tsp Vanilla essence

  • 175mL Coconut milk

  • 1 cup (150g) Self-raising flour

  • 1 tsp Cream of tartar

  • ¼ - ½ tsp Pandan extract syrup (to colour)

  • Pandan leaves (optional)

METHOD

Step 1
Preheat oven to 170°C fan-forced.

Step 2
Separate 8 eggs into yolks and egg whites.

Step 3
Beat egg yolks, sugar, oil and vanilla essence in a small bowl until combined. Add in combined coconut milk and pandan extract/pandan extract syrup.

  • When using pandan leaves, cut up the leaves into a blender and add some water (as little as possible). Blend to extract pandan juice. Using a sieve or cheesecloth, pour or squeeze out the pandan juice then fill the rest up to 175mL with coconut milk.

  • Even if using pandan leaves, still add pandan extra for more colouring.

 
 

Step 4
Beat all egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer (on low) until frothy, add cream of tartar, beat (on high) until firm peaks form. Ideal peaks are creamy looking, not foamy.

 
 

Step 5
Sift flour 3 times into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and whisk the egg mixture into flour mixture.

Step 6
Fold egg whites into flour mixture in two batches using a balloon whisk. If not green enough, add more pandan extract syrup.

Step 7
Carefully pour the mixture into an ungreased tube baking pan. To help disperse bubbles, gently drop the pan from a height of approximately 20cm onto the table a few times and pull a skewer through the mixture. 

 
 

Step 8
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the cake feels springy to touch.

Step 9
Gently invert the pan on a bench to cool. Do not move or bump the pan until the cake is completely cold.

Step 10
Run a small knife around the side and bottom of the pan to release the cake. Once released, flip the cake upside down onto a serving plate.

TIPS

  • Make sure that all the bowls and utensils used do not have any residue from washing liquid - especially when whisking egg whites as the egg whites will fail to stiffen and peak.

  • The baking pan can be bought here. You need a baking pan that has the prongs sticking out so that the cake be inverted when cooling.

  • Pandan extract can be bought from any well-stocked Asian grocers. For those in Australia, I bought mine from Yuens Market.

Claudia Choi
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