Pandan chiffon cake is a fragrant, soft and fluffy cake which doesn’t need any icing to be enjoyed.
Unadorned chiffon cake is one of the Asian cakes I relish eating.
Making it, not so much, as they don’t always come out perfect.
But I still make them.
It reminds me of my childhood. We always got chiffon cakes on our birthdays.
The latest chiffon cake I’ve baked a few times is pandan chiffon cake.
This resulted when I discovered the existence of pandan leaves in an Asian store here in Biel. I purchased a pack and made homemade pandan extract! Nothing like an all-natural flavoring.
So, I’ve added pandan chiffon cake to my favorites, along with ube chiffon cake and the classic vanilla chiffon cake.
So, in the process of making chiffon cakes, here are some tips and my notes:
Whisking egg yolks and sugar
I have always only mixed the egg yolk mixture with a spatula, until I came across this pandan cake recipe (which I’ve adapted to get the recipe I am using), in which he beats the egg yolks and sugar until pale and tripled in size. I was curious and I tried it. And I got the best chiffon cake I’ve ever made. So, I believe it works, and I will do it from now on.
To do this, place your egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer or a bowl. Whip on high speed until the mixture becomes pale and has tripled in volume.
Whisking egg whites
Make sure your bowl and whisk are clean and free from fat. To do this, wipe the bowl and whisk with white vinegar and let air dry.
Also ensure that your egg whites are at room temperature and has no traces of egg yolks.
(I have read here that the Japanese whip COLD egg whites. You might want to try it as well. I did it once, and it worked for me. However, my eggs are NOT REFRIGERATED, so it is easier for me to use room temperature egg whites.)
Start whisking your egg whites and cream of tartar at low speed for a minute until bubbles form. Increase the speed to medium and slowly add in the sugar. Once all the sugar has been incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
You may check this by turning the bowl upside down. If the meringue stays in place and sticks to the bowl, well done! If it is still sliding, whip a bit more.
Sugar
Using fine caster sugar is key to get the sugar to dissolve quickly when whisked into the eggs. If you have none on hand, simply process in your blender or food processor your granulated sugar.
Flour to use
It is best to use a low-protein flour, like cake flour, to ensure your cake is soft. Here
Coconut milk
I’ve only used canned or boxed full-fat coconut milk. I don’t know what the results will be with fresh, but I think it will be best to used the first press (kakang gata in Filipino) for the richness.
Homemade pandan extract
I’ve only used homemade pandan extract in testing this recipe. I have no access to bottled pandan extract, you might want to try store-bought pandan extract if you want, but based on what I have read online, bottled extract tastes artificial. So, I implore you to make your own. Here are instructions on how to make them. The process is simple, you only need time.
Cream of tartar
This helps stabilise the egg whites. This is quite difficult to come by in my area of Europe. I stock up from the Philippines or Dublin. It has a relatively long shelf life and a box can be used for a lot of recipes already.
But if you don’t have it, don’t fret.
You may use lemon juice or white vinegar as substitute. Use the same quantity as the recipe requires.
Here’s how to make pandan chiffon cake:
You will need a 25 cm tube pan. You DO NOT NEED to grease it. Greasing the tube pan will prevent the cake batter from rising up the sides.
Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks and the sugar using the wire whisk in a large bowl until the color of the egg yolks turn pale and has tripled in size.
Mix the oil, coconut milk, pandan extract and vanilla in a large cup with a pourable spout.
Slowly add to the egg yolks and sugar.
In a separate bowl, mix together the cake flour, baking powder and sea salt with a wire whisk, or sift everything together.
Slowly add to the egg yolk and sugar mixture with the mixer running on low. Or fold the flour mixture in with a silicon spatula.
Set aside and clean the wire whisk. Wipe with white vinegar to remove any traces of fat.
Make the meringue.
Place your egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl. Slowly whisk on medium for 2 to 3 minutes until foamy.
Increase the speed to medium high and slowly add the sugar. Continue whisking until you get stiff peaks.
Fold the beaten egg whites in 3 parts into the egg yolk mixture. This will help you not to lose a lot of the air you worked into the egg whites.
Pour the batter into the tube pan. Bang your tube pan on the counter a few times to get rid of big air bubbles.
Bake the cake on the lowest rack for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
If the cake is browning too fast, cover with a piece of foil or a baking pan on top.
Cool the pandan chiffon cake upside down.
Do this cake rack or stick the middle hole in a bottle. This is to ensure that the cake will not sink and collapse into itself as it cools.
To remove from the tube pan, run a thin knife as smoothly as you can around the pan and the middle tube and take out carefully.
Slice and enjoy!
Pin the pandan chiffon cake recipe for future reference:
Other cake recipes you might like:
Chocolate and brown butter vanilla layer cake
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Tweety
Yields 1 25-inch cake
Serves 12
A fragrant, fluffy and soft chiffon cake flavored with natural pandan extract.
20 minPrep Time
50 minCook Time
1 hr, 10 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 6 large egg yolks
- ½ cup (100 g) fine caster sugar
- ½ cup minus 1 tsp (115 ml) coconut oil (melt if solid) or canola oil
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (150 ml) coconut milk
- 2 tbsp homemade pandan extract
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 8 egg whites
- ½ cup (100 g) white sugar
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
Directions
- You will need a 25 cm tube pan. You DO NOT NEED to grease it.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks and the sugar using the wire whisk in a large bowl until the color of the egg yolks turn pale and has tripled in size.
- Mix the oil, coconut milk, pandan extract and vanilla in a large cup with a pourable spout.
- Slowly add to the egg yolks and sugar.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the cake flour, baking powder and sea salt with a wire whisk, or sift everything together.
- Slowly add to the egg yolk and sugar mixture with the mixer running on low.
- Set aside and clean the wire whisk. Wipe with white vinegar to remove any traces of fat.
- Place your egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl. Slowly whisk on medium for 2 to 3 minutes until foamy. Increase the speed to medium high and slowly add the sugar. Continue whisking until you get stiff peaks.
- Fold the beaten egg whites in 3 parts into the egg yolk mixture.
- Pour the batter into the tube pan. Bang your tube pan on the counter a few times to get rid of big air bubbles.
- Bake the cake on the lowest rack for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- If the cake is browning too fast, cover with a piece of foil or a baking pan on top.
- Cool the cake upside down on a cake rack or stick the middle hole in a bottle. This is to ensure that the cake will not sink as it cools.
- To remove from the tube pan, run a thin knife as smoothly as you can around the pan and the middle tube and take out carefully.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Prep time does not include making the pandan extract.
