Pandan Chiffon Cake
Pandan Chiffon Cake
Mrs. Fong Chan and Mrs. Mei
This is a feathery light and lightly sweetened cake from Malaysia. It?s gentle flavour and the bright, but light green colour comes from the Pandan leaf essence. Pandan leaves are from a plant Pandanus odorus or P. latifolius, English name Screw pine. You can buy a small bottle of thick, glue like pandan concentrate from most, large Chinese grocers. Essence of the flowers of Pandanus fascicularis is used in Indian desserts and biryanies.
Ingredients
Mix A
7 egg whites
2 oz or 60 gm. fine, granulated sugar
1 level tsp. cream of tartar
Mix B
7 egg yolks
5 oz. or 150 gm self raising flour
3 oz. or 90 ml. corn oil (don’t use other, heavier oils)
4 oz. or 120 gm fine, granulated sugar
3 oz or 90 ml. water (for other flavours, you can use orange juice or strong coffee)
2 very clean and dry mixing bowl
Pandan flavour, obtainable from Chinese supermarkets. It is a thick concentrate and you need only about 1/4 tsp.
10 inch x 4-5 inch Pandan cake tin, see picture. This tin has a central pillar that is higher than the edges of the pan itself. In our experience, non-stick, Angel case moulds do not work, because when it is cooked, the tin has to be turned up-side down,
Topping or icing, optional
Icing sugar
Whipped cream
Fresh fruit like chopped strawberries or raspberries or jam
Instructions
Heat fan oven to 180?C or 350?F (200?C 400?F in non-fan assisted oven).
Grease the Pandan cake tin. If you have to use a non-stick Angel Cake tin, do not grease it.
Beat ingredients of mix A with an electric beater or by hand, until fluffy and stay in pan when it is turned up-side down.
Put all ingredients of Mix B in another pan and beat until smooth.
Now gently fold in mix B and colour (pandan flavour) into mix A using a flat spatula, a little by little, very gently, so that you don?t collapse the stiff egg white.
Pour gently into the tin and then even the surface out with a spatula.
Bake for 35 minutes in the centre of the oven. Now reduce temperature to 150?C or 300?F and cook for a further 35 minutes or so, until it looks cooked. To test, insert a bamboo skewer into the cake. It should come out moist but totally clean. Cake should feel springy.
Now place a dinner plate up-side-down on the table. Invert the cake tin onto it, so the tin is resting on it?s central pillar, allowing the cool air to circulate underneath the cake. Let it cool completely. You can invert the tin onto a cake rack too, the idea is to get air underneath the cake. Do not take it out of the pan until cool.
Lift the pan off, gently loosen the cake with a long, fine palette knife and take it out onto a serving plate.
Serve at room temperature.
Topping and Sandwich filling ideas<
Frost the top and sides of cake with whipped cream, sweetened with a little icing sugar according to taste. You can sandwich the 2 evenly sliced halves of the cake with the same cream and sugar mix. You can spread a thin layer of jam+whipped cream for sandwich filling.
Alternative falvours are;
Desiccated coconut, sprinkled on top of whipped cream topping.
Cocoa powder whipped with cream and chocolate shavings on top
Pandan flavouring added to whipped cream.
Coffee concentrate added to whipped cream (2 tsp coffee in 2 tsp. hot water)
Sprinkle roasted almond flakes on top layer of the cream.
Notes
I love this cake and have been looking for someione to show me how to make it. I finally got to learn it from a lady who makes a perfect Pandan cake all the time-Mamta.
