Pandan Chiffon Cake

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 170 C. Set an ungreased 12-14 cm chiffon tube pan or a small ungreased tall cake tin ready. If using a regular cake tin, line only the base, not the sides, so the batter can climb properly.

2. 2

   Blend the fresh pandan leaves, roughly chopped with the water until very fine, then strain firmly through a fine sieve or muslin to extract a vivid green pandan juice. Measure out 25 g for the batter.

3. 3

   Sift together the cake flour and baking powder into a bowl. Sifting helps prevent lumps and keeps the chiffon especially light.

4. 4

   In a second bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar until slightly lightened, about 1 minute. Whisk in the neutral oil in a thin stream until emulsified, then add the coconut milk, pandan juice, and fine salt. Whisk until smooth. Fold in the sifted flour mixture just until no dry streaks remain; do not overmix or the cake can lose tenderness.

5. 5

   In a very clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add the caster sugar and continue beating to a medium-stiff peak: the meringue should hold its shape but the tip should curl slightly. Overbeating can make folding difficult and cause a coarse crumb.

6. 6

   Fold one-third of the meringue into the yolk batter to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining meringue in two additions using a spatula, scraping the bottom of the bowl and turning the batter over without deflating it. Stop as soon as the batter is evenly colored and airy.

7. 7

   Pour the batter into the prepared ungreased pan. Tap the pan lightly once or twice to pop any large air bubbles, then run a skewer through the batter in a gentle zigzag for an even crumb. Bake for 28-32 minutes until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean.

8. 8

   Immediately invert the pan onto a bottle neck, rack, or heatproof support and let the cake cool completely upside down for about 15 minutes. This prevents the delicate chiffon from collapsing while the structure sets.

9. 9

   Once cooled, loosen the edges and center tube carefully with a thin palette knife. Unmold gently and serve in tall slices. The cake should be very light, moist, and fragrant with pandan and coconut.

Nutrition per serving

Notes

• •Use fresh pandan leaves rather than bottled essence for the cleanest grassy-vanilla aroma and natural color.
• •An ungreased chiffon pan is essential: the batter needs traction to rise high.
• •Medium-stiff meringue is the sweet spot for chiffon; very stiff peaks tend to create cracks and a drier texture.
• •If your oven runs hot, tent the top loosely with foil for the last 8-10 minutes to prevent over-browning while keeping the crumb moist.
• •This small cake is best eaten the day it is made, but it keeps well for 1 day in an airtight container at room temperature.

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