What is Chiffon Pandan Cake?
Chiffon cake is a very light and airy cake which is unique in that it uses vegetable oil instead of traditional fat like butter, margarine or shortenings. By using a vegetable oil (I use canola oil because it has a neutral taste), it makes the cake moister, softer and silkier. There are different flavors of Chiffon cake available in Indonesia, but the most famous is made with pandan flavor. Pandan leaves are widely cultivated in Southeast Asia and most of the food in Indonesia incorporates pandan leaves in some form.
Substitution
Cake flour: If you can’t find cake flour, you can make it yourself by measuring 1 cup of all purpose flour, removing 2 tablespoons, and adding back in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Make sure to sift the flour. Cake flour yields a softer and airier cake.
Cream of tartar: You can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar.
Pandan juice: If you are not able to find pandan leaves in your local Asian store, you can substitute it with this pandan flavoring extract from Amazon. This is the most commonly used pandan extract in Indonesia.
Tips
Use a tube pan: It’s better to use a tube pan with a removable bottom, it will be easier to remove the cake. The hole in the center also helps the cake bake more evenly.
DON’T grease the tube pan: Chiffon cake needs to cling to the side of the pan in order to rise properly. If those pan are greased, there is nothing for it to cling to and will result in a flat cake.
Flat bottom surface: Fifteen minutes after the cake begins to bake, create eight shallow cuts through the formed crust equidistant around the cake. This would be the same pattern as if you were going to cut the cake into eight pieces. These cuts ensure that you will have a flat bottomed cake.
Let cool upside down: The cake must be cooled upside down to prevent it from collapsing while it cools.
Chiffon Pandan Cake
Course: DessertCuisine: IndonesianDifficulty: Easy12
servings20
minutes55
minutes253
kcalA light and airy cake that has a richness of a butter cake, the pandan creates a vanilla taste with a hint of coconut.
Ingredients
8 large eggs (separate the white from the yolk)
1 3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup & remove 2 tsp vegetable oil
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
2 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
8 – 10 pandan leaves, cut into 1 inch
Directions
- Wash the pandan leaves and cut into 1 inch chunks. In a blender or food processor, blend the coconut milk and pandan leaves for 1 minute or until no big chunks remain.
- Using a fine sieve or cheesecloth, sieve the coconut milk and pandan mixture. If after sieving, you end up with less than 2/3 a cup of mixture, replace the missing liquid with more coconut milk. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 340° F
- Sift the cake flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat egg whites along with the cream of tartar and a third of sugar on medium speed. Once the egg whites turn from foamy to soft peak, gradually add the rest of the sugar. Beat until it reaches a stiff peak. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and coconut milk/pandan mixture until combined. Slowly incorporate the sifted ingredients into the mixture.
- Lighten the yolk batter by adding a fourth of the egg whites mixture. Gently fold the remaining egg whites in two equal parts until the batter and egg white mixture are incorporated.
- Pour the incorporated mixture into a 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom. Bake for 50 – 55 minutes.
- Invert the cake pan to let it cool for about 10 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the cake from the pan. Slowly and carefully slide the knife between the cake and the pan. Move slowly around the edges. Your cake should now be detatched and ready to serve.
