Fluffy Pandan Chiffon Cake
Pandan Chiffon Cake is light and very fluffy. It is often compared to cotton – for being almost weightless and airy. Fragrant with the aroma of pandanus leaves, it has a melt-in-the-mouth texture that is distinctly different from dense and chewy sponge cakes.
Aside from its satisfying texture and fragrance, it is also quite simple to make. The cake is supported by tiny air bubbles in the whipped egg whites and sugar, which is known as meringue. It is recommended to use a tall cake mould as it rises up very well, as well as a well-ventilated cooling rack so it can rest upside down as it cools. This keeps its height and prevents it from deflating prematurely.
While chiffon recipes tend to use less egg yolks than egg whites, the reason why I like this recipe is that it makes use of all the eggs – so there is no need to set aside extra egg yolks or whites, nor figuring out what to do with them.
Ingredients
Pandan leaf is the main flavour of the chiffon cake. Fresh, mature leaves are very aromatic and would make excellent juice. If not available, a few drops of pandan extract and green colouring work well too. If dried leaves are used, make sure to soak them in warm water to fully rehydrate them before juicing them. As the recipe calls for 100ml of liquid, be sure to add more water if it is not enough.
Cake flour, baking powder – which act as the double rising agents for a tall pandan chiffon cake. Sift them before adding them to the egg yolk mixture to prevent clumps of flour. As wheat flour is usually the base of most cake flour, take care not to over-stir the batter as this will encourage gluten, which in turn makes the chiffon cake dense and chewy.
Sugar, eggs, vanilla essence, salt – are the basic ingredients needed to make a cake when used in tandem with flour. For chiffon cakes, the eggs are separated into whites and yolks – while being careful not to expose the whites to even a single drop of fat from oils or the yolks. The presence of fat interferes with the meringue process, and a shiny, glossy foam of egg white would be hard to achieve.
Vegetable oil, water – in chiffon cakes, vegetable oil is used to retain moisture so they do not become too dry. For this pandan chiffon cake recipe, I included a blend of canola and sunflower oil (which is the same cooking oil I used in my everyday cooking). As long as it is unscented, it can be used.
Steps
Here’s the overview of how I make my Pandan Chiffon Cake:
- Sift flour and baking powder together.
- Make pandan juice.
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites.
- Mix the yolks, sugar, salt, pandan juice and vanilla extract.
- Add the sifted flour and mix until combined.
- Make the egg white meringue.
- Optionally, add food colouring.
- Mix the meringue with the yolk mixture.
- Pour the cake batter into the chiffon tin.
- Bake at 150°C/ 302°F for 20 – 25 minutes.
- Leave it to cool.
- Remove from the tin.
Tips
- Make sure the bowls housing the egg whites are clean and grease-free. The presence of oils/ fat interferes with its ability to become a smooth and glossy foam.
- Use a different bowl to separate the egg whites from the yolks, in case any yolks break and contaminate the egg whites. Do not use egg whites that have been exposed to broken egg yolks as they contain traces of fats.
- Try not to overmix the yolk mixture once the sifted flour is added. Over-mixing encourages gluten to form, which makes the chiffon cake dense and chewy, instead of melt-in-the-mouth and fluffy.
- While food colouring is optional, it is recommended for a lovely bright green pandan cake. Without it, the pandan chiffon cake will appear golden due to the bright colour of egg yolks.
- Add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites first to make it lighter and easier to mix with the rest later on. Use a hand whisk to mix it together, bringing up the mixture at every turn to aerate it.
- As it bakes, chiffon cakes cling to the sides of the pan and remain stuck to it while cooling. This keeps its structure and height, preventing deflation.
- Different ovens tend to have different internal temperatures – so the cake can be done earlier or later than the time set. Use a skewer to test the doneness of the cake.
- Flipping the cake tin upside down as it cools reduces the influence of gravity, which prevents the cake from deflating on itself.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!
Storage Instructions
This pandan chiffon cake can be kept refrigerated once cooled for about 2 – 3 days.
Freezing is not recommended as thawing can change the texture to be wet and mushy.
Let’s Eat!
This pandan chiffon cake goes well with a cup of hot coffee or milo. As it is full of little air pockets, it is able to soak up drinks very easily. My daughters love dipping a slice in their breakfast drinks before enjoying it.
It also pairs very nicely with some berries, whipped cream, or even ice-cream!
It’s cold, soft and melt-in-the-mouth. Springy, yet light and very airy.
Sprinkle some lightly toasted almond flakes and we have such a deliciously sweet treat for dessert!
Other Pandan Leaves Recipe
Fluffy Pandan Chiffon Cake
Equipment
- Hand Blender
- Strainer
- Silicone Whisk
- Stand Mixer
- Oven
- Weighing Machine
- Chiffon Cake Tin
- Skewer
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 5 pandan leaves
- 2/5 cup water
- 5 eggs, medium
- 1/2 cup sugar, granulated
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil, unscented
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 3 drops green food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Sift the cake flour and baking powder together.
- Make the pandan juice. Cut the pandan leaves roughly. Add 25ml of water, and blend until very fine. Strain the fibres, squeezing the pulp to get as much juice as possible. It should amount to 100ml of pandan juice. If there is not enough, add more water.
- Break the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Be careful not to break any yolks during this process. Set the egg whites aside.
- Add 1/4 of sugar, all the salt, vegetable oil, pandan juice and vanilla essence to the yolks. Whisk until fluffy and well-combined.
- Dump in all the flour and mix gently until just combined.
- Add egg whites and 1/4 of sugar into the stand mixer with a balloon whisk attached. Start the whisk on low speed, slowly moving it to high. When the foam is getting thicker, add another 1/4 of the sugar.
- When the foam is opaque white and starting to become glossy, add the rest of the sugar. Let it continue whisking for another 3-4 minutes.
- Optional: gradually stop the machine and add the food colouring. Let it whisk for about 30 seconds to evenly distribute the colour. Switch off the machine and set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 150°C/ 302°F.
- Add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites to the yolk mixture. With a whisk, carefully and gently mix the batter while aerating it. Once combined, add the rest of the egg whites and slowly mix until smooth. Smoothen any lumps present in the batter.
- Slowly pour out the mixture onto a clean chiffon cake tin without parchment papers laid or grease on the sides. Carefully turn the tin to level the batter out.
- Place the tin in the centre rack of the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Poke the centre of the cake to check for doneness. If it comes out dry, the cake is done.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place it upside down on a cooling rack. Let it cool completely for about 2 – 4 hours.
- Once cooled, run a small, thin knife along the edges of the cake tin. Optionally, cut the top part of the cake to level it. Detach the cake from the sides, and run the knife along the bottom as well.
- Flip it onto a serving plate and cut into the desired serving sizes. Serve as-is, with fresh berries, whipped cream, or ice-cream.
Video
Notes
- Make sure the bowls housing the egg whites are clean and grease-free. The presence of oils or fats interferes with its ability to become a smooth and glossy foam.
- Use a separate bowl to separate the egg whites from the yolks, in case any yolks break and contaminate the egg whites. Do not use egg whites that have been exposed to broken egg yolks as they contain traces of fats.
- Try not to overmix the yolk mixture once the sifted flour is added. Over-mixing encourages gluten to form, which makes the chiffon cake dense and chewy, instead of melt-in-the-mouth and fluffy.
- While food colouring is optional, it is recommended for a lovely bright green pandan cake. Without it, the cake appears to be a golden chiffon cake due to the egg yolks.
- Add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites first to make it lighter and easier to mix with the rest later on. Use a hand whisk to mix it together, bringing up the mixture at every turn to aerate it.
- As it bakes, chiffon cakes cling to the sides of the pan and remain stuck to it while cooling. This keeps its structure and height, preventing deflation.
- Different ovens tend to have different internal temperatures – so the cake can be done earlier or later than the time set. Use a skewer to test the doneness of the cake.
- Flipping the cake tin upside down as it cools reduces the influence of gravity, which prevents the cake from deflating on itself.