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Pandan Chiffon Cake

Learn how to bake a tall, fluffy, and pillowy soft pandan chiffon cake, and fall in love with the incredible flavor that you can only get from using 100% pandan leaves.
Pandan Chiffon Cake.
Pandan Chiffon Cake.

When I fancy a hearty and denser cake, I bake myself a butter cake or a pound cake. Sometimes, I prefer a soft, light, airy, and fluffy cake, and chiffon cake fits that to a tee.

I have previously shared my recipes for an orange chiffon cake and a matcha marble chiffon cake. Today I will share my recipe for a pandan chiffon cake.

For me, the best pandan chiffon cake must use fresh/frozen pandan leaves. But I will give an option to bake this cake with a store-bought pandan extract too since it may not be possible for everyone to get pandan leaves.

Ingredients for pandan chiffon cake: pandan leaves, coconut milk, eggs, cake flour, baking powder, canola oil, powdered sugar, salt, and vinegar.
Ingredients for pandan chiffon cake: pandan leaves, coconut milk, eggs, cake flour, baking powder, canola oil, powdered sugar, salt, and vinegar.

Ingredients for pandan chiffon cake

Pandan extract

For the 100% natural pandan extract, we will need fresh/frozen pandan leaves, canned coconut milk, and water.

If you can’t find fresh/frozen pandan leaves, you can replace it with store-bought pandan extract. My suggestion will be to use the Koepoe-Koeopoe brand pandan paste. You should be able to bake many batches of pandan chiffon cake from even the smallest bottle.

Chiffon cake batter

For the chiffon cake batter, we will need eggs, canola oil (or other neutral-flavored oil), cake flour, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar, and vinegar (or cream of tartar).

You can use all-purpose flour to replace cake flour, but know that your chiffon cake won’t be as light and fluffy as the one using cake flour.

Choosing the right pan to bake a chiffon cake

An aluminum pan is essential to baking a chiffon cake, and it must be one that is NOT non-stick.

A chiffon cake pan is very similar to an angel food cake pan. If you live in the US as I do, you may want to get this 7-inch angel food cake pan from Wilton, which is half the size of a regular angel food cake pan.

If you live in Asia, your baking store probably stocks several sizes of chiffon pan. Please choose a 20-cm tube pan to work with this recipe.

(1) Beat egg yolks and powdered sugar. (2) Add pandan extract and canola oil. (3) Sift in cake flour, baking powder, and salt. (4) Egg yolk batter.
(1) Beat egg yolks and powdered sugar. (2) Add pandan extract and canola oil. (3) Sift in cake flour, baking powder, and salt. (4) Egg yolk batter.

Pandan chiffon cake batter

1. Pandan extract

Use a pair of scissors to cut pandan leaves into thin strips and place them in the food processor/blender along with coconut milk and water. Grind into a smooth puree, then strain with a fine-mesh strainer or a cheesecloth to extract 1/2 cup of pandan extract.

2. Egg yolk batter

Beat egg yolks and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl until well mixed. Add pandan extract and oil, continue beating until well mixed. Sift in cake flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat until just combined.

3. Egg white batter

In another large mixing bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar (or vinegar), followed with powdered sugar in 3 batches, whisk until stiff peak.

4. Chiffon batter

Fold 1/3 of egg white batter into egg yolk batter with a whisk/spatula until well mixed, then pour this into the remaining egg white batter and fold again until well mixed.

(5) Stiff peak egg white batter. (6) Fold 1/3 of egg white batter to egg yolk batter. (7) Pour egg yolk batter into the remaining egg white batter and fold until smooth. (8) Pour batter into an ungreased and unlined 7-inch angel food cake pan.
(5) Stiff peak egg white batter. (6) Fold 1/3 of egg white batter to egg yolk batter. (7) Pour egg yolk batter into the remaining egg white batter and fold until smooth. (8) Pour batter into an ungreased and unlined 7-inch angel food cake pan.

Baking and cooling a chiffon cake

Baking the cake

Pour the batter into an ungreased and unlined 7-inch angel food pan. Gently tap the pan to remove air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven of 170 Celsius (335 Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 150 Celsius (300 Fahrenheit). Continue baking for another 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cooling the cake

Cool the chiffon cake by inverting the pan to prevent the cake from collapsing. It will take about 3-4 hours to cool it to room temperature. Once the cake is completely cool, gently run a thin knife along the edges of the pan to unmold the cake.

Pandan Chiffon Cake.
Pandan Chiffon Cake.

Chiffon cake troubleshoots

1. The cake slides out of the pan when you invert it to cool

The cake is under-baked, and your oven temperature is probably too low. You may need to bake the cake for another 10-15 minutes.

2. The top (previously bottom) of the cake caved in

The oven temperature is too high, causing the cake to over-expand during baking, and in turn, relaxes and sinks during cooling.

3. The top of the cake cracks

Well, this is not the end of the world since we usually serve the cake upside down. So the side that ultimately faces up is the bottom of the cake.

If you wish, after 15 minutes of baking, remove the pan from the oven and quickly make thin slits on the top to control the cracking pattern of the chiffon cake. With this, you don’t need to serve the cake upside down. ;)

4. The top of the cake is too dark

You can tent the cake with an aluminum foil halfway during baking to prevent further browning once the cake develops a nice golden brown color.

5. The cake has big holes

One of these are usually the culprits:

  • Not tapping the cake pan to remove air bubbles before baking. You can even run a chopstick/skewer in the batter to help remove the air bubbles.
  • Egg whites batter and egg yolk batter are not fully mixed.
  • Egg whites batter doesn’t reach a stiff peak.
Pandan Chiffon Cake.
Pandan Chiffon Cake.

Other chiffon cake recipes to try

If you are a big fan of chiffon cakes, you may want to give my other chiffon cake recipes a try:

These two recipes also show how you can do a controlled craking if you wish, though it is an optional step.

Pandan Chiffon Cake

5.0 from 9 reviews

Author: Anita Jacobson

Categories: 

Cuisines:  

Ingredients: 

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 50 mins

Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins

Serves: one 7-inch angel food cake pan

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • Pandan extract (Note 1)
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk (from canned coconut milk)
  • 2 tablespoon water
  • 60 gram fresh/frozen pandan leaves
  • Egg yolk batter
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 30 gram (1 oz / ~ 3.5 tablespoon) powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoon neutral flavored oil (e.g. vegetable, canola, e.t.c.)
  • 100 gram (3.5 oz / ~ 14 tablespoon) cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Egg white batter
  • 5 egg whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1 teaspoon vinegar)
  • 60 gram (2 oz / ~ 7 tablespoon) powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 170 Celsius (335 Fahrenheit).
  2. Pandan extract: Use a pair of scissors to cut pandan leaves into thin strips and place them in the food processor/blender along with coconut milk and water. Grind into a smooth puree, then strain with a fine-mesh strainer or a cheesecloth to extract 1/2 cup of pandan extract.
  3. Egg yolk batter: Beat egg yolks and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl until well mixed. Add pandan extract and oil, continue beating until well mixed. Sift in cake flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat until just combined.
  4. Egg white batter: In another large mixing bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar (or vinegar), followed with powdered sugar in 3 batches, whisk until stiff peak.
  5. Chiffon batter: Fold 1/3 of egg white batter into egg yolk batter with a whisk/spatula until well mixed, then pour this into the remaining egg white batter and fold again until well mixed.
  6. Bake the cake: Pour the batter into an ungreased and unlined 7-inch angel food pan. Gently tap the pan to remove air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
  7. Adjust temperature: After 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 150 Celsius (300 Fahrenheit). Continue baking for another 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  8. Cool the cake: Cool the chiffon cake by inverting the pan to prevent the cake from collapsing. It will take about 3-4 hours to cool it to room temperature. Once the cake is completely cool, gently run a thin knife along the edges of the pan to unmold the cake.

Notes

  • (1) You can use store-bought pandan extract like Koepoe-Koepoe brand to replace fresh/frozen pandan leaves. Mix 1/2 cup coconut milk with 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of pandan extract, depends on how dark green you wish your cake to be.
Indonesian Pantry
Indonesian Kitchen

Comments

  • Marie Charlotte Marie Charlotte says:

    I love the flavor of Pandan and have never ordered anything that has it! Will definitely try next time is see fresh leaves.

  • Dannii Dannii says:

    I have never heard of this cake before, but it looks so light and fluffy. I can't wait to try it.

  • Angela Angela says:

    This cake looks delicious! I hope I can find Pandan so I can try it!

  • Tara Tara says:

    What a gorgeous chiffon cake! Love that color and the use of the pandan leaves.

  • Lany Susanto Lany Susanto says:

  • Eileen Goh Eileen Goh says:

    Hi...For chiffon cake need to bake on the middle rack with top and bottom heat?

    • Anita Anita says:

      Hi Eileen, I usually bake the cake with just the bottom heat, and on the middle rack.

  • Chloe Chloe says:

    Hi, i only have two 18 cm tube pan and one 21 cm tube pan. Can i use 21 cm tube pan for this recipe?

    • Anita Anita says:

      Hi Chloe, yes it should be okay to use a 21 cm tube pan.

  • ML Neo ML Neo says:

    Hi Anita, Appreciate your kind advice on the following, many thanks!
    (1). Recipe for an 9-inch chiffon tube pan
    (2). Baking time for an oven with top and bottom heating elements.
    (3). Do I still put it on the lowest rack in the oven?
    Many thanks in advance for your advice?

    • Anita Anita says:

      Hi ML Neo,
      (1) You can bake it in a 9-inch tube pan, it will just be slightly shorter.
      (2) Can you turn off the top heating element? If not, bake it at the exact center of the oven, and place a piece of aluminum on top of the pan for the final 15 minutes to protect the top of the cake from browning too much.
      (3) I usually bake the cake using the middle rack.

  • Shirley Lee Shirley Lee says:

    How many grm of eggs is each egg in this receipe- 1 egg is 60g? 1 cup of coconut milk is how many ml?

    • Anita Anita says:

      Hi Shirley, I use large size eggs, and usually each egg is about 50 grams without the shell. I use US cup size, so 1 cup is 240 ml.

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