Pandan Chiffon Cake

Pandan chiffon cake recipe, Kitchen to Table, Yamba

We were inspired to bake this light and airy Pandan Chiffon Cake after seeing it on Palisa Anderson’s ‘Water Heart Food’ series on SBS Food. We followed Palisa’s recipe, however, we have rewritten it below in a way we find easier to follow. If you’re up for a baking challenge we encourage you to give this recipe a go!

We found pandan leaves (frozen) at our local Asian Grocer which we blitzed up in the blender with water to make the pandan liquid required for the recipe. We did try the canned pandan liquid but found it lacked the colour, fragrance and flavour of the fresh leaves, so we highly recommend using the fresh (or frozen) leaves to make the pandan liquid.

You will need approximately 10 eggs for this recipe, which need to be separated to yield 100g egg yolks and 275g egg whites. Separate the eggs while they are cold, it’s easier, then let the whites come to room temperature before whipping for maximum volume. You will have leftover yolks so make a custard or mayonnaise with those.

You will need a special cake pan for this recipe, it may be called an angel cake pan or a chiffon cake pan, 23cm in diameter. It is round with high sides, a hollow tube in the centre, and a removable base. It mustn’t be non-stick, as the batter needs to cling to the sides after baking to maintain the cake’s height and structure. The pan may have built-in feet that will keep the pan elevated when turned over. If the pan does not have these feet try using a wine bottle that fits the hole. You can buy the cake pan, here.

This cake keeps well as it contains egg yolk and oil which keeps it moist. We enjoyed it for several days after baking.

Pandan chiffon cake recipe, Kitchen to Table, Yamba

Pandan Chiffon Cake

Equipment

  • Chiffon/Angel Cake pan

Ingredients
  

Pandan Liquid

  • 1 bunch pandan leaves fresh OR frozen
  • 250 ml water

Cake

  • 100 g egg yolks
  • 200 g castor sugar
  • 100 ml 100ml oil choose a neutral oil such as sunflower, vegetable or peanut
  • 150 ml pandan liquid
  • 200 g plain flour
  • 10 g baking powder
  • 3 g salt
  • 275 g egg whites
  • 50 g castor sugar extra
  • pinch cream of tartar optional, but this helps to stabilise the egg white when whisking

Coconut Buttercream

  • 1 x 440g can coconut cream Chilled. Put the can in the fridge for several hours, then remove the 'plug' of coconut cream that sits on the top - the plug should weigh approximately 150g
  • 10 g cornflour
  • 180 g butter softened
  • 200 g icing sugar sifted

Garnish

  • ¼ cup shredded coconut toasted

Instructions
 

Pandan Liquid

  • Cut the pandan leaves into 5cm lengths and place them in a blender with the water and blend at high speed until smooth.
  • Place a sieve over a bowl and line the sieve with a piece of clean Chux or muslin. Pour the pandan liquid into the sieve, gather up the corners of the Chux or muslin and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
  • Discard the pulp and retain the liquid; you'll need 150ml for the recipe. Freeze any remaining liquid to use another time.

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 160C or 150C fan-forced. Have your cake pan handy but DO NOT grease it - it must be left dry so that the cake clings to it when inverted.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks and 200g sugar and whisk by hand until thick and creamy. Whisk in the oil and pandan liquid until combined.
  • Gently whisk in the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Use an electric mixer to whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar (if using) at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
  • Add the 50g sugar in two additions and continue whisking until stiff peaks form and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
  • Take a large spoonful of egg whites and mix this into the pandan mixture - you don't need to be gentle with this first amount of egg white as it is being 'sacrificed' to lighten the mixture, which will allow the rest of the egg whites to be incorporated more easily. Now gently fold in the remaining egg whites, using a balloon whisk, until fully incorporated.
  • Pour the mixture into the cake pan and tap the pan lightly on the bench to settle any bubbles.
  • Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the coconut buttercream.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert the cake either onto the bench (if your tin has feet) or onto the neck of a bottle. Allow the cake to cool completely before turning the right way up.
  • To remove the cake, run a knife or palette knife around the edge to separate it from the side of the pan, then run the knife or palette knife around the base to release the cake.
  • Place the cake on a serving plate, then use a palette knife to spread the coconut buttercream around the sides and top of the cake and garnish with toasted coconut.

Coconut Buttercream

  • While the cake is cooling, prepare the buttercream. Combine the pure coconut cream (i.e. the plug you removed from the chilled can) and the cornflour in a small saucepan and whisk over medium until thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.
  • Beat the butter and icing sugar until thick and creamy, then add the cooled coconut cream and beat to combine.

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Our retail shop in Yamba is now CLOSED

Thank you to everyone who has supported us during the past 17 years. It’s been a fantastic experience but it’s time for new adventures!

Our retail store is now CLOSED. However, there’s a small selection of products available via our online store, all at 50% off. You’ll need to apply this code at the checkout – CLOSINGDOWN25.

We’d like to continue to offer cooking classes and other local food experiences, but first some time off to rest and rejuvenate! We’ll share updates here on the website, in our newsletter, and on Instagram and Facebook.

Meredith’s food tours for 2025 are unaffected by the shop’s closure. The tours to Umbria and Morocco are fully booked, however there are spots available on our fabulous Sicily tour in October 2025.

We hope to connect with you sometime soon.

Meredith & Scott

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