Pandan (Screwpine) Chiffon Cake

This cake really gives me a hard time to perfect it. I have tried this cake many times before  I am able to perfect this cake. The first time  I made it, boy - it don't even look like a chiffon cake or cake alike texture after all. It is more like a bake pandan pudding.

I tried to look for the recipe online for this but non turn out to the result that I wanted. After many failures, I am able to fixed the problem and comes out with my own recipe.

Try my recipe if you are like me struggling to get the right pandan cake.

Ingredients:

(A) Pandan batter

225 grams         Cake flour, sifted
250 grams         Caster sugar
1     tbsp            Baking powder
1/2  tsp              Salt
2     tbsp            Pandan juice (blend 5 pandan leave and 2 tbsp of water)
1     tsp              Pandan paste
6                       Egg yolk
150 ml              Coconut milk
120 ml              Vegetable oil (I use corn oil)

(B) Egg whites

7                        Egg whites
50  grams          Caster sugar
3/4 tsp               Cream of tartar (or white vinegar)

How to do it?

Pre-heat oven to 170ºC. You will need a 10" tube pan (ungreased) for this  recipe.

In a mixing bowl, combined flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a balloon whisk, whisk every to combine. After that, make a well in the centre. To the well, add in egg yolks, oil, coconut milk, pandan juice and pandan paste. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth and combine. It should only take 1-2 minutes.

Using separate clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on low speed until it is foamy. Add in the cream of tartar and continue to beat until it form soft peaks. Gradually, add in the sugar slowly and beat until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites formed stiff peaks.

Using a large spatula, fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the pandan batter to lighten the batter. Add in the remaining egg whites and fold gently. Do it gently if not your cake batter will deflate.

Pour the combined batter into the tube pan and bake for 50 - 60 minutes until the skewer comes out clean when inserted and the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Invert the cake immediate once it is come out of the oven. Let the cake cooled completely before removing from the pan.

Notes:

To test whether the sugar has dissolved in your eggs whites,  simple place a little egg whites on to your thumb and rub it against you index finger. It should not feel grainy. If it does,  you might need to beat it for another moment.

Do not open your oven once the batter put in. Only open after at least 45 minutes.

Mix the batter as gently as possible so as not to deflate the air bubble inside the batter.

If you can not find fresh pandan leave, use 2 tsp of pandan paste and add another 30 ml of coconut milk to the mixture.

Happy baking :-) You will not regret this..... If you can further improve this recipe please share with me....