Pandan Sponge Cake
August 20, 2017
My family is a big fan of pandan flavoring desserts. This is the Vietnamese version of vanilla extract. I think I know about pandan extract way before I know about the existence of vanilla extract! A little background of pandan—a tropical plants that are widely used in Southeast Asian for cooking. My mother uses pandan for almost all of her dessert dishes, from steamed sweet sticky rice, cakes to sweet bean soups and pudding. Mom would normally tie the big knot of pandan leaves and toss them in her "coconut milk sauce,” the sauce that I love growing up with. This wonderful, subtle floral fragrance from pandan leaves carries a soft, tropical breeze that is extremely distinctive and pleasing. One of my fondest childhood memories was savoring over baked banana cakes and slurping on pandan-flavored tapioca coconut milk sauce. Let's not forget the best pandan about swallowing those cold, iced pudding and yogurt during those hot, humid summer days. Thus, growing up, pandan flavoring has ingrained in me. Of course, we do not use the leaves as much now that we do not always get access to fresh pandan leaves in the Pacific Northwest. But we can still purchase them here and there at the local stores. I feel fortunate that pandan-flavoring is creeping back into my baking life now, and I cannot be any happier. There will be tons of dishes, pandan-flavoring that is, waiting to be experimenting with in the future months.
Back to pandan sponge cake. Here, I need to take a minute to brag about my recent finding of Pastry Riding—a pre-made whipped cream that I got from Cash and Carry grocery store. This may be old news to you, but this is a life-changing discovery for me! First, I did not know that this grocery store is just a few minutes away from my work, and I crossed that street every morning on my way to work. When I came across one of the blogs that mentioned this cream, I decided to search for it. Not just that I found it from a store near my work, but it was inexpensive in comparison to the regular heavy whipping cream. In addition, it makes amazing whipped frosting cream without having to add extra powdered sugar. I'm completely sold! This product also makes frosting these sponge and chiffon cakes SO much easier for me. I can literally finish assembling the cake within 1 hour from the time I take out that whisk. This saves me so much time!
Back to pandan sponge cake. Here, I need to take a minute to brag about my recent finding of Pastry Riding—a pre-made whipped cream that I got from Cash and Carry grocery store. This may be old news to you, but this is a life-changing discovery for me! First, I did not know that this grocery store is just a few minutes away from my work, and I crossed that street every morning on my way to work. When I came across one of the blogs that mentioned this cream, I decided to search for it. Not just that I found it from a store near my work, but it was inexpensive in comparison to the regular heavy whipping cream. In addition, it makes amazing whipped frosting cream without having to add extra powdered sugar. I'm completely sold! This product also makes frosting these sponge and chiffon cakes SO much easier for me. I can literally finish assembling the cake within 1 hour from the time I take out that whisk. This saves me so much time!
PREPARING AND BAKING PANDAN SPONGE CAKE
I use my Sponge Cake recipe and spice things up a little by adding the pandan flavor. Before you start measuring your baking ingredients, you will need to prepare for your pandan juice for this cake.
Luckily I have fresh pandan leaves on hands that I just purchased a few days ago. I rinse about 6 leaves of pandan over cool water, patch them dry with paper towels and chop them into 2.5 inch in length. I pour all of the leaves into the blender, add about 1/2 cup of water and I grind them for about 5 minutes, or until they are completely pulverized. Then, I strain the pandan mixture through a sieve to remove all of the solid pieces. I pressed on these with a metal spoon to extract as much juice as possible. I discard the pieces and what left behind was a clear, beautiful green pandan juice (Photo 4). I made about 100 ml of pandan juice, so I stored the leftover juice in a tight container in the fridge, and I am expected to use it up by the end of the week.
I use my Sponge Cake recipe and spice things up a little by adding the pandan flavor. Before you start measuring your baking ingredients, you will need to prepare for your pandan juice for this cake.
Luckily I have fresh pandan leaves on hands that I just purchased a few days ago. I rinse about 6 leaves of pandan over cool water, patch them dry with paper towels and chop them into 2.5 inch in length. I pour all of the leaves into the blender, add about 1/2 cup of water and I grind them for about 5 minutes, or until they are completely pulverized. Then, I strain the pandan mixture through a sieve to remove all of the solid pieces. I pressed on these with a metal spoon to extract as much juice as possible. I discard the pieces and what left behind was a clear, beautiful green pandan juice (Photo 4). I made about 100 ml of pandan juice, so I stored the leftover juice in a tight container in the fridge, and I am expected to use it up by the end of the week.
Once I have my pandan juice all ready to go. I proceed to my normal cake baking process. As usual, I remove the eggs and milk from the fridge and leave them on the counter for about 30-60 minutes before using them. This is so they can reach room temperature. Then, I turn the oven on at 320 degrees F and position the oven rack to the lowest level. I also line the bottom of the 12 x 9-inch baking pan with the parchment paper.
Next, I prepare the dry and wet ingredients. I mix all-purpose flour, corn starch and salt together in one bowl and then I measure the vegetable oil, pandan juice, milk and pandan extract, and whisk them together in another bowl. I set these aside for use in a moment.
In a clean mixing bowl, I beat the egg whites until foamy on medium speed with a whisk attachment. Without stopping the mixer, I add a pinch of tartar and continue to beat the egg whites at the same speed until soft peak forms. I add granulated sugar and continue to beat the egg whites at high speed just till before stiff peak forms. Slowly, I add in egg yolks and beat for 10-15 seconds, one at a time, on the lowest speed until well combined. The batter should be thicker with a slight color of yellow. Keeping at the same speed, I add the wet mixture of pandan juice, milk, vegetable oil and pandan extract and beat for another 20-30 seconds. Here, I also add a few drop of green food coloring to enhance the color of pandan. Then, I sift the dry ingredients over the egg batter in 3 additions, beating for about 10-15 seconds in between each addition. I remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a spatula to finish folding the batter to avoid deflating the white eggs further.
Next, I prepare the dry and wet ingredients. I mix all-purpose flour, corn starch and salt together in one bowl and then I measure the vegetable oil, pandan juice, milk and pandan extract, and whisk them together in another bowl. I set these aside for use in a moment.
In a clean mixing bowl, I beat the egg whites until foamy on medium speed with a whisk attachment. Without stopping the mixer, I add a pinch of tartar and continue to beat the egg whites at the same speed until soft peak forms. I add granulated sugar and continue to beat the egg whites at high speed just till before stiff peak forms. Slowly, I add in egg yolks and beat for 10-15 seconds, one at a time, on the lowest speed until well combined. The batter should be thicker with a slight color of yellow. Keeping at the same speed, I add the wet mixture of pandan juice, milk, vegetable oil and pandan extract and beat for another 20-30 seconds. Here, I also add a few drop of green food coloring to enhance the color of pandan. Then, I sift the dry ingredients over the egg batter in 3 additions, beating for about 10-15 seconds in between each addition. I remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a spatula to finish folding the batter to avoid deflating the white eggs further.
I baked the cake in a preheated oven at 320 degrees F for about 30-35 minutes. Make sure the rack is positioned on the lowest level to prevent burning. And it is depending on your oven and the type of baking pan, the baking time can be adjusted according. The cake is good when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Just stay nearby your oven when you start to smell the pandan aroma enticing the kitchen zone. For a moist cake, it is essential to remove the cake as soon as it is done.
MAKING COCONUT AND DURIAN WHIPPED CREAM FILLINGS
I decide to make two types of fillings for this cake to serve both adults and kids: durian for the adults and coconut for the kids. First, I place both the mixing bowl and the whisk in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes while I prepare for the fillings ingredients. I start out by making shredded coconut filling first. I bought bag of frozen young coconut from an Asian grocery store. You can also use the flesh of a fresh coconut if you have one. I rinse the coconut strings, patch them dry with paper towels and pour them in a clean bowl. I sprinkle them with a few tablespoons of powdered sugar, and mix them up until they are fully combined. For the durian filling, I remove the seeds and reserve the meat from two large durian fruits. I chop the meat into smaller pieces and put them in a clean bowl. I like the durian chunks in my cake filling thus I did not use a blender but if you like a smooth filling, you can certainly try grinding them.
Once both of my fillings are ready, I remove the mixing bowl and whisk from the freezer and pour in 1 cup of whipping cream along with appropriate extract flavorings. I beat the whipping cream mixture for about 2 minutes on medium speed (Speed 4) and then increase to medium-high speed (Speed 6) for another 30-60 seconds, or until stiff peaks form. I add the sugar-coated shredded coconut into the whipped cream mixture and toss them with a spatula until I am happy with the texture. I repeat the exact them process for the durian filling.
***Unfortunately, I did not capture any preparation pictures of the durian filling. I will update this posting when I work on durian again in the future.
I decide to make two types of fillings for this cake to serve both adults and kids: durian for the adults and coconut for the kids. First, I place both the mixing bowl and the whisk in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes while I prepare for the fillings ingredients. I start out by making shredded coconut filling first. I bought bag of frozen young coconut from an Asian grocery store. You can also use the flesh of a fresh coconut if you have one. I rinse the coconut strings, patch them dry with paper towels and pour them in a clean bowl. I sprinkle them with a few tablespoons of powdered sugar, and mix them up until they are fully combined. For the durian filling, I remove the seeds and reserve the meat from two large durian fruits. I chop the meat into smaller pieces and put them in a clean bowl. I like the durian chunks in my cake filling thus I did not use a blender but if you like a smooth filling, you can certainly try grinding them.
Once both of my fillings are ready, I remove the mixing bowl and whisk from the freezer and pour in 1 cup of whipping cream along with appropriate extract flavorings. I beat the whipping cream mixture for about 2 minutes on medium speed (Speed 4) and then increase to medium-high speed (Speed 6) for another 30-60 seconds, or until stiff peaks form. I add the sugar-coated shredded coconut into the whipped cream mixture and toss them with a spatula until I am happy with the texture. I repeat the exact them process for the durian filling.
***Unfortunately, I did not capture any preparation pictures of the durian filling. I will update this posting when I work on durian again in the future.
ASSEMBLING PANDAN SPONGE CAKE WITH WHIPPED CREAM FILLINGS
Once the cake is completely cool, you can start adding fillings to the cake. I baked the cake the night before and cover it in a cooking pot with a tight lid. Sponge cake can dry up easily thus I would not recommend storing it in the fridge until it is completely frosted.
I cut the 12x9-inch cake in two halves and frost half of the cake with coconut and the other half with durian whipped cream. I add a relatively thick filling because I want the cake to be “tall” to resemble for a shoe box. Then I place the other layer on top and frost the entire cake with plain whipped cream in light purple.
Once the cake is completely cool, you can start adding fillings to the cake. I baked the cake the night before and cover it in a cooking pot with a tight lid. Sponge cake can dry up easily thus I would not recommend storing it in the fridge until it is completely frosted.
I cut the 12x9-inch cake in two halves and frost half of the cake with coconut and the other half with durian whipped cream. I add a relatively thick filling because I want the cake to be “tall” to resemble for a shoe box. Then I place the other layer on top and frost the entire cake with plain whipped cream in light purple.
The entire cake is frosted and chilled for about 30 minutes before I proceed in decorating it. For a detailed decoration of this cake, you can refer to my fondant Shoes Box Cake for a step-to-step tutorial.
Because the cake is a rectangular shape and half of it was already been eaten by the end of the event night, I did not get to capture a nice frosted slice of cake. I had these left over cake cubes that I cut out to show you how fluffy and spongy the cake looks.
Because the cake is a rectangular shape and half of it was already been eaten by the end of the event night, I did not get to capture a nice frosted slice of cake. I had these left over cake cubes that I cut out to show you how fluffy and spongy the cake looks.
Everyone in my family loves this cake. This is their-kind-of-cake—soft, fluffy and full of pandan flavor along with a hint of sweetness from the light whipping cream. I love it the cake too. I have been eating leftovers nonstop since the weekend, and had actually brought some more home from my sister's house today. She wanted to keep the entire cake to herself, but I stole some back just now so I could enjoy a piece here and there while watching my night show with the kids.
This pandan sponge cake is amazing. If you like Chinese bakery-style cake, you need to try this recipe!
xoxo,
Tristina
This pandan sponge cake is amazing. If you like Chinese bakery-style cake, you need to try this recipe!
xoxo,
Tristina
Pandan Sponge Cake Recipe
Make: one 12 x 9-inch cake (about 2 inch tall)
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
Instructions
***To make pandan juice
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 80 grams of all purpose flour
- 80 grams of corn starch
- 160 grams of granulated sugar
- 8 large eggs, at room temperature
- 20 ml of milk (or half and half), room temperature
- 40 ml of pandan juice***
- 30 ml of vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons of pandan extract
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- A pinch of cream of tartar
- Green food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and preheat oven to 320 degrees F. Line the bottom of 12 x 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the pan side.
- Sift together all-purpose flour, corn starch and salt until combined. Mix milk, pandan juice, vegetable oil, and pandan extract together until combined. Set dry and wet ingredient mixtures aside.
- In a clean mixing bowl, whisk egg whites on medium speed (Speed 4) until foamy for about 30-45 seconds. Add cream of tartar and continue to whisk until soft peaks form for about 1 minute. Add granulated sugar and increase to high speed (Speed 8) and whisk until just stiff peaks form for another 1 minute.
- Add in egg yolks, one at a time, and beat on the lowest speed (Speed 2) for about 10-15 seconds per egg yolk. Continue at current speed, add wet ingredient mixture of milk, vegetable oil and pandan extract, and beat just until combined for another 20-30 seconds. Add a few drops of green food coloring, if desired.
- Sift dry ingredients over the egg yolks batter in 3 additions, and whisk on the lowest speed (Speed 2) until combined. Noted, you may fold the cake flour instead of beating on the stand mixer if desired.
- Using a rubber spatula to fold the mixture until the mixture is almost homogeneous.
- Pour batter in the prepared cake pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove cake from the oven and cool cake for about 5 minutes. Invert onto wire rack to prevent cake from collapsing on to itself. Cool completely before decorating.
***To make pandan juice
- Rinse and chop pandan about 6 leaves into 2-3 inches in length.
- Grind them in a blender with 1/2 cup of water for about 5 minutes, or until leaves are pulverized.
- Strain mixture through a sieve and press tightly to extract as much juice as possible.
- Measure the amount of juice needed. Leftover juice can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Coconut Whipped Cream Filling Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1 cup of fresh, young coconut
- 2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of coconut extract
- Pastry Rider whipped cream
Instructions
- Place a metal mixing bowl and metal whisk into a freezer for about 10 minutes.
- Place shredded coconut into a clean bowl. Add powdered sugar mix until well-combined.
- Pour 1 cup of whipping cream into the mixing bowl, add coconut extract and beat on medium-high speed (Speed 4-6) for about 2-3 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
- Add the sugar-coated coconut into the whipped cream. Use spatula and blend the mixture until combined.
- Fill about 2/3 inch of frosting between each cake layer, as desired.
Durian Whipped Cream Filling Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1 cup of durian meat, chopped into pieces
- 1 teaspoon of durian extract
- Ready-to-use whipped cream
Instructions
- Place a metal mixing bowl and metal whisk into a freezer for about 10 minutes.
- Pour 1 cup of whipping cream into the mixing bowl and add durian extract and beat on medium-high speed (Speed 4-6) for about 2-3 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
- Add chopped durian into the whipped cream. Use spatula and blend the mixture until combined.
- Fill about 2/3 inch of frosting between each cake layer, as desired.
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