Chiffon Cake with Pandan Topping

This is a re-post and a long overdue pic of a previous recipe called Pandan Cake, which is a recipe contributed by the mum of one of my students. Thanks, Mrs H.

I thought I should change the name of the recipe (my apologies, Mrs H!) as the cake doesn't really have any pandan in it and neither is the pandan part, a cake. Although, you could use diluted pandan juice to substitute the 100g of water in the cake section of the recipe. Then, it would be definitely be called a pandan cake. I just like the dual-colored look to this dessert, so I've decided on a nice and simple vanilla chiffon....which was what the original recipe called for.

Now, don't make this lazy mistake I did ...... make sure the egg whites are whipped good and proper until every single bit gets to the hard peak stage ... with a proper whisk, electrical or otherwise. I just dumped mine into the food processor using the egg white paddle attachment (yeah, it was a paddle, not a whisk...should've known better) and didn't notice that the bottom bit was still a little runny even when the top was all nice and peaky. By the time I tipped the whole lot into the egg yolk mixture ..... AAaarrrggghhh!!!

It turned out ok but not as fluffy as I'd like it to be or when I was doing the non try-to-save-some-time way .... sigh.

It tastes good tho.

Anyway, I hope yours turn out better than mine did.

INGREDIENTS

PANDAN LAYER

400 ml coconut milk (I used 2 X 200ml ready packed coconut milk)

50 ml pandan juice (about 10 large leaves blended with 1/2 cup water, sieve and measure out)

300 ml light pandan juice (add water to remainder of the above juice to make amount)

150 g sugar

60 g cornflour

1 tbs agar agar powder

1/8 tsp salt

green coloring, optional

METHOD

Combine all of the above in a large pot and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened to a starchy consistency. Pour into a 9" X 9" deep tray. Leave aside while you make the cake layer.

CAKE

3 egg yolks

4 tbs castor sugar

2 tbs corn oil (I used grapeseed oil)

1 tsp vanilla essence (I used 2 tsps homemade vanilla extract)

100 ml water

100 g self raising flour

5 egg whites

4 tbs caster sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180˚C.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the 3 egg yolks, 4 tbs sugar, oil, vanilla, water and self raising flour. Whisk until mixture is smooth.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat the 5 egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Fold egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture until well combined.

Pour batter onto pandan layer.

Place cake pan into a water bath / bain marie and bake for about 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and water bath, cool and refrigerate before unmolding.