How to Bake Malaysian Pandan Chiffon Cake

Malaysian pandan chiffon cake is a meeting of two different cultures. Invented in California, a traditional chiffon cake is a very light, moist cake made with vegetable oil instead of butter. Pandan leaves, also called screw pine leaves, come from the Pandanaceae family of tropical plants and are a traditional Asian spice used in sweet and savory dishes. Pandan leaves have a bright green color, and using the concentrated paste should result in a pretty green-tinted cake. Using the fresh juice of the leaves will give a much paler color. Despite the exotic ingredient, this is a simple cake to bake.

Things You'll Need

8-inch round or square deep cake tin
Greaseproof paper
Scissors
Pen
Oven
2 mixing bowls
Hand whisk
8 eggs, separated

7 oz. powdered sugar
3 tbsp. pandan leaf extract
3 oz. corn oil, plus extra for greasing
5 oz. all-purpose flour
Wooden spoon
Metal spoon
Cooling rack
Knife

Instructions

Prepare the cake tin. Place it on greaseproof paper, and draw around it with a pen. Cut out the shape with scissors, and trim it a little smaller so it will fit inside the tin. Grease the base and sides of the tin with oil, and line it with greaseproof paper, smoothing it down well with your fingers.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the egg yolks in a bowl with 2 oz. of sugar, and beat them together with a whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the pandan extract and corn oil. Fold in the flour using a wooden spoon.
Place the egg whites in another bowl, and beat them until they stand up in soft peaks. If you are using the same whisk as before, wash it thoroughly between beating the egg yolks and the egg whites, as traces of egg yolk on the whisk will prevent the egg whites from frothing as well. Gradually add in the remaining 5 oz. of powdered sugar, and continue to beat until the mixture goes stiff and glossy.
Use a metal spoon to fold the meringue egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Take your time over this step, and try not to break down the meringue. A metal spoon is better than a wooden one for this process, as it has a smaller surface area and won't collapse the meringue as much. When finished, you should still have a large volume of fluffy batter.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, and level the top with a spoon. Place it in the oven, and bake for 40 minutes until well risen and golden on top. Remove it from the oven, and leave it to cool in the tin. When cool, run a knife round the outside of the cake to loosen it, and invert it onto a cooling rack. When the cake is completely cold, remove the greaseproof paper.

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