KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 14 — The best things come to those who wait.
In the case of my best friends and loved ones, it might well mean learning to be long-suffering. First they suggest, then they cajole, before they give up entirely on me ever recreating their favourite foods for them.
Patience is a virtue, we are told. This weekend, I will deliver their much-requested pandan chiffon cake.
I’ll be the first to admit that a pandan chiffon is far from the first cake on my mind. I personally prefer an ultra decadent treat, be it a molten peanut butter chocolate cake or an indulgent strawberry topped chocolate tart.
Yet even I can see the appeal: executed well, a pandan chiffon is one of those desserts that makes you wonder how something can be so airy light and intensely aromatic at the same time.
As buoyant as clouds, as emerald as gemstones and grasslands. Moist without feeling heavy, tender without too buttery a crumb.
In other words: simple, yes, but also simply divine.
For some, it’s the taste of their childhoods (oh so long ago!); for me, it’s a promise kept (late, but better late than never, no?).
Fresh leaves, fluffy sponge: Trust me, this is a pandan chiffon cake worth the wait.
PANDAN CHIFFON CAKE
Where many home bakers reach for bottles of pandan extract, the use of juice from fresh pandan leaves rewards you with a more natural fragrance.
Yes, the chlorophyll-packed liquid offers a paler jade hue than if you were to use bottled extracts. But that’s the beauty of a pandan chiffon made with love rather than commercial concerns.
Oil, rather than butter, keeps this sponge tender. Neutral oils let the pandan perfume speak for itself, while providing moisture without weighing down the silk-like crumb.
Architecture comes next. Egg architecture, that is.
For proper chiffon cakes the interplay between yolks and whites is paramount. Whipping the whites with precision, in particular, introduces microscopic air that transforms into lift when the batter bakes.
Even the choice of a chiffon tin with a removable base is deliberate. Unlike a conventional baking pan or decorative Bundt mould, a tube pan with a central column allows heat to penetrate evenly and gives the batter surfaces to cling to as it climbs during baking.
An ungreased tin might seem odd, but the tiny bits of batter that grip the sides provide the tension needed for a respectable rise.
The counter-intuitive steps don’t stop there. Once the oven door closes and the cake is removed, turning the tin upside down immediately helps cool it and prevents any shrinkage.
The result? A light, fluffy sponge that also has impressive height and structural integrity.
If this sounds like a lot of steps, don’t fret. It all comes together easily and the result is a slice of nostalgia: the taste of childhood for so many of us.
Ingredients
10–12 fresh pandan leaves
60 ml water
5 large eggs, separated
100 g sugar, divided
80 ml neutral oil
120 g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Method
Wash and chop the pandan leaves. Blend with water, then strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Set aside the resultant fresh pandan juice for the batter.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Do not grease the chiffon tin. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 40 grams of the sugar until the colour lightens. Add the oil, then the pandan juice, and stir to combine. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt; fold until smooth.
In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 60 grams of the sugar, whisking until the meringue is glossy and holds medium-stiff peaks.
Fold one-third of the meringue into the pandan batter to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining meringue in two portions, taking care to preserve the trapped air.
Transfer the batter to the ungreased chiffon tin. Level the surface and run a skewer through to release large air pockets. Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the top springs back when pressed lightly.
Invert the tin immediately and let it cool completely upside down. Once cool, run a thin knife around the sides and central tube, then remove the base and release the cake. Slice into wedges and serve.
