Pandan Chiffon Cake

Given a choice, I would opt to bake an orange chiffon instead of a pandan because the latter will require me to make a trip to the morning market to get the freshly grated coconut. In addition to that, I need to blend the pandan leaves into concentrated juice to be added into the batter. With mom and dad around, I thought this is a good time to venture into pandan chiffon. Afterall, I now have additional 2 mouths to help me to finish the cake. This recipe was given to my by cousin Fern. It was actually taken from Amy Beh (I found out much later) and when I first tasted, oh .. I was totally blown over. The soft, fluffy and airy texture got me totally hooked to it. I could even 'tear' the cake with its soft texture. For my attempt this time, I think I should leave it longer in the oven for another 10 mins.

By the next evening, the cake was almost gone, thanks for mom's support. I think it'll be a long time from now for me to bake yet another pandan chiffon and that's largely because the only time I get to buy fresh coconut is either on a Saturday or on the day I take a day off from work.

Ingredients :

6 egg whites
125g castor sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
6 egg yolks
100g sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
5 tbsp corn oil
2 tbsp pandan juice
100ml thick coconut milk (squeezed from 1/2 a grated coconut)
140g self-raising flour, sift

Pandan juice:
5-6 pandan leaves, cut into small pieces
3-4 tbsp water

Method :
To obtain pandan juice, put pandan leaves and water in an electric blender and blend to a fine pulp. Strain the juice and measure out two tablespoonfuls for use.

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Whisk egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in an electric mixer until just stiff.

Whisk egg yolks, sugar and vanilla essence until light and creamy. Add in corn oil, pandan juice and thick coconut milk. Mix well.

Stir in sifted flour and fold in carefully and gently to mix.

Pour egg yolk mixture lightly into the egg white mixture. Mix evenly with a metal spoon or a plastic spatula.

Pour batter into an ungreased 22cm tube pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until cake is well browned and firm to the touch.

Remove cake from oven. Invert pan immediately. Leave to cool, then remove cake from pan with the help of a thin-bladed knife.

My cooking tips : Do not overbeat the egg whites otherwise cake will not be soft and fully. Use the freshest egg possible.