Pandan Sponge w Coconut cream + Raspberries
Pandan (斑蘭)
Having grown up in Hong Kong, we had a plethora of little Indonesian, Pilipino, Thai and Malaysian dessert shops that clustered in pockets along market streets and neighborhood corners. As a child I was always enamored with the array of bright colored sweet treats that sat in their display windows. My mum would succumb to our pleas for colorful sugars and introduced us to Kuih, Khanom Chan, Pandan jelly, mochi + Pandan chiffon cake - educating us in the textural delights of the many chewy, soft and fluffy applications of earthy pandan desserts.
It’s safe to say I have been infatuated with this nostalgic flavor for a while, but it’s only recently I’ve built up the courage to cook with it. It has also surged in popularity in modern/contemporary dining recently and I am all too pleased it is getting it’s much deserved space in the spotlight.
The pandan leaf itself is what gets used in plenty of food applications, both savory and sweet. Where we enter the sweet world, you can find it in a variety of forms, but most typically it’s found as a bright green extract, or duller green powder. This recipe uses the latter, but can easily be adapted to suit the extract version.
A slight twist on a classic sponge, this recipe entails baking powder + self-raising flour, giving it that edge of lightness whilst still retaining the ratios of a traditional sponge. This cake is the first rendition of maany iterations of pandan experiments to come.
Pandan tree + fruit
Pandan leaf knot
Recipe Makes 2x small 10cm diameter cakes or 1x medium 16cm diameter cake
Prep: 15/20 mins
Cook: 18 mins
Ingredients:
Cake:
100g self-rising flour
100g unsalted butter room temp + extra for greasing
100g golden caster sugar
2 medium eggs
½ tsp vanilla
10g green pandan powder
¼ tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp water
Coconut cream:
150ml double cream
50ml coconut milk
½ Tbsp golden caster sugar
Extras:
15g toasted desiccated coconut
2-3 Tbsp raspberry jam
200gs fresh raspberries
1 Tbsp freeze-dried raspberries
1 Tbsp icing sugar for dusting
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Line 2x small 10cm diameter round cake tins or 1x medium 16cm diameter round cake tin with baking paper and grease generously.
2. Sieve the flour, pandan powder and baking powder together, mix and set aside.
3. Cream the butter with a hand-held or stand-mixer on high speed for about a minute.
4. Add the sugar and vanilla, then turn up to medium speed and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 mins.
5. Turn back to low speed and add the eggs, one by one, beating until combined (not for long or you’ll risk the mix curdling).
6. Add the flour mix in thirds, mixing on low speed until incorporated before adding the next third etc.
7. Divide the batter in half between the two small tins/add all the batter to the single medium tin and smooth the top. Gently tap the pans on the counter to release excess air bubbles.
8. Bake until the cakes are golden, about 18 mins for the small tins and 22 mins for the medium cake tin. Let the cakes cool in their pans before releasing them onto a wire rack
9. Mix the cream, coconut and sugar with a hand-held/stand mixer until it forms soft peaks, about 5-6 mins. Be careful to keep an eye on it so it doesn't over-whip, and place in the fridge if not using immediately.
10. Mush most of the fresh raspberries into the jam to create a more textured + chunky jam filling. Slice the cake/s in half and spread the raspberry jam mix on one half. Dollop the coconut cream over and spread out gently, leaving about 2cm at least from the edge so that when you place the other half on top, the cream will just peak out the sides from the weight of it.
11. Sprinkle some icing sugar on top using a sieve and throw some toasted desiccated coconut over + a couple of additional raspberries. Indulge yourself.
Ps. this cake tastes even better the next day. So if you have time to bake it the day before, store overnight in a air-tight tupperware, not in the fridge.
