Pandan Chiffon Cake

Mid-autumn festival has just passed, hope everyone had fun eating (snowskin) mooncakes, pomelo, (water) caltrops, yams and sipping tea, playing (burning? lol) with lanterns/candles, all while admiring the beautiful moon. For those who tried the snowskin mooncake recipe I posted some 2 weeks ago, hope you guys enjoyed making them as much as I did!

While I was busy making mooncakes the past 2 weeks, I realized I haven't do a post on the well-loved and very much sought after - Pandan Chiffon cake. Now that my blogging has resumed, of course it will be the first post I'm going to write on!!

When growing up, I especially love having a slice of Pandan Chiffon cake as mid-morning snack that I bought from the canteen during recess time or as a late afternoon snack after coming back from school. Always so perfect when washing it down with a cup of hot Milo. *yums* It's little wonder how my Mum fed me until this size! XP

Back in the 1980s, the craze in the baking scene was all about the soft, bouncy Pandan Chiffon cake. It was considered the queen of all cakes which requires precise skills and all elements to be in place just to get the right amount of springiness (and "Pandan-ness") in the Pandan Chiffon cake.

So when I first embarked on my baking adventure, I envisioned myself to be able to make Pandan Chiffon in a matter of a year. Boy, I was wrong. I did not muster enough courage to even attempt it until 5 years later and yet didn't manage to get it right until the 2nd attempt. Even choosing the recipe took me a week of research, asking friends, relatives, veterans and of course, the good ole internet. In the end, with a confidence boost from chemistry? physics?, I chose KiamNianWong's recipe as featured on ieatishootipost which stands tall and proud yet remain soft and springy with the assistance from extra egg whites.

Pandan Chiffon Cake (makes 10" tube tin)
(Recipe by KiamNianWong from ieatishootipost)
Mixture A
     6       Egg Yolks
 100g     Castor Sugar (I reduced to 80g)

Mixture B
 115g     Corn Oil
 140g     Coconut Milk
   30g     Pandan Juice
  8.5g     Vanilla Extract
     4g     Pandan Extract/Paste
Optional
A drop of Green food colouring

Mixture C
 200g     Cake Flour (I used Top Flour)
     9g     Baking Powder
  1.5g     Salt

Mixture D
     9       Egg Whites, room temperature
 100g     Castor Sugar
     3g     Cream of Tartar

Preheat oven to 170ºC
1. Whisk to combine Mixture (B) and reserve. Sift Mixture (C) twice and reserve.

2. Using a whisk attachment, whisk together Mixture (A) until the colour is pale and the volume has doubled.

3. Reduce the speed of mixer and slowly add in Mixture (B) till combine. Add in Mixture (C) and whisk till batter is thick, smooth and lump-free. Transfer batter to another bowl, wash and clean mixer thoroughly.

4. Using the whisk attachment, start whisking the Egg Whites till foamy before adding Cream of Tartar then gradually add in the Sugar. Stop whisking when meringue turns glossy and just reaches stiff peaks.

5. Gently stir in 1/3 of the meringue into the batter to lighten the mixture. Here, you may choose to fold in the remaining meringue using your hand (recommended), it will be easier to control and better to "feel" the mixture with. Or you may choose to fold in gently using a spatula. I started with spatula first but later realized that my MiL's (and also from my baking teacher) advice of using hand really works better.

6. Sharply rap the bowl against the countertop a couple of times to release trapped bubbles before pouring into the tube (aka chiffon) tin. Dr. Leslie Tay advised not to turn the tin while pouring, it didn't make a big difference for my case.

7. Put the batter at the lowest possible rack and bake at 20-25 mins till the top is browned and just about to crack. If the top is too browned, place a baking sheet or a piece of aluminum foil on the upper rack. Lower the temperature to 150ºC and continue baking for another 30-35 mins till the cake is done. Cake tester/skewer should come out clean.

8. Immediately turn the tin over and elevate it using a bottle/funnel (I use a funnel on a wired rack) and let cool completely.

9. When completely cooled, insert a sharp knife and go around the sides to release the cake. Try to use one swift movement and keep the blade as close to the tin as you can. Repeat the same for the bottom of the cake. Voila, you're done!

There are seemingly a lot of details to take note of but with practice, the process will be more fluent and you'll realize it's not too difficult afterall. Furthermore, this is an "extra white" recipe, it will give the cake an extra push in height and softness. However, my first cake did not "huat" completely, leaving a dark green ring around the bottom of the cake and there's a deep faultline around the face of the cake (see picture). =( Thankfully, I tasted success on my 2nd attempt and my family has been enjoying homemade Pandan Chiffon since. Below are some pointers to take note of and hopefully can be of help. ^_^

Common troubleshoot

• Be careful not to overbeat the yolks else the top will crack when baking
• Be careful not to overbeat the whites. It will be difficult to incorporate into the batter and may leave huge bubbles/tunnels inside the cake and taint the cake white.
• Be careful not to overfold the whites else it will deflate, resulting in a dense texture
• Place the cake on the lowest possible rack when baking so it will be closer to the bottom heating element, letting the cake rise beautifully and a nice golden brown on the bottom (or top after you overturn)
• Advice from baking teacher: It is better to slightly overbake chiffon than to underbake else the interior will be wet and sticky.
• Do not grease the tin as the cake need to "climb" the sides to rise and also the cake will drop when we overturn the tin after baking
• Remember to overturn the tin after baking else the cake will sink

That's about all I can think of now. If anyone encounters any other problems, let me know and I'll be glad if I can help answer! Most importantly is not to give up!

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