Pandan Kaya Cake

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uK0j9iqPZ8

http://kitchentigress.blogspot.com/2014/06/pandan-kaya-cake-video-recipe.html

Pandan kaya cake is a layered sponge cake combined with kaya kueh. Made with coconut milk and pandan, it's light yet full of flavour. The kaya is set with agar-agar powder and mung bean starch. This cake doesn't melt, even in a heat wave!

Pandan Kaya Cake

By KT | Updated: 2020-05-22
Prep time: 25 minutes | Cook time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 | Calories per serving: 276

keywords: pandan layer cake, tropical cake, cake icing that does not melt, green cake, pandan chiffon cake, 1590105600, malaysia, singapore, dessert, tea, snack, bake

INGREDIENTS
(For one 20 x 12 cm cake)

Cake

• 10 g castor sugar
• 45 g egg yolks
• 50 g corn oil
• 45 g full-fat milk
• 8 drops pandan paste
• 50 g cake flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/16 tsp salt
• 105 g egg whites
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 40 g castor sugar

Kaya

• 50 g young pandan leaves
• water
• 1/2 tsp white agar-agar powder
• 40 g sugar
• 25 g unsalted butter
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 120 g pure coconut milk, freshly squeezed
• 35 g white  hun kwee  flour
• 5 drops pandan paste
• 1 big drop egg yellow food colour

INSTRUCTIONS

1. TO MAKE CAKE, trim 5 mm thick corrugated cardboard to fit sides of 23 x 15 cm cake pan. Wrap each piece of cardboard in aluminium foil, shining side facing out. Line bottom of 20 x 12 x 7.5 cm cake pan with 2 layers of parchment paper.


2. Preheat oven to 160°C. Measure ingredients for cake as detailed above.

3. Whisk 10 g castor sugar with egg yolks till dissolved. Add corn oil. Whisk till just combined. Add milk. Whisk till just thoroughly mixed. Add pandan paste, 6-8 drops, to make yolk mixture's colour look like pandan leaves. Mix thoroughly. Sift cake flour and baking powder into mixture. Add salt. Whisk till just thoroughly mixed.


4. Separately whisk egg whites till frothy. Add cream of tartar. Whisk till thick foam forms. Gradually add 40 g castor sugar whilst still whisking. Continue to whisk till firm peak stage.


5. Thoroughly whisk yolk mixture. Add egg whites in 3 batches. Mix with whisk till almost even after each addition. Scrape down and fold with spatula till just evenly mixed, banging mixing bowl against worktop 2-3 times.


6. Pour batter into 20 x 12 x 7.5 cm cake pan, slowly and from about 30 cm high. Jiggle pan till batter is level, tapping pan against worktop 2-3 times.


7. Place cake pan holding batter in 23 x 15 cm cake pan. Tuck cardboard between 2 pans. Bake in bottom of oven till middle of cake doesn't squish when pressed gently, 40-45 minutes.

8. Remove pans from oven. Remove cardboard and outer pan. Drop pan holding cake from about 30 cm high, once. Invert pan onto wire rack. Leave till just cool. Unmould cake and remove parchment paper.


9. Slice cake horizontally with serrated knife into 3 layers.


10. Wash and dry cake pan. Line pan with aluminium foil with some overhang.


11. TO MAKE KAYA, rinse pandan leaves. Cut 5-6 cm long. Grind in food processor with 30 g water till fine. Press to yield about 40 g pandan juice. Top up with water to make up 340 g.


12. Place 340 g pandan water in a small pot that retains heat well. Sprinkle agar-agar powder into water. Add sugar, unsalted butter, and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes or longer.

13. Place coconut milk in a bowl. Add hun kwee flour. Stir thoroughly. Refrigerate till ready to use.


14. After cutting cake and prepping cake pan as detailed above, heat and stir agar-agar mixture till agar-agar powder dissolves completely. (Mixture is now very hot but not boiling.) Turn off heat. Add coconut milk mixture. Stir thoroughly. Add 5 drops pandan paste and 1 big drop egg yellow food colour. Stir thoroughly.


15. Turn on heat to medium-low. Cook and stir agar-agar mixture till thick enough to coat sides of pot thinly. Turn off heat. Stir till residual heat dissipates. (Mixture should now be thick enough to coat sides of pot thickly but thin enough to flow smoothly.)

16. TO ASSEMBLE CAKE, place what was top part of cake in cake pan, cut side up. Pour 140 g kaya into pan. Tilt pan from side to side and swirl kaya to form even layer. Wait till kaya layer thickens slightly, about 60 seconds (less if it's cold where you are). Place what was middle part of cake on kaya layer. Make kaya layer as before. Wait 30 seconds or so. Top with what was bottom part of cake, cut side up. Make kaya layer as before.


17. Leave assembled cake on wire rack to cool down. Refrigerate, covered, till ready to serve and kaya is firm.


18. To serve, unmould cake and trim 1 cm from all edges. Transfer to serving plate. Leave till cake is at room temperature, covered. Cut and serve.

Less Sweet Pandan Kaya Cake 

https://lovingcreations4u.blogspot.com/2023/07/less-sweet-pandan-kaya-cake.html

I adapted the recipe from this basket weave cake I made for my mum a few years ago.

Pandan Chiffon Sponge

(makes two 7.5" round sponges)

A)

45g oil

70g pandan juice concentrate*

40g coconut milk

12g Gula Melaka, grated (coconut palm sugar)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp pandan paste 

B)

120g cake flour, sifted into large bowl

C)

6 egg yolks

D)

6 egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

72g caster sugar (use more if prefer sweeter & for more stable meringue)

Pandan Kaya pudding

E)

720g coconut milk

300g water^

60g clear pandan water*^

45g Gula Melaka, grated (use more & add caster sugar if prefer sweeter)

3/4 tsp vanilla

3/8 tsp pandan paste

3/8 tsp caramel essence (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp green liquid colouring (optional)

2 tsp agar powder

F)

78g cornstarch

390g water^

* Blend about 25-30 mature pandan leaves with 120g of water. Strain juice & squeeze out as much liquid as you can from pulp. Let juice settle over 3 days in fridge. Separate clear water from concentrate. 

^ Traditional recipes use pandan water from water boiled with a few pandan leaves. Over here I just used what is usually discarded. It saves you the effort for one step!

Steps:

1) Line pans with parchment paper or teflon sheet. Preheat oven to 140-150C (no fan) with optional steam baking. Note that baking temperature and time is oven dependent so adjust accordingly.

2) Place A) in saucepan & heat until gula melaka is dissolved & mixture is 80C.

3) Pour 2) into B) & whisk until a dough forms.

4) Add C) 2 yolks at a time. Whisk until well combined after each addition.

5) Make meringue (D). Whip egg whites with cream of tartar until firm peaks form, adding sugar gradually once egg whites are foamy. Slowly build up your meringue using medium speed to avoid creating large air bubbles and to help with stability.

6) Fold meringue into 4) in 3 batches. I like to use the whisk to fold in the first two batches and finish off using a silicone spatula.

7) Fill pans until 80% full. Bake for 40 min or until done. 

8) Cool completely & unmold. Slice each cake horizontally for 4 pieces of sponge.

9) Mix F) in jug. Set aside.

10) Put E) in pot, whisk to disperse agar & set aside for 5 min. Bring to boil while whisking continuously. Continue simmering for 1 min while whisking. 

11) Whisk F) again to disperse cornstarch before pouring in a thin stream into 10) while whisking continuously. Continue cooking pudding for another 1-2 min. Remove from heat.

12) Assemble cake by alternating sponge and pudding layers within a cake ring or acetate sheet. Stir pudding mixture in pot to prevent it from setting during assembly. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before unmolding. Neaten the pudding layers if need be by carefully cutting stray bits off.

See my Instagram reel for snippets of the process!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvE_U7PgJKl/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==