Pandan Chiffon Cake: The Complete Step-by-Step Recipe
Maison PandanPandan chiffon cake is arguably the most iconic cake in Southeast Asia. Light as a cloud, a soft natural green and fragrant with a unique vanilla-like aroma, it's one of the must-try desserts of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Good news: with pandan powder, it's entirely doable at home, without fresh leaves that are hard to find in France.
Here's the complete step-by-step recipe, with every tip you need for an ultra-fluffy crumb and a beautiful natural green color.
What is a chiffon cake?
Chiffon cake is an American-born cake that Asia adopted and perfected. Its incredibly light texture comes from two things: using oil (not butter), which keeps the crumb soft, and stiffly beaten egg whites, which provide the volume. Pandan adds its aromatic signature and its color.
Ingredients (20 cm chiffon pan)
For the yolk mixture:
- 5 egg yolks
- 50 g sugar
- 60 ml neutral oil (sunflower, grapeseed)
- 80 ml coconut milk (or plant-based milk)
- 6 to 8 g pandan powder
- 100 g flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the meringue:
- 5 egg whites
- 60 g sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- A few drops of lemon juice
Step-by-step method
- Preheat the oven to 160 °C (conventional heat, not convection).
- Dissolve the pandan: mix the pandan powder with the warm coconut milk until you get a smooth, lump-free green liquid.
- Yolk mixture: whisk the yolks with the 50 g of sugar, add the oil, then the pandan coconut milk. Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder.
- Beat the whites: with the salt and lemon, whip the egg whites, gradually adding the 60 g of sugar, until you reach firm but supple peaks.
- Gently fold the whites into the yolk batter in three additions using a spatula, without knocking out the volume.
- Pour into an UNGREASED chiffon pan (essential so the cake can cling to the sides and rise).
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The cake should be nicely golden and spring back when touched.
- Immediately invert the pan upside down on its feet (or over the neck of a bottle) and let it cool completely before unmolding.
Mistakes to avoid
- Greasing the pan: chiffon cake needs to grip the sides to rise. A bare pan is a must.
- Not inverting the pan: without cooling upside down, the cake collapses.
- Using too much pandan: above 8 g, the taste becomes too grassy. Start cautiously.
- Deflating the whites: fold them in gently with a spatula, never with an electric mixer.
Which pandan powder should you use?
For a natural green color and a true-to-leaf aroma, go for a powder made from 100% pandan leaves, with no added colors or flavors. A quality powder gives a soft green hue (not neon) and an authentic vanilla-like fragrance.
FAQ
Can you make a pandan chiffon cake without a special pan?
An ungreased tube pan also works. Avoid silicone molds, which don't give the grip the cake needs to rise.
Why does my chiffon cake collapse?
Most often: egg whites not stiff enough, a greased pan, or the cake not inverted after baking.
Can you replace the coconut milk?
Yes, with plant-based or regular milk. Coconut milk simply enhances the tropical notes.
