CAKES - Chiffon Cakes

Pandan Chiffon Cake

July 18, 2017 | Recipe by Bake with Paws

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Finally after a lot of experimenting, I am comfortable to share an improved recipe of my Pandan Kaw-Kaw Chiffon Cake. I call it the Pandan Kaw-Kaw Chiffon Cake because I use a very thick and concentrated pandan juice.  "Kaw-Kaw" means thick/concentrated in Hokkien dialect.

I have been struggling to bake a nice Pandan Chiffon Cake after changing to a new oven. Unlike the ones I used to bake, the cake either cracks or collapses due to a too high or low temperature which is very hard to adjust with this new oven.  However, the cake will still crack slightly sometimes.  However, I think it is acceptable for a chiffon cake to have slight cracks.  I just tried my best to minimise the cracks.

This Pandan Chiffon Cake can be considered as healthier than the regular Pandan Chiffon Cake.  This recipe uses 100% natural pandan juice with no colouring added, and very little brown sugar is used.

Please visit this link for "How to make Pandan Paste (Concentrated Pandan Juice)" if you wonder how to get this vibrant green colour.

If you like pandan cakes baked in a normal cake pan and with buttercream, please click Pandan Cake with Gula Melaka  and Onde Onde Cake.

Please scroll down to the bottom to read the General Notes which may help you to yield a better cake if you are a beginner.

If you have any questions regarding this recipe or any other post, please leave me a comment in the “LEAVE A COMMENT” link and I will reply you as soon as possible.  Do tag me on Instagram @Bakewithpaws if you attempt on this recipe.

Recipe - Pandan Chiffon Cake


Yields: 1 cake

INGREDIENTS:

 

 

6 Eggs

 

 

7 Eggs 

 

110g cake flour or all purposed flour

½ tsp double action baking powder (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

 


6 egg yolks (L size, about 60g - 65 each egg)

55g corn oil or any vegetable oil

20g fresh milk

50g concentrated pandan juice 

 

6 egg white (L size, about 60g - 65 each egg)

70g brown sugar or caster sugar 

1/2 tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice

 

 

 

130g cake flour or all purposed flour

1/2 tsp double action baking powder (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

 

7 egg yolks (L size, about 60g - 65 each egg)

65g corn oil or any vegetable oil

25g fresh milk

60g concentrated pandan juice 

 

7 egg white (L size, about 60g - 65 each egg)

85g brown sugar or caster sugar 

1/2 tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice


Use either one of the above recipe.  7 eggs recipe will yield a slightly taller cake.  I used 7 eggs for picture shown.

Utensil : 
8 inch Japanese Chiffon Tin (203 X 182 X 112 mm)

METHOD:
  1. To Prepare Cake Batter:
    1. Sift flour and baking powder in a bowl.  Add in salt and keep aside.
    2. Separate egg whites from the yolks.
    3. Add in oil, pandan juice and milk to the egg yolks.  Whisk until all well combined with a hand whisk.
    4. Add in sifted flour mixture in three batches.  Mix until well incorporated. Set aside.
    5. Using a hand electric mixer, whisk egg white until frothy before adding cream of tartar and continue to beat until foamy. Gradually add in sugar and whisk until firm peaks formed (when you turn your whisk upside down, the peaks will hold and curl over a bit).   
    6. Gently fold the meringue into the egg and pandan batter with hand whisk in three batches.  Change to spatula and fold gently until well incorporated.
    7. Pour the batter into the chiffon tin.  Skim the top with spatula gently while pouring to break the air bubbles.
  2. Baking:
    1. Choose either dry bake or water bath bake.
    2. Dry Bake -
      1. Preheat oven to 140C (top and bottom heat) for 15 minutes before baking.  
      2. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. If the cake starts to crack, reduce the temperature to 130C.
    3. Water Bath Bake - 
      1. Preheat oven to 150C (top and bottom heat) for 15 minutes before baking.
      2. To prepare a water bath – Place the cake tin into a pan slightly bigger before placing into another bigger pan filled with hot water until it comes up to a level of 1.5 cm – 2 cm.
      3. For my oven, I have to reduce the oven temperature to 140C.  Bake in pre-heated oven at 140C for 30 minutes, then 150C for 30 minutes and 170C for another 20 - 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
    4. Remove from the oven and immediately invert the cake tin. This will prevent the cakes from sinking.  Let the cakes cool for 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle before unmolding. 
  3. To remove the cake from the pan:
    1. Run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the cake tin.
    2. Run the same knife (a bamboo skewer works too) between the cake and the funnel.
    3. Turn the cake tin over and press down on the bottom to release the cake.
    4. Run a thin knife between the bottom of the cake and the base of the cake tin.
    5. Invert the cake on a cake board or round plate. 
Notes:

Please note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. It may not work for your oven. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.

Other recommended methods:
  1. 170C (top and bottom heat) for 90 minutes - water bath.
  2. 150C (top and bottom heat) for 60 minutes - dry bake.
Pandan chiffon cakePandan chiffon cake


GENERAL NOTES


MERINGUE

Meringue plays a very important role in Chiffon Cake.  Over beating meringue may cause the cake to crack, while under beating will cause the cake to collapse or it may not rise much.

Use room temperature egg whites, this will yield more volume.  Cold egg whites will not whip well.  It is easier to separate your eggs when they are still cold, then leave the egg whites aside to come to room temperature. 

Make sure your bowl is clean and there is no any trace of egg yolk or fat.  Fat will interfere with the formation of meringue.

Use cream of tartar to stabilise the whipped meringue.  Cream of tartar is acidic and can be replaced with lemon juice or white vinegar. The replacement ratio is 1:2.  If your recipe asks for 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar, then replace with 1/2 tsp lemon juice.

Sources from here, here and here

Stages of Meringue:

Soft Peak – The meringue is soft and unable to hold its form, it will drip after you turn your whisk upside down.  You will see the ribbon lines, but it disappears the moment you stop whisking. 
 
Firm Peak – The peak will hold and fold back slightly when you turn your whisk upside down.  The meringue is glossy and the ribbon lines stay. This is the stage we look for if you do not want your cake to crack. 

Stiff Peak – The peak will hold straight and doesn’t fold back when you turn the whisk upside down.  The meringue is very glossy and thick too.  Most chiffon cake recipes will prescribe this stage but the cake will easily crack when baking.  However, if you don’t mind the cake cracking then it is fine. It doesn’t affect how the cake tastes.

Over-beating – The meringue looks grainy, broken and dull. We do not want this stage in baking as you will not be able to fold it into the flour batter nicely.

OVEN TEMPERATURE AND BAKING TIME

Do note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven. 

It would be good to use an oven thermometer when baking. This will help you understand and know the actual temperature you are baking at. The actual temperature in the oven may not be the same as the oven’s setting.  Leave the thermometer on the same rack where you place your baking. 

I usually bake cakes with top and bottom heats setting.  I don’t encourage baking cakes with fan-forced mode as this setting uses a fan to circulate the hot air for quick baking or cooking at high temperature and may result in cracks on the cake.  However, if fan mode is used, it is recommended to reduce the temperature setting by about 20C if using a fan-forced mode.

WATER BATH vs DRY BAKE

For a water bath, the cake pan sits within another pan filled with a little water. Place the cake pan within a larger pan and pour hot water into the outer pan until it comes up to a level of 1.5cm – 2 cm.  Place the whole thing in oven and bake. 

The benefit of water bath is that it will moderate the baking temperature and prevent the cakes from cracking.  The cake texture will be very moist too.  

Chiffon cake baked without a water bath is more brown and crumbly.  Some may prefer this texture. Please make your own choice between water bath or dry bake. This is a very individual personal preference.  
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Comments

  1. faithMarch 13, 2020 at 4:00 AM

    I'm so amazing at what I saw on your blog,was searching for a nice site where I can get pandan Chiffon Cake for my cousin's birthday. Your pandan Chiffon Cake looks attractive and adorable .
    I will like to you to bake a cake for my cousin's birthday that is coming up next month

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsMarch 17, 2020 at 6:58 AM

      Thank you for your comment. Sorry, I don't take order. Cheers :)

      Delete
  2. OliviabhMay 7, 2020 at 9:02 AM

    Hi there, what is the ingredients proportion for a 23cm chiffon tube pan? I tried 8 eggs twice and I failed:(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsMay 7, 2020 at 10:32 AM

      Hi, I never tried on 23cm tube tin before. May I know why it failed? The cake tin too small for 8 eggs? You may want to try 6 or 7 eggs.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousAugust 12, 2020 at 12:10 AM

    Hello, do you have the ingredients measurement for 16cm chiffon tube pan? Could you share with me pls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsAugust 12, 2020 at 5:45 AM

      Hi, thanks for reading my recipe. You can use 3 eggs recipe. Use half of the 6 eggs recipe above. But, I am not sure how tall is your tin. If your cake tin is tall like the one I have 11.2cm (112 mm) than you may need to increase to 4 eggs.

      Cheers:)

      Delete
  4. UnknownAugust 26, 2020 at 9:36 PM

    Hi, thank you for sharing. May I ask why you didn’t use coconut milk? Can I replace the fresh milk with coconut milk? Also, for water bath, do we need to wrap the bottom of the tub with foil to prevent water from sipping in? Appreciate your reply.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsAugust 27, 2020 at 6:31 AM

      Hi, I used fresh milk because I always have milk in my fridge for my bread baking. Of course you can replace with coconut milk. You can either wrap the bottom of the pan with foil or you can place into a slightly bigger pan as I mentioned in the water bath baking.

      Cheers and happy baking :)

      Delete
  5. ClaireOctober 9, 2020 at 5:44 PM

    Hello! Would like to try out baking this cake. May I know if I can substitute double action baking powder with normal baking powder?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsOctober 10, 2020 at 4:36 AM

      Hi, thanks for reading this recipe. Yes, you can.
      Cheers:)

      Delete
  6. NicoleOctober 20, 2020 at 5:42 AM

    Hi there, would love to try making this cake.
    However I wonder if I could use store bought pandan extract to replace the pandan juice?
    If so, how much pandan extract would you recommend using? And I probably need to adjust the liquid in the recipe?
    Thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsOctober 21, 2020 at 5:53 AM

      Hi, thanks for reading this recipe and your question. To be honest, I never used pandan extract in my bakings. I am not sure how it works. Maybe you can add little bit a one time until you achieve the colour and fragrant that you want. Is there any instructions on the label?

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  7. MyeeJune 19, 2021 at 2:59 AM

    Hi may I know at which step you add in the fresh milk? Did not found it in the recipe.

    Thanks in advance!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsJune 20, 2021 at 2:22 AM

      Hi, thanks for reading this recipe.

      I added in milk together with pandan juice. Please refer to Step 4.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  8. herbyJuly 4, 2021 at 12:48 AM

    Hi, mu chiffon caje cracked at the top. Any idea why?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsJuly 4, 2021 at 2:07 AM

      Hi, It could be the meringue is stiff peak or your oven is too hot. Oven temperature is very tricky. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven until it work for you.

      What is the temperature that you used? Maybe try at 130C - 140C top and bottom heat.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  9. NCJuly 5, 2021 at 8:17 PM

    Hi, I have tried few chiffon recipes, and it did not succeed. The top of the cake (when I remove and overturn the cake) was sunken in always. Hence, I would like to try your recipe. But my chiffon tin is slightly lower than yours, should I reduce the quantity of the eggs to 5? If yes, how about the other ingredients, baking temperature and time? Will it be the same?

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsJuly 6, 2021 at 12:45 AM

      Hi, Thanks for reading this recipe. To be honest my cake sank abit too. It could be the way we bake and also the oven. Need a alot of practises and skill..lol

      You can try this recipe from https://www.bakewithpaws.com/2017/07/pandan-cotton-cake-with-gula-melaka.html


      Recipe - Pandan Cake
      Yields: 7 inch square cake

      INGREDIENTS:

      90g cake flour or all purposed flour
      ½ tsp double action baking powder
      1/4 tsp salt

      5 egg yolks (L size, about 60g - 65 each egg)
      45g corn oil or any vegetable oil
      15g fresh milk
      45g homemade pandan juice (screw-pine leaves juice), very thick and concentrated juice.

      5 egg white (L size, about 60g - 65 each egg)
      75g caster sugar or fine sugar (I used fine brown sugar)
      1/4 tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice

      Cheers :)

      Delete
    2. NCJuly 6, 2021 at 1:40 AM

      That’s very nice of you to answer my inquiry. Thanks a lot! However, the recipe with 6 eggs say 70gr of sugar, your new recipe that you just gave me is 75gr of sugar. Have you increased the sugar in the modified recipe?

      If I see from the way we bake, it cracked on the top, which is fine, but there was a kind of ‘hollow inside’ or ‘river’ on the cake bottom. I know it is very tricky, especially the oven. I have a small oven, sometimes the top of the cake get burnt as it is too near with the heat.

      I am going to try your recipe this weekend. Finger crossed no more ‘river’
      Once again, thank you!

      Delete
    3. Bake With PawsJuly 7, 2021 at 1:56 AM

      You are most welcome. Yes, I used more sugar in the 5 eggs recipe. But, you can cut down to 65g or 70g is fine.

      Yes, oven plays very important part too.

      Cheers and happy baking :)

      Delete
  10. eepingMay 28, 2022 at 7:09 AM

    Hi my cake forms a thick/dense layer at the bottom. Does it mean I have not beaten the egg white adequately?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsMay 29, 2022 at 8:44 AM

      Hi, thanks for trying this recipe. Maybe you deflate the meringue during folding the pandan and egg yolks mixture.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  11. AnonymousNovember 21, 2022 at 10:54 PM

    Hello,love your recipes. I new to baking chiffon cake. Please advise if you grease the pan? Do you use butter to grease or butter amd flour?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Bake With PawsNovember 23, 2022 at 3:22 AM

    Hi, thank you for your interest in this recipe. You are not required to grease the pan. The cake may sink if you grease.

    Cheers:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousMarch 25, 2023 at 1:44 AM

    Hi, can I use normal bake pan if I don’t have any chiffon Mould cake pan?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsMarch 26, 2023 at 6:51 AM

      Hi, thanks for interest in this recipe. Please refer to this recipe for the method:

      https://www.bakewithpaws.com/2017/07/pandan-cotton-cake-with-gula-melaka.html

      Cheers :)

      Delete

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