How To Make Pandan Butter Cupcakes 

1. Blend pandan leaves with boiled water in a food processor.  Squeeze out the juice.
2. Leave in fridge for 3 - 5 nights. Pour away the top clear part and use only the bottom concentrated part.  The longer it stays in the fridge, the more concentrated the extract will be. 

For Pandan Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.  Line muffin pan with 11 cupcake liners Set them aside.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda together.  Add in salt and keep aside.
3. Combine milk and pandan juice together.  Keep aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer till light and fluffy at medium speed.  Scrap down the sides of the bowl occasionally.  It takes around 10 – 15 minutes.
5. Add egg one at a time and beat until well combined.  
6. Fold in half of the flour mixture gradually, add in half of the milk and pandan mixture and mix till incorporated.  Then fold in the balance of the flour mixture gradually follow by the balance of milk and pandan mixture.  Mix until well combined.  However, don’t over mix.
7. Spoon the batter into each cupcake liner until 3 quarter full. 
8. Bake at preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Recipe - Gula Melaka Swiss Meringue Buttercream 

1. Combine gula melaka, pandan leave and water in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. 
2. Keep on stirring until all the sugar has melted and reduce slightly. Remove from heat, strain & discard the pandan leaves. Keep aside to cool. The syrup will thicken as it cools.

1. Cut the butter into cubes. Set aside to room temperature.
2. Combine egg white and sugar in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the base of the bowl is not touching the water. Whisk with hand whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Rub between your fingers to check if there is any unmelted sugar.
3. Transfer the egg white mixture to a bowl of mixer. With whisk attachment, beat over high speed until stiff peaks.  Let it cool to room temperature before adding butter, this will prevent the butter from melting. To speed up the process, you may leave the meringue in refrigerator.
4. At low speed, add in the butter cube gradually then turn to high speed. Beat until the mixture comes together. Scrap the bowl if necessary.  At one stage, it will look curdled, but keep on beating until it combines into a smooth buttercream. 
5. Add in salt and vanilla extract until well incorporated.
6. Scoop 1/3 of the buttercream to a separate bowl for pandan buttercream if you like bi-color.
7. At low speed, add in gula melaka syrup one teaspoon at a time. Scrap the bowl with spatula and beat until all well combined. I used about 5 – 6 teaspoon of gula melaka syrup.  Set aside.
8. Combine the 1/3 portion of the buttercream with 2-3 teaspoons of concentrated pandan juice.  Set aside.

1. Prepare a piping bag with a large closed-star nozzle.  
2. Scoop some pandan buttercream and put onto the centre of a piece of clingfilm.  Roll it up like a tube.  Twist both ends.  Do the same with gula melaka buttercream.  
3. Cut off one end of each buttercream tube.  Put the buttercream tubes into the prepare piping bag.  Adjust both buttercream fit into the piping tip.  Squeeze to test the buttercream first before piping on the cupcakes.
4. Pipe bi-color buttercream swirl on to each cupcake. Pipe circles onto the cupcakes from outside in.  Decorate the top with some fondant flowers if you like.