CAKES - Other Cakes

Pandan Butter Cake

March 27, 2019 | Recipe by Bake with Paws
Pandan Butter Cake

Pandan Butter Cake


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We had a family friend visit recently.  My mother in-law asked me what type of cake would be easy make and tasty.  Butter cake came to mind straight away.  She asked if I could add pandan as she loves pandan cake, so I did :) This is the revised Mrs Ng's Butter Cake with Pandan.

This cake is so buttery, soft and full of butter and pandan aroma.  I could eat a lot if I don't control.  However, this is low sugar butter cake.  I used brown sugar instead of white caster sugar.   

I received a lot of good feedback from my family members and friends.  So, I decided to make a YouTube video tutorial for this cake.  I hope you enjoy watching.

If you like Pandan Cake I have another Pandan Chiffon Cake that you may be interested.  


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.


How To Make Soft Pandan Butter Cake 


Yield: 7 inch square cake

INGREDIENTS:

250g butter (room temperature)
75g brown sugar or caster sugar (I used brown sugar)
5 egg yolks (large size-60g, room temperature)
30g full cream milk
30g pandan paste (concentrated pandan juice), please refer here

230g plain flour/cake flour
1 tsp baking powder or double action baking powder
¼  tsp salt

5 egg white (large size, room temperature)
65g caster sugar
½ tsp lemon juice or white vinegar or ¼ tsp cream of tartar

Utensil: 
7" X 7" Baking Pan


METHOD:
  1. Allow butter to come to room temperature before use.  Approximately 30 - 45 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 170C.  Grease and line the base of baking pan with non-stick baking paper.
  3. Sift flour and baking powder in a bowl.  Add in salt and keep aside.
  4. Mix full cream milk and pandan juice together in a jar.  Set aside.
  5. Separate egg whites from the yolks.
  6. Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer till light and fluffy at low medium speed for 10 - 15 minutes.  Scrap down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
  7. Add in egg yolk one at a time and beat until well combined.  Add in half of the flour mixture, beat to combine.  Then add in 60g pandan and milk mixture and mix till incorporated.  Add in balance of the flour mixture and mix well.  Lastly, mix with spatula until well combined.
  8. Using an 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 it just reached firm peaks. The meringue is almost ready when it turns glossy and you see lines.
  9. Fold in the meringue into butter batter with spatula in 3 batches.  Fold gently until well incorporated.  
  10. Knock the mixing bowl on the counter few times to release any air bubbles.
  11. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.  Skim the top gently with spatula while pouring to break the air bubbles.  Knock the cake pan on the counter to release any air bubbles.
  12. Bake in the preheated oven at 170C for 50 - 55 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  13. Remove cake from oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before removing cake from the pan.  

Note:
  1. If you don't have ready pandan paste (concentrated pandan juice) and wish to bake last minute. You may blend 10 pandan leaves together with 100g milk till fine in a food processor.  Squeeze out the juice through a sieve.  You need only 60ml of mixture for the cake.
  2. Do also 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 is advisable to read the following notes before baking.  

GENERAL NOTES

Butter
Using room temperature butter will prevent the cake from being dense.  When the recipe requires room temperature butter it refers to a soft and pliable butter. The butter should not look shinny or greasy. It should still be cool to touch and not warm.  During the creaming stage of butter and sugar, the mixing will create air pockets in the butter and this will result in a soft and fluffy cake.

If the butter is too warm it will not create the desired air pockets and this will result in a dense cake.  Conversely if the butter is too cold, the butter won't expand easily and is also unable to create the desired air pocket s for a fluffy texture. Ideally, the butter needs to be soft and pliable but still cool to the touch.

Creaming Butter and Sugar
The beating process (butter, sugar and egg) has to be done slowly at a low medium speed and never more than a medium speed to prevent a dense cake.  The slow speed needs to be maintained when the flour is added. The flour needs to be mixed at a low speed as a high speed would develop additional gluten that will cause the cake to rise in the oven, but sink as soon as you remove it from oven. The sinking causes the cake to be dense. In short, over creaming will make your cake dense too.  Sources from here.

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.

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Comments

  1. TeresaMarch 27, 2019 at 7:58 AM

    Hello bakewithpaws
    60g milk only without pandan juice? Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsMarch 31, 2019 at 7:02 AM

      Hi Teresa,

      Thank you for your question.
      Total liquid is 60g (pandan and milk mixture). I used milk to extract the pandan juice.

      Cheers and happy baking :)

      Delete
  2. TrishMarch 29, 2019 at 11:59 PM

    Hi, for the oven can we know if we should use fan mode with 170 degrees for this recipe?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsMarch 31, 2019 at 6:38 AM

      Hi Trish,

      Thank you for your question. 170C top and bottom heat. We usually don't use fan mode for baking cake as it will be too hot.

      Cheers and happy baking:)

      Delete
  3. UnknownAugust 4, 2019 at 8:08 PM

    Hi, may I know why the cake will shrink after few minutes taken out from the oven?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsAugust 5, 2019 at 8:09 AM

      Hi there, thank you for your question. It is normal for the cake to sink a little bit. Cheers :)

      Delete
  4. LingAugust 15, 2019 at 10:23 PM

    Hi, if i were to use pandan extract instead, how much of it will you advise me to use?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsAugust 16, 2019 at 6:06 AM

      Hi Ling,

      Thank you for your question. I never used pandan extract in all my pandan cakes. I am not sure how much to use. Is there any instructions on the label? I may suggest you to add a little bit by a time until get the colour and aroma you like.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  5. BabecakeApril 12, 2020 at 3:46 AM

    What kind of butter did you use? Was it salted or unsalted?

    ReplyDelete
  6. cindyApril 13, 2020 at 6:32 PM

    Hi, can I replace butter to oil. If yes ,do I have to reduce the oil quantity.thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsApril 16, 2020 at 12:54 PM

      Hi Cindy,

      Thank you for asking. I never tried using other oil as it is butter cake. Sorry.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  7. LindyMay 5, 2020 at 5:42 AM

    Hihi, for your pandan mixture (100ml fresh milk + 10 pandan leaves), is it ok to have it water + pandan leaves as per your earlier Pandan Hokkaido milk bread concentrate? (As I still have leftover...) will it affect the overall?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsMay 5, 2020 at 6:13 AM

      Hi, thank you for trying the Pandan Hokkaido Milk Bread.
      I think should be ok. Please use 30ml of fresh milk and 30ml of pandan concentrate juice.

      You may also want to refer to this recipe:
      https://www.bakewithpaws.com/2018/10/pandan-cupcakes-with-gula-melaka-buttercream.html

      Cheers and happy baking :)

      Delete
    2. LindyMay 5, 2020 at 6:59 AM

      Thank you!!! :)

      Delete
    3. Bake With PawsMay 6, 2020 at 7:55 AM

      Most welcome :)

      Delete
  8. Finne dianMay 24, 2020 at 5:37 AM

    Hi...can i use this recipe to make 3 layers bday cake?and how many recipe i must use?i just have 20 cm round pan ( about 8 inches) with 4 cm high.
    Thanks before

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsMay 24, 2020 at 9:17 AM

      Hi,

      Thank you for your question. Actually this recipe is for 8" round cake pan. But, my is 7.5cm high instead of 4cm. I afraid the cake will over flow. Please try one first.

      BTW, the butter cake will normally be slightly hard if serve chilled. I am not sure what type of icing will you be using.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
    2. Finne dianMay 26, 2020 at 8:23 PM

      Thanks for the reply.
      So if i want to use my pan with 4 cm high,maybe i use 1,5 recipe of yours.
      I don'tknow is it enough or not.
      Or i make 2 layers only with 7,5 cm high pan.i think 2 layers is quite high enough right?

      Actually i want to make pandan gula melaka cake.the basic cake i prefer pandan butter cake.and i will use your swiss meringue buttercream recipe.is it ok?
      Sorry if i ask to many questions.

      Thanks before

      Delete
    3. Bake With PawsMay 27, 2020 at 6:00 AM

      Hi, Mine pan height is 7.5 cm and is higher than yours. You should reduce the recipe to 4 eggs, which mean reduce the rest of ingredients to 0.8 lesser.
      Sorry, I am a bit confused what your questions. 3 units of 8 inch round cake or 1 cake and slice horizontal to get 3 layers?
      If you want to make 3 units of round cakes in your pan, please use 4 eggs recipe for each pan.
      By the way, you will not get 7.5 cm height of cake as the cake will have a dome and sink later.
      Yes, you can icing with Gula Melaka Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
      Cheers :)

      Delete
    4. Finne dianMay 27, 2020 at 8:19 AM

      Sorry if i make you confused.
      I want

      Delete
    5. Finne dianMay 27, 2020 at 8:23 AM

      Sorry if i make you confused.i want to make the cake with 3 units of 8" round pan with 4 cm height.
      So i must reduce all the ingredients 0.8 from the original recipe right?

      If i use 8" round pan with 7,5 cm height and make with 2 recipe,is it high enough to make the birthday cake?
      I mean i will have 2 layers cake but with the 7,5 height pan.

      Thanks

      Delete
    6. Bake With PawsMay 28, 2020 at 4:15 AM

      No worry.. You will not get exactly 7.5cm height of cake even though you use the above recipe. I worry my estimation may be wrong. If I were you, I will try one cake bake the above recipe in 8" round pan with 7.5cm height. From there you will know how tall is the cake, then you can decide how many cakes that you need.
      I hope it helps.
      Thanks

      Delete
    7. Finne dianMay 29, 2020 at 1:25 AM

      Yes i think that is the best solution.thanks a lot

      Delete
    8. Bake With PawsMay 29, 2020 at 9:30 AM

      You are most welcome. Happy baking :)

      Delete
  9. Finne dianMay 30, 2020 at 3:03 AM

    Sorry i'm a little bit confused about the pandan mixture.
    So i must make pandan juice first before baking ( 10 pandan leaves+ 100 ml milk )
    And after that when i make this cake i must mix again the 30 ml pandan juice with 30 ml milk again?or i just take 60 ml from the pandan juice ( 10 pandan leaves + 100 ml milk)that i make??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsMay 30, 2020 at 5:39 AM

      Hi, sorry for the confusion.
      Please use 30g milk and 30g pandan paste (concentrated pandan juice). Pandan paste need to be prepared in advance. Please see the youtube link above.

      If you want to bake last minute and don't have pandan paste, then you can blend 10 pandan leaves with 100ml milk. But, use 60g/ml of pandan and mixture only. It is replacement of 30g pandan paste + 30g milk.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
    2. Finne dianJune 1, 2020 at 11:54 PM

      Thanks again.1 question again.i'm sorry.
      For the gula melaka syrup,i want to know the texture.is it thick or not??
      Can i use the syrup for decorate my cake.i want to drip my gula melaka syrup on the cake.

      Thanks

      Delete
    3. Bake With PawsJune 2, 2020 at 6:44 AM

      No worry.. The texture is a bit runny when hot. It started to thicken when got cold. But, not very thick. If you want to drip your cake, maybe increase the amount of gula melaka slightly until the texture you like. I don't know how much as I need to try then only I know.
      Cheers :)

      Delete
    4. Finne dianJune 3, 2020 at 2:37 AM

      Thank you very much

      Delete
  10. FannyJune 4, 2020 at 9:49 PM

    Hi, wanna try making your pandan butter cake, look so yummy!

    One question, the full cream milk in this recipe means any non low fat fresh milk right?

    Thks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsJune 5, 2020 at 7:33 AM

      Hi Fanny,

      Thank you for asking. Not too sure is the same. But, sometimes is called whole milk. If you can't find full cream milk, you can use fresh milk or non low fat fresh milk as you mentioned.

      Cheers :)

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  11. VanJune 29, 2020 at 1:53 AM

    Hi,

    For baking this cake with fan, do I need to reduce it by 10C-20C?
    My oven's heating element for the top without the fan consist of only the top SIDES right and left and bottom so there is no heating element in the top middle. Hence, I would have to use the fan mode so that my oven would have the full top and bottom heating element. Appreciate the reply!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsJune 29, 2020 at 7:12 AM

      Hi, thank you for your question. Usually, we reduce temperature 20C lower for fan-forced mode. But, I am not sure how your oven work. The best is using an oven thermometer if you have one. Please monitor closely during baking. If you see the cake starting to crack then you can reduce the temperature.

      I hope I answered your question.

      Cheers and happy baking :)

      Delete
  12. orangieSeptember 23, 2020 at 9:42 PM

    Hello,
    Thank you for sharing your recipe. I jus5 tried baking this cake and I’m now waiting for it to be completely cool before I can remove it from the tin. I got a question, why is the surface/top of my cake has a massive crack, unlike yours which is perfect and does not have any cracks at all? Do you happen to know the reason that’s causing the cake to crack on top? I use top and bottom baking function at 170c and my oven is not overheating. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsSeptember 24, 2020 at 4:45 AM

      Hi, thanks for trying this recipe. It could be your oven is too hot. Different oven behave differently. Maybe lover the temperature and bake slight longer. Place your cake at the first rack from the bottom in the oven. So that the cake top is not so near to the top heat.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
    2. orangieOctober 12, 2020 at 4:59 AM

      Thank you! I didn’t expect you to reply at all. Thank you again.
      The cake that I made the other day turned out to be very delicious and my friends loved it so much and keep calling me to bake for them again. The only problem I have is that the colour of pandan kaw kaw isn’t close to being green at all and I referred to your pandan kaw kaw recipe. I guess it could be the frozen pandan leaves (this is the only type of pandan available in Melbourne) that I’m using. They are probably not as fresh as the ones back home.

      Anyways, thank you again for sharing this amazing recipe.

      Delete
    3. Bake With PawsOctober 12, 2020 at 5:49 AM

      Hi, you are most welcome. I tried to reply to all comments everyday if I can. Yes, you are right. Frozen pandan will not give the vibrant green colour and also the aroma slightly different. I tried to freeze my pandan leaves when I have alot. But, it didnt turned out as nice as fresh pandan.

      Tried to plant in your garden if you can find the plant in Melbourne.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  13. AudreyJuly 9, 2021 at 5:38 AM

    Hi, I baked this yesterday, and I taste this today.IT WAS SO FREAKING SOFT AND NICE!
    Thanks for your DELICIOUS PANDAN BUTTER CAKE!
    My family love it too!
    LOVE YOU!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsJuly 10, 2021 at 12:18 AM

      You are most welcome, Audrey :) You made my day. hahaha!

      Thanks for trying this recipe and your feedback. I am so happy to hear that you and your family like it.

      Stay safe:)

      Delete
  14. AnonymousSeptember 2, 2022 at 6:32 PM

    Hi,
    Can I substitute full cream milk with cooking cream ?
    If I use pandan emulco , how much should I use ? Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2022 at 3:25 PM

      Hi, Thanks for visiting bake with paws… I think should be ok but I have not tried using cooking cream before. I am not sure about Pandan emulco because I never used before.

      Cheers:)
      Bake with Paws

      Delete
  15. AnonymousSeptember 13, 2022 at 10:35 PM

    hi, can i prepare the egg white meringue first, then only cream the butter and sugar? Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bake With PawsSeptember 17, 2022 at 9:06 AM

      Hi, It is better to beat butter and sugar first then prepare the meringue. The reason is because the meringue may get deflate while beating the butter.

      Cheers :)

      Delete

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