Recipe: Pandan Chiffon Cake with Coconut Cream

’This post is an entry into the Nuffnang ‘Fresh Recipe’ Network Competition, thanks to BRITA. Check out betterwithbrita.com for inspiration and exclusive recipes by Gary Mehigan’.

Ewww it's green, but what about Dr Seuss' 'Green Eggs and Ham'?

So you guys know that I don't often post recipes, perhaps it is this sense of insecurity that I have; there are so many food bloggers out there that are such talented cooks and share their amazing creations. As for what this recipe is going to be about, well you only have to turn to the title to know. To be honest, the concept of a family recipe is fairly foreign in my household, I guess you can say that we have had recipes that have been passed on from one generation to another but even that description seems a bit too overwhelming. This cake has been one of my signature cakes that I make for family, friends and family friends. Its selling point is the fact that it is incredibly fluffy and sorry the ordinary sponge cake has nothing on my cake. Also if you don't have much of a sweet tooth then this is you cake.

On a side note if you frequent Chinese bakeries a lot then this is that cake that is shaped like a cone except for the fact that I've decided to add pandan paste to this cake but when omitted it is that cake in those bakeries.

What you'll need otherwise known as 'Ingredients':

1 cup self raising flour

3/4 cup sugar (this is like the base amount, if you have a sugar tooth you can add slightly more)

1tsp baking powder

1tsp cream of tartar

8 large eggs (ideally at room temperature, if they have been in the fridge leave them in a bowl of tap water for a few minutes)

150ml water (I personally prefer and do in fact use filtered water for just about everything I use. I'm not sure if you guys fall into this category but normal tap water has a particular metallic taste to it where as filtered water is a lot sweeter and doesn't have an odd smell to it either. And being a sweet recipe, naturally the sweetness of filter water is catered to being employed over its tap water counterpart

100ml of oil (I prefer either a canola or vegetable oil)

A few drops of panda paste

Optional for the cream:

1x can of coconut cream roughly 400ml

1tsp vanilla essence

Icing sugar (amount varies depending on your sugar preferences)

Packet of desiccated coconut

Method: Cake

1. Preheat oven to 185 °C
2. Add the sugar and roughly combine
3. Add the water and stir until it is well combined (Please note that you should only stir in one direction only i.e. if you stir clockwise keep on stirring clockwise. This may sound like a superstition that my Aunty-who taught me- passed onto me but I do not kid when I say that bad things happen when you change the direction that you combine in)
4. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks, the egg yolks go into the flour-sugar mixture and the place the egg whites go into a separate bowl. Be very careful to separate them precisely because when you beat the egg whites, it won't turn out well if you have some egg yolk in it.
5. Mix the egg yolks into the flour-sugar mixture
6. Add a teaspoon of the cream of tartar into the egg white bowl
7. Beat the egg whites until peaks forms
8. Fold the egg whites into the mixture
9. Mix the oil through
10. Add a few drops of panda paste and mix through
11. Pour the mixture into a chiffon cake tin
12. Bake for 45 minutes, this is how long it should take but when you take it out stick a skewer through to make sure that it comes out clean.
13. Once out of the oven, flip the tin upside down and leave to stand for 30min
14. Cut around the outside to remove the cake from the tin