Pandan Layer Cake

I always wanted to bake the Pandan layer cake for a long long time. However, there were always obstacles coming in between, stopping me from making. I did twice with the wrong ingredient used. = = " It's okay. I learnt something new, at least. Green pea powder and green pea starch powder. They are two different ingredients. The starch is meant for Nyonya kuih and it hardens stuff. So, what you need is actually the Hun Kwee powder (the green pea powder). It comes in 2 common packaging - the white cylinder or the Nona cylinder. Price is around RM 2 + You can find it from the baking area in supermarket or the baking shop.

Alright here comes the recipe and my little story of success about baking chiffon cake base.

Pandan Layer Cake

Recipe taken from: Hs Hs Vi 

INGREDIENTS 

Cake batter

(A) 

4 egg yolks

20g sugar

60g Canola cooking oil 

40g concentrated coconut milk 

20g pandan juice 

90g cake flour (low protein flour)

*I substituted both coconut milk and pandan juice with 60g milk 

(B)

4 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar

50g sugar 

Kaya paste

(C) 

400ml pandan juice (400ml water blended together with 8-10 long Pandan leaves; sieved) 

300ml concentrated coconut milk 

100g sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt 

8g Agar powder

(D)

300ml water 

85g Hun kwee powder 

UTENSILS

7 inches round baking container

A4 paper (for lining) 

Oven

Weighing scale

Spatula 

Whisk

Electric mixer 

Sieve

Cooling rack

Knife 

STEPS

1. Preparing egg yolk mixture: Whisk egg yolks and sugar until creamy and pale yellowish. 
2. Add in milk and oil. Continue mixing. 
3. Slowly fold in sieved flour 2 times into the liquid mixture.   
4. Preparing egg whites mixture: Whisk egg whites until huge bubbles are formed. 
5. Add in cream of tartar and continue whisking. 
6. Gradually add in sugar into the egg whites mixture and continue whisking until you reach stiff peak stage.
7. Mix egg yolks and egg whites carefully 1/3 at a time until everything combines well. 
8. Pour batter into the baking container lined with paper at the bottom. 
9. Hit a few times on the table to release gas bubble. 
10. Bake at preheated oven at 120 degree Celsius for approximately 15 minutes. Switch temperature to 140 degree Celsius for 15 minutes. 150 degree Celsius for 15 minutes. 160 degree Celsius for 10 minutes. 
11. Invert cake after taking it out from the oven. Remove cake from the mold and let it cool. 
12. Preparing the kaya paste: Bring ingredients (C) to boil. 
13. Mix ingredients (D) and sieve it into the mixture in Step 12. Use small fire. Stir the mixture until thickens. 
14. By getting another pot filled with hot water, put the pot of kaya paste over (like double boiling way) to avoid kaya paste from hardening while you're assembling the cake. 
15. Assembling the cake: Wet the mold by sprinkling some water in it. 
16. Place 1 bouillon (Chinese big soup spoon) into the mold. Spread evenly using a spatula. 
17. Place layer cake A onto the kaya paste. 
18. Fill up the gap on the sides with kaya paste using a spoon. Make sure you don't leave any gap. 
19. Fill another 1 bouillon of kaya paste to cover up layer cake A. 
20. Knock a few times on the table to get rid of air bubbles and to ensure there is no gap at the side of your cake. 
21. Repeat Steps 17 to 20 until you finish assembling the cake. 
22. Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.
23. Getting the cake out from the mold: Gently push a knife down on the circumference of the cake (lightly, with no great force and the cut doesn't need to be very deep, just the surface, to get the kaya paste separated from the mold). 
24. Overturn your cake on your cake board. 
25. Tap the back of the mold a few times. Your cake should come out easily. 
26. Serve while its cold. 

Below are some illustrations to help you to understand better - 

Actually, as you can see, my cake really failed terribly this time.

I knew it the moment when I noticed quite a lot of batter is disappearing into thin air as I was trying my best to get the egg whites mixed uniformly in the egg yolk batter. Grrrr...

Worried, worried and worried - 

I checked the cake several times (without opening the oven door of course) - 

I switched the temperature a few times depending on the condition of the cake 

Consequently, my cake doesn't rise very high (as expected) but unexpectedly - it is very well baked.

Ta - dah - 

Though it isn't very tall but it is really well baked. 

It's never easy to slice the cake horizontally. 

You will know what I mean if you have tried doing this before - especially when you're just a beginner like me. I had a few rough experiences slicing the cake and ended up with really ugly cake slices.

I'm so glad that everything came out almost perfect here - 

The process of preparing the kaya paste. 

The process of assembling the cake. 

This is how your cake is supposed to look like after you get it out from the mold. 

My kitchen, in fact my whole house, the lighting is really bad.

I hope you can see - it's actually, pale apple green. = = 

I put a Ferrero Rocher white coconut chocolate on top as deco - 

Then I think it still looks a little empty.

There you go - I found 2 ribbons 

The very rare ribbons in my house 

So, ta-dah