Aspiring Bakers #1: Pandan Chiffon Cake

I have been receiving entries for Aspiring Bakers #1 in my email almost everyday. I certainly feel very encouraged that so many of you supported this event. I hope the good response will continue for our future monthly events too. The theme for December has already been fixed. Look out for the announcement during the roundup on 1 Dec. :)

I bake another chiffon cake for this event. Actually I wanted to be kiasu and bake 4 chiffon cakes, but I just didn't find the time, so I think this will be my 2nd and last entry for Aspiring Bakers #1.

This is my second time making Pandan Chiffon Cake. The first one failed miserably. This time I read through the How to make a Pandan Chiffon Cake: Almost everything you need to know guide, written by Dr Leslie Tay, the man behind the famous food blog ieatishootipost. To my mum who doesn't read his blog but have seen him on tv, he is the "Roti Prata man" cos I have shown her the video of this doctor making roti prata. I really want to try it out some day.

Back to this Pandan Chiffon Cake, I didn't follow his recipe exactly as he uses really big chiffon tin. I took reference from the Kiamnianwong extra egg whites recipe and roughly adjusted it to suit my small chiffon tin, trying to retain the flour to liquid ratio. Instead of using pandan essence, I use homemade pandan paste using the method from Wendy and Sonia.

Just blend 1 cup of pandan leaves with 1 cup of water. Filter and leave the liquid mixture in the fridge for a few days for it to settle down. Use the layer of pandan paste at the bottom only.

Pandan Chiffon Cake

Ingredients (makes 16cm chiffon tin)

(A)
2 egg yolks (I use 50g egg)
20g sugar
A small pinch of salt
30g vegetable oil
40g coconut milk
1 tbsp pandan paste (homemade)

(B)
55g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

(C)
3 egg whites (I use 50g egg)
45g sugar

Method

1. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves.

2. Gradually add in vegetable oil, followed by coconut milk and pandan paste, and stir until well-mixed.

3. Fold in sifted cake flour and baking powder until well-mixed. Set aside.

4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Add in sugar gradually and continue whisking until stiff peak form.

5. Gently fold in the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3) in 3 batches.

6. Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon tin. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 30 minutes. (I bake at 180 deg C for the first 10 minutes, then reduce to 170 deg C for the next 20 minutes, for my 6 inch tin.)

7. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.

8. Unmould the cake only when it is completely cool.

Recipe adapted from: ieatishootipost.sg - How to make a Pandan Chiffon Cake: Almost everything you need to know

I am submitting this chiffon cake to Aspiring Bakers #1: Chiffon Cakes (Nov 2010), the very first monthly baking event hosted by me. If you have baked any chiffon cakes in the month of Nov 2010, you can submit it to me by 30 Nov 2010. Click here for the details.

If you want to be the host for future monthly events or suggest a theme, please email to smallsmallbaker@yahoo.com.sg.