By Janness Koh

While Taiwan has their sun biscuit and Hong Kong has their wife biscuit, Singapore has the pandan cake or affectionately known as the green cake by tourists. This is definitely one of the iconic food items all visitors to Singapore must try and also something I will buy for my overseas friends when I travel. First time visitors might be caught up with many other delicacies we have here from chilli crab to hainanese chicken rice and not really think about having to eat cakes but I always will recommend to try the pandan cake at least once.

This is nothing like any other cakes. It may look plain but it smells so good and is flavourful, a sweet and delightful taste of coconut cream and pandan paste with its almost cotton like texture. What makes a good pandan cake is it has to be soft, light, airy, and with just the right amount of moisture in it.

Kids love them, adults love them because it is a taste that is pleasant to all. I think it goes well with both coffee or tea, for breakfast or tea break. Enjoy, go green!

Makes 2 cakes

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients: Mixture 1
9 egg white
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch of salt
150g fine sugar (to add separately)

Mixture 2
30g corn flour
180g cake flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
90g fine sugar

Mixture 3
90ml corn oil
180ml coconut cream
7 egg yolk
2 teaspoon pandan paste

Directions:
Beat mixture 1 till its bubbly and foamy before gradually adding in the sugar, continue beating till meringue is semi firm.

Mix well all the ingredients in mixture 3 before adding to mixture 2 and this gives you a green gooey mixture. Mix well.

Add half of the meringue to the green mixture and fold in with spatula. This is to lighten up the green mixture.

Finally, combine both mixture and continue to fold in with the spatula.

Pour mixture into a bundt pan (hollow center cake mould). Give it a firm knock on the table to eliminate bubbles and making sure mixture is settled into the mould.

Bake at 160 degrees celsius for about 45 minutes. Test with a silver pick to determine cake is cooked.

Remove from oven once cooked and overturn the whole cake mould so cake is facing the surface you place on. Only remove the cake from the mould when it is completely cool.