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–+ servings
A slice of pandan coconut cake in front of half of a cake in the background.

Pandan Coconut Cake

Author: Gail Ng
Soft and fluffy pandan chiffon cake layers with whipped coconut cream frosting and coconut flakes.
4.95 from 20 votes
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Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chilling Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Yield 1 3-layer 6" cake
Category Dessert
Cuisine Filipino

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Coconut Cream Frosting

  • 2 cans full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated undisturbed overnight
  • 60 g powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon cornstarch, if needed only
  • 60 g large coconut flakes

Pandan Chiffon Cake

  • 5 large egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 120 g granulated sugar, divided into 100g and 20g
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 60 g milk
  • 50 g oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 100 g cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon pandan extract
  • green gel food colouring, optional, if your pandan extract is clear

Instructions
 

Coconut Cream Frosting

  • Chill your two cans of coconut milk in the fridge the day before. After 24 hours, carefully open the cans without tilting them or disturbing them too much.
  • Scoop out the solidified coconut cream from the cans into a mixing bowl, avoiding the clear coconut water. You can drink the coconut water or save it for another recipe.
  • Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the coconut cream and use a hand mixer to whip the coconut cream for about 1 minute until light peaks form. Don't overmix as it can separate.
  • If the coconut cream is too liquidy, add a bit of cornstarch to thicken it. Whip for another 30 seconds until combined. You can either use the cream right away or chill it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to let it thicken up even more.

Pandan Chiffon Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350℉ and line the bottom of three 6" cake pans with a round of parchment paper. Do not line or grease the sides of the pans. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat egg whites and cream of tartar together until it resembles cappuccino foam.
  • Sprinkle in 100g of granulated sugar one tablespoonful at a time, mixing well in between each addition. After all the sugar has been added, continue beating until it becomes stiff peaks. The meringue should stand up on its own and won't budge when you flip the bowl upside down. Set aside.
  • In another large mixing bowl, use the same electric mixer or whisk to mix the egg yolks and the other 20g of granulated sugar together until combined. Add the milk, oil, vanilla extract, pandan extract, and green gel food colouring (optional) and mix again until combined.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Sift this mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Fold together with a spatula, smushing down any big lumps, until combined.
  • Add ⅓ of the egg white meringue to the egg yolk mixture. Gently fold together with a spatula until mostly combined. Add the rest of the meringue and fold until no streaks remain and the batter is fluffy and airy.
  • Divide the batter into your lined cake pans until about ⅔ full, about 200g of batter in each pan. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and the cakes have some resistance when lightly pressed.
  • Let the cakes cool on a wire rack upside down for about 30 minutes. Run an offset spatula around the edges and release the cakes onto the wire rack to finish cooling completely before assembling the cake.

Assemble the cake

  • On a cake turntable, lay down the first cake layer. Spread an even layer of whipped coconut cream on top. Top with another cake layer and repeat.
  • Use an offset spatula to apply a thin layer of coconut cream frosting all over the cake as a crumb coat.
  • Apply a second thicker layer of coconut cream frosting all over the cake and use a bench scraper to smooth.
  • Press handfuls of large coconut flakes against the sides of the cake and also sprinkle them on top of the cake. Chill the cake in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours or overnight for the coconut cream to firm up before slicing the cake.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 3842kcal | Carbohydrates: 298g | Protein: 64g | Fat: 280g | Saturated Fat: 192g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g | Monounsaturated Fat: 51g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 979mg | Sodium: 866mg | Potassium: 2685mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 189g | Vitamin A: 1397IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 607mg | Iron: 31mg
Keywords pandan cake, pandan chiffon cake, pandan coconut cake
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