Pandan Coconut Cake
This pandan coconut cake features light airy pandan chiffon layers soaked in coconut milk, filled with a silky Vietnamese-inspired coconut cream sauce with young coconut meat, and frosted in fresh whipped cream and shredded coconut. A stunning Southeast Asian-inspired layer cake that's delicate, fragrant, and completely unforgettable.
Ingredients
Pandan Chiffon Cake — Egg Yolk Batter
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 45 g milk
- 45 g vegetable oil
- 1 tsp pandan extract I use Butterfly brand
- 75 g cake flour
Pandan Chiffon Cake — Meringue
- 3 egg whites
- 75 g sugar
Coconut Cream Sauce Filling
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 can young coconut meat drained and thinly sliced
Coconut Soak (optional)
- 1 can coconut milk
- condensed milk to taste
Fresh Whipped Cream
- 500 g heavy cream
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembly
- sweetened shredded coconut for exterior
Instructions
Coconut Cream Sauce Filling
- Make the slurry: Whisk cornstarch and water together until smooth. Set aside.
- Cook the filling: Warm coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Add cornstarch slurry gradually, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches a thick custard consistency. Stop before fully thickened as it continues to set while cooling.
- Add coconut meat: Remove from heat and fold in sliced young coconut meat.
- Chill: Press plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate until completely cold.
Pandan Chiffon Cake
- Preheat and prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line only the bottom of two 6-inch cake pans with parchment. Do not line the sides.
- Make yolk batter: Whisk egg yolks, salt, and sugar until pale. Add milk, vegetable oil, and pandan extract and whisk until light and foamy. Sift in cake flour and fold until just combined.
- Make meringue: Beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar in 3 equal additions, beating between each until soft peaks form. Do not overwhip.
- Fold: Add meringue to yolk batter in 3 additions — first two with a whisk, final addition with a spatula. Fold gently until no streaks remain.
- Bake: Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Immediately flip upside down and cool completely.
- Remove and slice: Run a knife along the edges to release. Slice each layer into ½ inch thick sheets.
Coconut Soak
- Mix: Combine coconut milk and condensed milk to taste. Set aside.
Whipped Cream
- Finishing Cream: Beat heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla to very soft silky peaks — this is your finishing cream. Remove 40% to a separate bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
- Sanding Cream: Continue whipping the remaining 60% until slightly stiffer. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate. This is your sanding cream.
Assembly
- Anchor: Place a dollop of sanding cream on your cake board on a turntable.
- First layer: Place first chiffon sheet on the board. Brush generously with coconut soak.
- Fill: Pipe a thin layer of sanding cream and smooth with a spatula. Pipe a border around the edge to form a well and smooth the seam. Spoon coconut cream filling into the center.
- Repeat: Continue layering — chiffon, soak, sanding cream, border, filling — until all layers are stacked. (3 layers total)
- Crumb coat: Apply a thin layer of sanding cream all over the exterior. Refrigerate 15-20 minutes until set.
- Finish: Apply finishing cream to the exterior and smooth with an offset spatula.
- Cover: Press sweetened shredded coconut all over the exterior. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
