Pandan Chocolate Zebra Chiffon Cake

Today is a special day that I haven’t had the chance of celebrating in many years now. At this time of the year I’m usually enjoying the lovely summer in Vancouver. Fresh berries, perfect beach weather, extended daylight hours, the opportunity to shy away from bulky winter coats and boots… No wonder you get the happiest Vancouverites during the summertime. It is these 4 months out of the entire year that we get to escape the constant rain. (To those complaining that it’s “too hot”, just stop okay? :D )

As lovely as the summer can be, there’s something deep down that I know I’m missing. That, my friends, is home. Today is Singapore’s National Day. It’s the day that I’ve celebrated annually as a kid singing patriotic songs and watching beautiful fireworks by the National stadium. It’s the day we wear red shirts and white bottoms; the same patriotic colours on our flag.

My little red dot turns 47 this year! We are a young but wonderful nation with an endless list of success that is boast-worthy. So, to commemorate this day from far far away, I decided to dedicate this traditional cake well-loved and known by the locals. In Singapore, you can easily find it in many bakeries. Amongst them, Bengawan Solo is probably one of the more famous ones.

Have you ever had Pandan flavoured cakes before? Pandan is a fragrant leaf mostly grown in tropical areas of Southeast Asia. This is a Pandan Chiffon Cake. However, to add a little fusion, I incorporated the zebra technique which I have been dying to experiment with ever since I saw it on The Diary of a Mad Hausfrau. She definitely has the most creative ideas!

I adapted this Pandan Chiffon recipe from Angel’s lovely blog with some adjustments and changes. Please refer to her blog for the original recipe, also you get to listen to my favourite Bossa Nova artist!!

Ingredients:

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup castor sugar
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup pandan juice (blend 12 pandan leaves and soak it in about 6 tablespoons of water for 2 hours or longer, preferably a whole day. refer to Angel’s for specific instructions)
  • 2 tsp pandan paste
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 5 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup castor sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

Method:

  1. Beat egg yolks and sugar in until pale in colour and sugar has been completely dissolved.
  2. Mix in pandan juice, paste, vegetable oil, and salt.
  3. Sift in cake flour and baking powder, fold until combined.
  4. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites till frothy, adding a third of the sugar and all of the cream of tartar in.
  5. Continue to beat and gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
  6. Fold in 1/3 of the meringue to egg yolk mixture, fold till just incorporated. Repeat the same for the remaining meringue.
  7. Divide the batter into half and mix in cocoa powder with one half.
  8. Add 1 tablespoon of each batter on the same spot, piling them up on top of one another, until they are both used up. Using 20cm angel cake pan, bang it on tabletop twice to release air bubbles. (I only had a 26cm one which resulted in a shorter and wider chiffon)
  9. Bake in preheated oven at 175C for about 40 mins.
  10. Invert the cake immediately once taken out from the oven. Cool completely before removing from mould.

Hope you guys enjoyed! Also, speaking of fireworks in August, Vancouver just hosted yet another fireworks competition by the beach. This year I only got to watch the ones by the Italians! I had the perfect view from my friend’s apartment downtown overlooking the city. Ahhh, yes. Another reason why I love Vancouver…

Can you not love Vancouver? These annual Fireworks competition by English Bay is one of the things Vancouverites look forward to in the summer! Of course, beating the crowd and feeling claustrophobic during the transit home isn’t. Honestly, I wouldn’t have gone to watch the fireworks had my friend not invited us to his place!

Alright, just wanna end by also saying “Happy 47th Birthday Singapore!”

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Category : Cakes, Traditional Kue
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