Pandan Coconut Cake

This pandan coconut cake is made with soft and fluffy pandan chiffon cake layers with an easy whipped coconut cream frosting and coconut flakes. It's a simple cake that's full of tropical vanilla-y pandan and coconut flavours!

Jump to:

• What is pandan?
• Why you'll love this recipe
• Tools you'll need
• Ingredients
• How to make a pandan coconut cake
• Storage
• Tips & tricks
• Frequently asked questions
• More cake recipes to try
• Recipe

This pandan coconut cake combines the loveliest flavour pairing of vanilla-like pandan with coconut. They're often paired together in many Asian desserts for good reason! The result is light, fragrant, and subtly sweet.

The cake itself is unbelievably soft and spongey as chiffon cakes always are. Chiffon cakes are leavened by whipping egg whites into a meringue and folding it with egg yolks which makes the cakes light and airy, exactly like the cakes in Asian bakeries.

The creaminess of the thick whipped coconut cream frosting adds richness to the fluffy cake and the coconut flakes add a bit of a different texture to every bite.

This is one of the easier and low-maintenance cakes I've made yet it looks and tastes completely bakery-worthy.

What is pandan?

Pandan is a tropical plant commonly grown in Southeast Asia. Pandan leaves can be prepared by grinding them down to a powder or a paste, boiled directly in water, or turned into a concentrated juice or extract. The aroma and taste of pandan is subtle, sweet, and vanilla-like thus used in many different Asian desserts.

Pandan extract is made by grinding down the leaves with water and straining it to create a concentrated liquid. It can then be used as a flavouring agent and the vibrant green colour also acts as natural food colouring.

Why you'll love this recipe

• The texture of this cake is so incredibly soft and fluffy! The great thing about chiffon cakes is that the soft texture remains the same even straight from the fridge because it doesn't contain butter.
• This cake is full of coconut, vanilla, and pandan flavours that are mellow but so aromatic. It smells as good as it tastes.
• The simple decoration of this cake is so easy and fuss-free. The frosting doesn't even need to be totally smooth because it gets covered by coconut flakes.

Tools you'll need

• Electric hand mixer - I use my Kitchenaid hand mixer because it's the most convenient but occasionally I'll also use my stand mixer. This is a must for whipping the meringue. Don't try to whip the egg whites manually with a whisk unless you're trying to get an intense arm workout in.
• Three 6" round cake pans - Make sure your cake pans are light-coloured ones without a non-stick coating. Chiffon cake need to stick to the sides of the pan to "climb" up. If your pan has a non-stick coating, the cake will deflate or fail to rise.
• Offset spatula - An offset spatula makes frosting a cake much easier.
• Bench scraper - A bench scraper is useful for smoothing the frosting on the sides of the cake in one smooth motion.
• Cake turntable - This is optional but it makes frosting cakes easier. If you're buying one, get a sturdy metal turntable that spins smoothly and endlessly, not the rickety plastic white ones.

Ingredients

• Eggs - Carefully separate out the egg whites and egg yolks into two separate large mixing bowls. Be careful not to get any yolk at all in the egg whites otherwise, they won't whip up into a meringue.
• Cream of tartar - This is an acidic powder that helps stabilize the egg whites so that they whip up into a stronger meringue faster.
• Granulated sugar - You'll need 120g of granulated sugar in total. Divide into 100g and 20g of it into separate bowls. 100g will be added to the egg whites while 20g will be added to the egg yolks.
• Milk - Use any dairy or non-dairy milk.
• Oil - Use any light-tasting oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil.
• Vanilla extract - This always gives baked goods a lovely aroma and flavour!
• Cake flour - Cake flour has less gluten which will help make this cake soft and airy.
• Baking powder - Most of the lift in chiffon cakes comes from the air bubbles in the meringue but baking powder serves as a backup leavening agent in case the meringue fails.
• Pandan extract - You can make your own pandan extract using pandan leaves or use a store-bought one. You can find pandan extract or flavouring in most Filipino grocery stores or the international food aisle at some supermarkets. Look for a tiny bottle of clear or dark green liquid, usually called pandan extract or buko pandan extract.
• Green gel food colouring - This is optional in case your pandan flavouring extract is clear.
• Full-fat coconut milk - It's important to use only certain brands of coconut milk for this to work properly. I recommend using the Aroy-D or Savoy brands of coconut milk/cream. Refrigerate the whole can overnight without shaking or disturbing it to allow the coconut cream to separate from the coconut water.
• Powdered sugar - This is used to thicken the coconut cream and add sweetness.
• Cornstarch - This is optional. Use this only if your coconut cream is too liquidy to use as a frosting.
• Large coconut flakes - This is for covering the entire cake for an easy and simple decorating technique.

How to make a pandan coconut cake

For the whipped coconut cream frosting

Refrigerate coconut milk - Before starting this recipe, 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 coconut cream - Scoop out the solidified coconut cream from the cans into a mixing bowl, avoiding the clear coconut water. There should be about half a can of coconut cream. You can drink the rest of the coconut water or use it for a smoothie recipe.

Whip coconut cream - 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.

Chill in the fridge until ready to use - 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.

For the pandan chiffon cake

Prep - 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.

Whip egg whites - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat egg whites and cream of tartar together until it resembles cappuccino foam.

Add sugar slowly - Sprinkle in 100g of granulated sugar one tablespoonful at a time, mixing well in between each addition.

Beat until stiff peaks - 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.

Mix egg yolk mixture - 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.

Sift in dry ingredients - 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.

Fold meringue into egg yolk mixture - 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.

Fill cake pans - Divide the batter into your lined cake pans until about ⅔ full, about 200g of batter in each pan.

Bake - Bake for 23-25 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and the cakes have some resistance when lightly pressed.

Cool cakes upside down - 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

Stack cake layers - 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.

Apply crumb coat - Use an offset spatula to apply a thin layer of coconut cream frosting all over the cake as a crumb coat.

Frost cake - Apply a second thicker layer of coconut cream frosting all over the cake and use a bench scraper to smooth it evenly.

Sprinkle with coconut flakes - 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.

Storage

This pandan chiffon cake can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Leftovers can be frozen by storing them in an airtight container or wrapping them well in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil and freezing for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

Tips & tricks

• Work on this recipe over a couple of days. It's easiest to break down a cake recipe and do portions of it on separate days to allow for chilling time and so you're not overwhelmed. For example: Day 1 - chill the coconut milk in the fridge and bake the cake layers. Day 2 - make the whipped coconut cream and assemble the cake. Day 3 - serve the cake.
• Use full-fat coconut milk. Full-fat coconut milk contains more coconut cream which is what you want! Certain brands of coconut milk work better for separating out the coconut cream than others. I've always used the Aroy-D brand and other Asian brands like Savoy seem to work well for this as well.
• Chill the cans of coconut milk overnight undisturbed. Do this before starting anything else! Don't shake, tilt, or disturb the cans so as not to mix the coconut cream and water inside the can. Be very careful when opening the cans.
• Use cake pans without a non-stick coating. Chiffon cake needs to stick to the sides of the pan to be able to "climb" up and hold its rise without sinking. Don't grease or line the sides of the pans either!
• Don't underbake the cake layers. Underbaking chiffon cakes can cause them to sink after taking them out of the oven. The edges of the cakes should be lightly browned and the tops should have some resistance when pressed. Slightly overbaking is better than underbaking.
• Cool the cake layers upside down. To prevent the cake layers from deflating, let them cool upside down on top of a wire rack so that there's airflow underneath.

Frequently asked questions

More cake recipes to try

• Strawberry Chiffon Cake
• Mango Chiffon Cake
• Matcha Strawberry Cake
• Tiramisu Layer Cake
• Ube Cheesecake

Recipe