KP+: Coconut and Pandan Chiffon Cake
By Helen Goh
Greetings all you wonderful bakers, I hope all is well in your world. As ever, thank you so much for being here. You know, I was just looking at the last few editions of the newsletter and although I capital ‘L’ Love the hue, things were beginning to look a bit… brown; Hot Cross buns, Simnel Cake and Crème brûlée are definitely all in the same colour family. So what about something to break us firmly out of this palette and straight into spring?
On my instagram story, I asked you guys to guess the flavour. From asparagus to wild garlic, matcha to peas, mint to pistachio, watercress to fig leaf (you guys chose chaos and I loved every second of it), I’m DELIGHTED to reveal the answer is… Pandan!
And not just ANY pandan recipe, it’s Pandan Chiffon Cake by the great Helen Goh. I’m so thrilled to be sharing a guest recipe by Helen, the co-author of ‘Sweet’ and columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, today. All of her recipes are incredibly well researched and meticulous in nature; Her flavours span the globe and her work is always deeply rooted in good technique. Helen’s recipes, many of which you can enjoy at the Ottolenghi cake counter, have been a great foundational block in my baking career. And this chiffon cake is another gem for us to treasure.
You can follow along with Helen’s development journey on Instagram, but I also recommend reading the interview with her from this year’s International Women’s Day special where she speaks about her process. So, on that note, I’ll pass you over to her!
BTW, if you want to scrub up on chiffon cake science, I wrote a newsletter about it ft. Hong Kong Milk Tea Tres Leches - read it here! Its one of my fave recipes ever, so definitely add it to your list if you can.
Lots of love,
Nicola
Coconut Pandan Chiffon cake
by Helen Goh
Pandan (screwpine) grew prolifically in the backyard of my childhood home in Malaysia. We used the long blades of leaves for all kinds of things - to wrap morsels of food before grilling or frying, or knotted (so they don’t fray) to infuse nasi lemak (coconut rice) or in puddings, custards and drinks. Also known as the ‘vanilla of the East’, pandan imparts a subtle but distinct flavour to both sweet and savoury dishes.