Pandan cake

Pandan cake
Pandan cake
Alternative namesPandan chiffon cake[1][2]
TypeCake
Region or stateSoutheast Asia
Associated cuisineMalaysia,[3] Indonesia,[4] Singapore[4]
Main ingredientsJuice of pandan leaves or Pandanus extract, flour, eggs, sugar, butter or margarine
  •  Wikimedia Commons logo Media: Pandan cake

Pandan cake is a light, fluffy, green-coloured sponge cake[5] flavoured with the juices of Pandanus amaryllifolius leaves.[6][7] It is also known as pandan chiffon.[1][2] The cake is popular in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, China, and also the Netherlands.[8][9][10][4]

Ingredients

The cake shares many common ingredients with other cakes, such as flour, eggs, butter or margarine, and sugar.[11] The cake's distinct ingredient is the pandan leaf, which gives the cake its iconic green colour.[12] Occasionally, the cakes will contain ingredients with green food colouring to further emphasize the green hue[13]. The cakes are not always made with the leaf juice, as they can be flavoured with Pandanus extract, in which case colouring is only added if a green hue is desired.[14] Freshly squeezed juices from pandan leaves also give the cake a stronger aroma compared to pre-juiced essences.[11]

Pandan leaf, the primary ingredient for the colour and taste of a pandan cake.

The pandan cake common in Indonesia, the Netherlands, and Singapore is a soft sponge cake akin to the chiffon cake, made without any additional coating or frosting.[15] Most pandan cakes will sport a brown outer crust.[11] Many recipes also call for the Pandan cake to be cooled upside down,[11][16] which is a technique often used with various chiffon cakes to prevent the cake from flattening out, giving it its fluffy structure.[17]

History and origin

In Southeast Asia, cake-making techniques were brought into the region through European colonization.[18] Malaysia and Singapore were British possessions, whilst Indonesia was a Dutch colony.[18] European colonists brought their cuisine along with them, with the most obvious impacts in bread, cake, and pastry-making techniques.[18] The pandan plant is believed to be native to the Moluccas islands of Indonesia.[19] The plant is now commonly found throughout Southeast Asia.[19] In Southeast Asian cuisine, the pandan leaf is a favourite flavouring agent used to give off a pleasant aroma, and can be added to various dishes ranging from fragrant coconut rice, traditional cakes, to sweet desserts and drinks.[6]

In 2017, CNN named the pandan cake as the national cake of Singapore and Malaysia.[4] In Singapore pandan cake was popularised by one of the city's most popular bakeries, Bengawan Solo,[15] a cake shop owned by a Singaporean citizen of Indonesian origin.[20] Bengawan Solo and their pandan cakes are especially popular among tourists visiting Singapore, particularly those from Hong Kong and mainland China.[21][22] Other bakeries that carry pandan cake in Singapore include Old Seng Choong.[23] During the 2020 pandemic, there was increased social media interest in a rivalry between these two shops and their pandan cakes.[23]

Green pandan is also used as flavouring and colouring agent in other Dutch-Indonesian cake spekkoek (lapis legit) sold in an Indo (Eurasian) shop in Amsterdam.

According to CNN Indonesia, this cake originated from Indonesia, which can be traced to the cake-making techniques of Dutch colonists in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).[20] The colonial Dutch and Indo peoples combined cake-making techniques from Europe with the available local ingredients like the pandan leaf as flavouring and colouring agents.[6] However, the modern pandan chiffon cake can be more directly traced back to 20th century America.[24]

This cake is also known as pandan cake in Dutch, and is quite popular in the Netherlands due to its historical link to Indonesia.[6] Other than its use in chiffon pandan cake, pandan leaf is also used as green colouring and flavouring in the Dutch-Indonesian favourite pandan spekkoek or lapis legit (layered cake).[25] In recent years, pandan has grown in popularity internationally, especially in the United States, where typical western dishes are now implementing pandan as a flavouring agent and garnish.[21]

Variations

One of the main variations of pandan chiffon cake is the modern versus the traditional pandan chiffon cake.[15] Bengawan Solo, a cake shop in Singapore, is well known for its traditional pandan chiffon cake and its distinctive pandan flavor.[15] Bengawan Solo also makes cakes with chocolate and yuzu flavors, but these cakes do not still contain the same recipe as the original pandan flavor.[15]

Within the Philippines, there is a smaller pandan chiffon cake, the buko pandan mamom.[26] This smaller pandan contains coconut milk and pandan flavors.[26] The recipe features dense and buttery textures, which are typical of Filipino cuisine.[26]

Slices of green cake with a brown crust on the top, sides, and bottom
Vietnamese pandan cake

In Vietnam, there is the bánh bò nướng, the honeycomb cake.[27] This cake has coconut and pandan flavors in its recipe.[27] Due to the tapioca starch in the recipe, there is a chewy texture, and the cake itself is completely different from a chiffon cake.[27] When baked, the inside appears like the structure of a honeycomb.[27]

Names in different languages

Pandan cakes in Hong Kong
  • Mandarin: 香蘭蛋糕; xiānglán dàngāo
  • Malaysian: kek pandan
  • Indonesian: bolu pandan
  • Dutch: pandan cake
  • Khmer: Num Sleok Touy
  • Vietnamese: Bánh pho sĩ, bánh lá dứa
  • Cantonese: 班蘭蛋糕; baan1 laan4 daan6 gou1
  • Sinhalese: පණ්ඩන් කේක්
  • Thai: เค้กใบเตย khêk bı tey

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Quek, Eunice (30 April 2017). "Is pandan chiffon cake Singapore's national cake?". The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Chiffon Cake Pandan". Holland Bakery. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  3. ^ "Mengurai Huru-hara Kue Pandan Singapura". CNN Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  4. ^ a b c d Zoe Li; Maggie Hiufu Wong (3 April 2017). "Cakes of the world: Tiramisu, baklava, cheesecake and more national treats". CNN. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  5. ^ Hemphill, John; Hemphill, Rosemary (1997). What Herb Is That?. p. 127. ISBN 9780811716345. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d Jacob, Jeanne; Ashkenazi, Michael (15 January 2014). The World Cookbook. p. 615. ISBN 9781610694698. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Cheap Sweets: Pandan Chiffon". LA Weekly. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  8. ^ Jeff Keasberry (18 March 2015). "Pandan Cake Pops". Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Pandan Chiffon Cake". Asian Inspirations. 29 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Pandan Chiffon Cake". Asian recipe. Archived from the original on 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  11. ^ a b c d "Pandan Chiffon Cake Recipe from Michelin-Starred Candlenut". guide.michelin.com. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  12. ^ Ruperti, Yvonne (August 10, 2018). "Singapore Stories: Pandan Chiffon Cake". serious eats. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  13. ^ "Pandan Chiffon Cake Recipe | King Arthur Baking". www.kingarthurbaking.com. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
  14. ^ "Recipe: Pandan chiffon cake with coconut glaze". Los Angeles Times. May 5, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Welcome to Bengawan Solo". www.bengawansolo.com.sg. Archived from the original on 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  16. ^ Zappi, Daniela (May 2013). Voo, Arthur (ed.). Guides to Gardens by the Bay: Heritage Garden Plants and Recipes. Singapore: Gardens by the Bay (published May 2023). p. 67. ISBN 978-981-07-6307-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  17. ^ "Why You Should Never Cool a Chiffon Cake Right Side Up". Cookist.com. 2025-03-29. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  18. ^ a b c Luke Nguyen (5 December 2016). "Crocodile bread and spekkoek: the tasty intersection of Dutch-Indo food". SBS.
  19. ^ a b Pwee, Timothy. "Pandan". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  20. ^ a b "Mengurai Huru-hara Kue Pandan Singapura". CNN Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  21. ^ a b Gunia, Amy (2025-05-01). "Meet the family that sparked Singapore's pandan cake craze | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  22. ^ Chua, Alvin. "Bengawan Solo". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  23. ^ a b "Singapore's pandan cake showdown: tradition vs modernity". South China Morning Post. 2025-02-09. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  24. ^ "Reflections | An ode to pandan, seen in Singaporean chiffon cake and other dishes". South China Morning Post. 2025-02-22. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  25. ^ "Layered cake pandan". Belimpex. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  26. ^ a b c "Cooking with Kurt | Recipes". Cooking with Kurt. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  27. ^ a b c d Vu, Huy (2022-09-30). "Bánh Bò Nướng Recipe (Vietnamese Pandan Honeycomb Cake)". Hungry Huy. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
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