Pandan Layer Cake

I thought I won't be baking this few days as one of my close family member is very sick and the thought of him just really sadden me.  Things at home has not been going very smoothly but I thought this is life.  We are bounds to go through life in ups and downs.

So instead of just sitting feeling depressed and stressed of family issues as well, I might as well brush off the thought from just feeling sad.  Hence, I go ahead to bake this Pandan Layer Cake as I have been studying learning how it be well baked and assemble.  I once again have to search  with others' recipes and my "Agnes Chang - I Can Bake" cookbook, and in the end I decided to use this as I have not bake any one of the recipe from her book.  

Actually this cake I have bookmarked it for quite some time because my niece Tiffany loves this Pandan Layer Cake very much.  So I have to start learning so that one day I can make this for her.

Tiffany, so for now, you just have to see but unable to taste it but one day M will bake it for you!  I promise.

Pandan Layer Cake

Adapted from Agnes Chang - I Can Bake cookbook with slight changes

Ingredients for the cake:
250 gm. Optima flour or sponge cake mix flour
4 eggs
3 Tbsp. Pandan juice
a little green pandan paste or green colouring  (I omit this)
3 Tbsp. Thick coconut milk (I omit this and replace with water)
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornoil

Ingredients for Pandan Kaya:
600 ml. Coconut milk

300ml pandan juice

9 Tbsp. Hoen kwee flour / green pea flour
1 Tbsp. Instant Jelly Powder
1/2 tsp. salt
a little green colouring  (I omit this)
a little pandan paste  (I omit this)
160 gm. sugar  (I still find it sweet, can omit to 140g)

50 gm. Dessicated coconut for covering cake

 

Method for the Sponge Cake:

1.  Beat sponge mix flour and eggs till light.

2.  Add pandan juice and continue to beat till fluffy.  Add in green colouring if necessary.

     Mix in water (or coconut milk) and corn oil till well combined.

    

3.  Pour into a lined and greased 9” round baking tin and bake in a preheated oven at

      170C for about 35-40 minutes, till cooked.

4.  Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool.  Slice cake horizontally into 3 slices.

Method for the Pandan Kaya:

 1.  Put all the ingredients into a pot and mix well.

2.  Using medium heat, stir with wooden spatula and cook till mixture has slightly

      thickened.  Remove.

3.  Keep mixture hot by putting the pot in a pan of hot water to prevent it from setting

      too quickly.     

      (I have divided the kaya into 3 equal portions).

 

To Assemble :

1.  Place a 9” cake ring on a cake board, put 1 slice of cake into the cake ring, making sure

     there is space all around for the pandan kaya.

2.  Put one portion of the kaya to cover the cake and sides.  Repeat the same way till the

      Last layer is covered with pandan kaya.

3.  Leave aside to cool and set before chilling in the fridge for at least 4 hours, best over-

     night before removing the cake ring.

4.  Next day, decorate the sides and top of the cake with dessicated coconuts before

      serving.

Overall I am pleased with the result of this cake BUT one thing is when I assemble the cake, the cake ring is slight bigger than my 9" cake.  Actually I know of it but just doesn't want to spend extra $ to buy a cake ring for this purpose!  :-)  You can see the sides of the filling is more thicker than on the layer part.

Actually I think I can cut down more on the coconut milk to 600ml or to 700ml and add extra pandan juice in it.  Too much coconut milk is no good lol......

The smooth and velvety pandan kaya layer combined with the soft sponge cake make this cake an all time favourite among all, I guess.......