Pandan or Screwpine is widely used in Southeast Asian culinary scene even way back during the colonial times. They are extremely fragrant, naturally pigmented and pairs well with the flavour of coconut milk. This Pandan Hot Milk Cake Recipe captures the essence of that.
It has Coconut Milk added with it along with Pandan paste, while retaining the spongy texture of a Milk Butter Cake, a dream combination that comes true!I shall now elaborate more on the ingredients and the method behind the cake.
First of all, the inspiration for this cake comes from my most popular post on the blog, my Hot Milk Cake Recipe. Due to the huge amount of love and encouragement I received from there through views and praises on my social media, I decided to come out with a Pandan flavoured one in order to incorporate my South East Asian heritage as a Singaporean, into baking. Hence, this recipe is born!
For the Pandan flavouring, you can definitely use Pandan essence or flavouring, if not more, as the amount of the Pandan paste called for in my recipe. Of course, you can definitely add in some green food colouring in order to give that intense green colouration that Pandan brings about.
You can also use Pandan juice that is obtained from the blender. However, I would just tell you honestly upfront that I am not so sure of the amount required but I would say perhaps the same or 1.5 times that of what the recipe is required? I unfortunately do not own a blender and although I really want to make my own homemade Pandan juice, I couldn’t ( at least not for now! ).
Since we are at the topic of the flavouring by the Pandan, I would like to harp here that the amount of flavouring is ultimately up to you. How much you like Pandan. This recipe presents a moderate average amount that people ( or at least my friends and family members ) find acceptable. Ultimately, you know your audience best!
Another modification made from the Hot Milk Cake Recipe, is the addition of Coconut Milk. We all know that Coconut Milk pairs really well with Pandan, don’t we?
However, in this recipe, we are only adding 1/4 cup of Coconut Milk. I mean, the more coconut milk the merrier right? Well you are right. But should you place 1/2 cup of coconut milk instead of the combination of 1/4 cup of milk + 1/4 cup of coconut milk, which I have tried, the cake will turn out really ugly.
The reason for this is simple. Air bubbles trapped in the batter along with those produced by the leavening agent, baking powder, will not be able to escape the batter successfully, and will create a lot of unsightly, ugly small holes on the surface. It does taste good of course, if you are a huge fan of coconut milk ( I have tried numerous variations! ). Ultimately, it is up to you! You can contact me through any of my social media platforms if you would like to see how the one with full coconut milk turns out to be.
The method is just like the original Hot Milk Cake. We are going to add heated butter, milk and coconut milk directly to the batter and we are just going to keep stirring while we add in order to prevent the cooking of our eggs. No one would like scrambled eggs in our cake batter. Am I right or am I right?
Also, we are going to increase the temperature of the oven at the 20 minutes mark in order to create that nice brown crust on top!
Last but not least before proceeding to the recipe, the texture of the Pandan Hot Milk Cake! It is delightfully spongy!
Without further ado, the recipe!
Pandan Hot Milk Cake
by Javier Tan September-2-2017
This recipe show cases the delicious incorporation of South East Asian element of Pandan or Screwpine to make a delectable, spongy cake.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup or 120g All Purpose Flour, Sifted
- 150g or 3/4 Cup Granulated White Sugar (Less sugar version at 120g)
- 5g or 1 and 1/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1.4g or 1/4 Teaspoon Table Salt
- 2 Large Eggs, weighing about 55g, room temperature
- 113g or 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Cubed
- 60ml or 1/4 Cup Coconut Milk
- 60ml or 1/4 Cup Full Cream Milk
- 2.5ml or 1/2 Teaspoon Pandan Paste
- 1.25ml or 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160 degrees C and line your 8 x 8 inches baking tray with parchment paper.
- Beat the eggs until light and frothy for 2 mins. The eggs should be light yellow.
- Add in the sugar, pandan paste, vanilla extract and salt to the eggs until all the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, mix together the two milks with the butter and heat at medium low, stirring constantly until the butter has dissolved and mixture bubbles slightly at the side.
- Using one hand, pour in the butter and milk mixture into the sugar and egg mixture. Use your other hand to constantly stir the sugar and egg mixture to dissipate the heat to prevent the eggs from being cooked.
- Combine the baking powder and all purpose flour in a mixing bowl, and sift it in. Whisk until just combined (45s to 2 mins).
- Pour into your baking tray. Tap against the counter a few times to release excessive air bubbles that are trapped.
- Bake for about 20 minutes at 160 degrees C. At the 20 minutes mark, increase the temperature to 180 degrees C and bake for another 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Cool the cake at a wire tray for about 30 minutes before consuming. You can cool it upside down to get the same density as my cake!
Details
- Prep time: 20 mins
- Cook time: 30 mins
- Total time: 50 mins
- Yield: 25 1.6 Inches Squares
Notes:
- It can store well at room temperature, in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Will be slightly hardened if refrigerated.
- It is up to you to alter the amount pandan flavouring added. You can definitely use homemade Pandan Juice and store bought Pandan Essence as well. You might want to add some green food colouring if using colourless essences and flavours.
- I prefer to cool the cake upside down to make it denser and deflate any parts that have been raised during baking. Rest it on a clean piece of parchment paper, aluminium foil or a big plate!
- Use a black baking tray instead of a silver one to achieve the golden brown colouration on both sides.
- If you would like to be updated for more recipes which I am sharing, do check out my Instagram, Facebook Page, or YouTube 🙂 Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to tag me or link back here, I welcome and appreciate it very very much!
- Please do not copy and paste the recipe without my permission.
Enjoy!
– Bakeomaniac, Javier Tan!
Hi Javier. I tried to bake the cake at 160dc for 20mins and 180dc for last 10mins. However, I don’t achieve the brown top. How long more should I bake it to achieve the brown top ?
Hey Val, nice to hear from you again! Regarding this question, it does really depend / differ between different sizes of ovens. I would recommend trying slightly longer, or even baking at a higher rack, or using top heat only at the end to experiment and see which setting gives you that browned top 🙂 Hope that helps!
Hi Javier, can we use fresh milk like HL to substitute for full cream milk?
Hey Huda! Thanks for dropping by my blog and for the interest in the recipe! Apologies for the late reply. Yup you most definitely can, I am actually using HL milk half the time!
Hi Javier
I made the pandan cake today and it’s really tasty but unhappy with the texture. It turned out dense even though I mixed (folded) the flour as lightly as I could. But I feel that the batter was thin after mixing everything in. Could that be the reason the cake turned out dense? I definitely going to make this again and hope to get a solution on this . Does the batter actually a bit runny?
Thanks Javier for the wonderful recipe🙏
Hey Sarinder! Thanks for dropping by my blog and trying otu the recipe! You got hte batter right that it is on the thin side actually, I think it the thin-ness of it helps the raise!
Do you happen to know which portion of the cake ended up dense, or was it the entire cake? Hope to get to the root of the issue!
Hi Javier. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Where do you purchase the black 8 inch baking tray?
Hey Valerie, thank you for dropping by and supporting it too! I got mine from Red Man!
Hi, thank you very much for this recipe. I have made it many times now for my colleagues and friends and it is a favourite!
Hey Juliette, thank you for dropping by my blog and leaving a review! Am so glad to hear that the recipe is a favourite of yorus and most importantly, you and your friends love it 😀
Hi, can I use all coconut milk instead of milk and coconut milk?
The cake was very well made. Makes me want to try it out .
Hey Wong S. F., apologies for my late reply. Seem to have missed your message as there were quite a bit of spam / irrelevant comments, hope I didn’t reply too late!
I tried before using all coconut milk before and it was too dense and became kuih-like. It also became too strong in terms of coconut. The normal milk helps to dilute it a little while maintaining the flavour, hope that helps :)!
enticing
thank you gift
No problem and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Javier, tried your cake tonight and it turned out really good! My family love the aroma of combinations from santan + pandan extract. Definitely a keeper! Thanks for your generous sharing, I’ll double the recipe in next bake. 😊😁😁
Hey Anna! I am so happy to hear that you like my recipe and most importantly, you and your family like the flavours of it! This is my signature recipe and I am very happy that it is a keeper :D!
Hi Javier,
This is my favourite thing to make! I’ve made it so many times now, but every time i make, the middle of the cake seems to rise more compared to the edges so i don’t get the same good looking, even squares like the ones in your picture. Any tips on how to get it to rise evenly?
Hey Kylie,
Thank you for dropping by my blog and I am so happy to hear that you like the flavours of the cake! Regarding even baking, it is actually quite a subjective thing depending on individual ovens and equipment. From your observation that the middle of the cake rise more, it might be because the oven is too hot. I think it is possible to either explore lowering the temperature slightly, or getting baking strips that promote even baking for cake pans 🙂 Hope that helps!
At the end of step 2, how should the beaten eggs look like? Is it like yellow liquid form with bubbles or like egg whites beaten until stiff peaks but yellow in color?
Hey PeiQi! That’s a good question 🙂 It should look like the former: yellow liquid form with bubbles :D! It would not have thickened up!
hello if i dont have vanillla extract, how much vanilla essence should i use? I commented on another recipe just now! ignore that one haha
Hey PeiQi, no worries, I figured and thanks for letting me know too! :p Use double the amount as a standard rule!
Hi Javier, I just tried your recipe. “Awesome” is the word to describe this cake! Only thing I tweaked is lesser sugar (I used 135g).
Hey Yvonne! Am so absolutely happy to hear that you like this cake 😀 its my signature to-go recipe and cake and am so happy that you like the taste of it!
Can agree with the lowered sugar content. I started off at 150g when I developed this recipe a few years back when I was younger. Now that as I am entering adulthood, I also prefer this reduction in sugar and have less appreciation for sugar :p
Hi Javier,
My family loves this cake! Thank you for the recipe. If I doubled the recipe and bake it in a loaf tin, so it’s taller, how long would you suggest I bake it for? Thanks!
Hey Serene! Apologies for the late reply and thank you for dropping by my blog! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe and most importantly, your family enjoyed it too 😀
I would recommend doubling but baking it in a normal tray still! I do see loaf tins creating cracks in cakes that is quite the norm! However, it is still possible to use a loaf tin and I would be giving a guess / estimate of 35 – 40 minutes though a skewer would definitely come in handy! I would recommend approximately the same timing too if in a normal tray 🙂 Hope that helps!
On another note too, do make sure to keep watch past the 30 minutes mark!
Hi Javier, just tried the recipe today and it turned out delicious…the only thing I tweaked was to reduce sugar to 100g and extended baking time by 10mins at the end to get a brown top..if I were to double the ingredients to get a taller cake in the same 8″ tray, what should be the baking time please?
Hey Icy!
It is possible to double the cake and I would expect the baking time to be extened by about 10 – 15 minutes (do use a toothpick to try out)! Do keep a close watch to the top of the cake as well in case it cracks or gets too brown. In that case, you can prepare an aluminium foil piece to quickly cover the top while its baking 🙂 Hope that helps!
Hi Xavier
Baked twice of this Pandan cake today! First attempt is out of curiosity and 2nd trying to improve on the first.
First attempt uses fresh Pandan extract and Pandan paste for the colour. It turned out well, v fragrant during baking but the top layer got burnt 5 mins into the baking at 180c at 2nd stage. The result is a nice spongy but a bit wet cake. Nice but a bit sweet (think you have a sweet tooth)
2nd attempt uses only Pandan paste, noted the fragrance not there :(. Also it turned out kueh like this time. Not sure if due to sifting (did once but 1st attempt sifted 4 times) it over-mixing as we tried to sift in the flour directly to the mixture. Quite disappointed with the resulting kueh like Pandan bread.
Any advice? Intend to try a third time the next day.
Hey HL! Thank you for trying out my recipe and apologies for late reply! I am not so sure if you have figured as someone did have the same problems as you have stated but have succeeded yesterday! Nonetheless, let me advice you based on what I can deduce!
For the first attempt, its likely that you can still maintain the temperature at 160C instead as every oven is quite different! Regarding the sweetness, try reducing 10-20g more of sugar. I actually find it sweet myself but at the same time, the sugar is quite important for maintaining the structure of the cake!
For the second attempt, its unfortunate the pandan paste isnt strong enough to produce any flavours. Its likely to be okay to sift the flour directly into the mixture as I have done that myself too butI suspect the flour was ovvermixed as what you have said, resulting in a kueh-like texture.
For your third attempt, its okay to still directly sift in but just be cautious to stop once the flour has been incorporated in 🙂 Folding with a spoon might help too!
Hi Xavier, better with late than no reply!
I tried 3rd time yesterday, too soggy and oily, and kueh like at the base. Think it’s becos of the coconut creme mixed with water (not coconut milk) and baking not enough time and probably heat a bit low. Again disappointed but not despaired!
Tried again today, 4th time and it comes out great. The cake is fragrant, not oily (use only 90g butter), not too sweet (use 100g sugar), spongy, brown on sides, top and bottom. A delicious Pandan cake alas!
what i learned that I may have done right this time
(1)use coconut milk (not cream with water), less sugar, real pandan extract and abit pandan paste for colour.
(2) folding done carefully making sure no lumpy white flour. The third attempt saw uncooked flour stuck in the cake likely due to under-mix.
(3) baking t slightly higher temperature (since oven may not be the same) and monitoring closely during last 10 mins.
I wish I could pin your comment to the top! I am really happy that you nailed it this time after time and time of improving on it and working to rectify what went wrong. That’s a very good spirit of baking and I believe the lessons you learnt are important for others to take notes!
I am really happy too that it worked out. I tried reducing the sugar myself the other day but it didnt rise as much, I would prob try again perhaps with the same butter reduction you did. I am really happy that it indeed came out well at last 😀
hey Xavier, the cake is definitely delicious but look-wise may not be as aesthetic as those in your pics, perhaps flatter due to less sugar. Hope you can work on pandan or orange chiffon cake recipe and share with us soon. Cheers!
Hey HL! THank you for the vote of confidence! I have always been afraid of trying out chiffon cakes personally but your encouragement makes me more motivated to. If I do, I will definitely share the recipe and keep you posted 😀
Hello Javier! I have a 9 inch square pan, how long should I bake the cake for? 🙂
Hey S, you can bake it for about 2-3 minutes shorter but do note the cake height wont be as tall :p Hope that helps!
Hi Javier can I use pandan juice instead of pandan paste? If can the measurement is it same?
Hey Ziya! If you are using freshly blended Pandan Juice, make it a day in advanced. Let the Pandan Juice sit in the fridge or on the counter overnight and then it will separate into two layers. The bottom greener layer can be used as pandan paste and you can use about 1/2 teaspoon to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of it depending on preference to taste 🙂 Hope that helps!
Hey Javier? I just tried this recipe this morning. However when I pour in the flour into egg+milk mixture, there were clumps of flour hence my batter wasn’t smooth. Yet I I’m afraid of over mixing if I were to continue whisking to remove the clumps. Do u face this as well and How to avoid this?
Hey Fel! Yes I faced the same problem before. I think the easiest is to sift in the flour and then mix in the folding motion instead of stirring with a whisk!
Sifting will help tremendously here to help the incorporation, followed by folding 🙂 Hope that helps!! Feel free to ask to clarify or if you have other questions!
Hey Javier, thanks for your prompt reply above! Then wad if i want to add pandan juice, how to adjust the liquid ratio? 🙂
Hey Fel! If its freshly blended Pandan Juice, let it sit overnight and it will be separated into two distinct layers.
Pour away the top to another cup which you can use as pandan juice for other recipes, and use the bottom layer as an extract 🙂 For that, use 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of it, it should work out well!
Hello! is it possible to bake this in a loaf cake tin?
and is it ok to use coconut cream instead of coconut milk? 🙂
Hey Fel, thank you for dropping by!
It is better to bake this in a flat than a loaf tin as a loaf tin can create a lot of pressure on the bottom layers and as a result, my experience with the loaf tin is that it is usually dense! Coconut cream wise, I would suggest mixing it with some water. Perhaps 1/3 coconut cream and 2/3 water or 1/2 and 1/2. That should work 🙂 Hope it helps and feel free to ask anything!
Hi Javier! I made this cake and my kitchen was smelling so good. Taste wise it turned out good but I don’t understand why my cake is like “kueh” rather than cake. It is quite dense at the bottom. There must be something I did wrong….
Hey SH! Thank you for dropping by and trying out my recipe!
Its likely that the flour was over-mixed in, as such, it causes the cake to be dense and kuih like. Should you suspect this is not the reason, do elaborate more too as this is the most common cause! Hope it helps 🙂
thank you! I really love this and miss this very much and actually pounded the pandan leaves for paste the day before as Pandan paste wasnt available here in NZ. Thanks much! I will try again! Keep baking Javier! I enjoy reading your blog.
Hey SH!! I am so glad it brings back some memories for you, assuming you migrated or moved to NZ for the time being! Thank you for the kind encouragement and its very much appreciated especially in times like this where I am so stressed out baking. Reading your comment makes me feel so encouraged and much better :)!
Hi Javier, I wonder if the “kuih” like texture could also be becos the eggs i used were large. I weighed them and they were about 65g compared to your 55g! I used 2 of them so I had 10g or more of egg than your recipe 🙂
Hey SH, I suspect you could give it more baking time or perhaps the flour was overmixed and could be mixed less in subsequent bakes!
Hi I’m going to try this recipe! For step 5 , isit ok if I wait for the butter and milk mixture to cool down first before pouring? I only have those silver aluminum baking tray ok? Need to adjust the temperature?
Hey Mei! Thank you for dropping by and having an interest in my recipe! Let me answer your questions separately.
Q: For step 5 , isit ok if I wait for the butter and milk mixture to cool down first before pouring?
A: Its better not to wait for it to cool as when its hot, it can activate the baking powder to create a height. If it cools, usually the height isn’t as high (from my experience)
Q: I only have those silver aluminum baking tray ok?
A: Yup, go for it, just that its harder to achieve brown corners / sides!
Q: Need to adjust the temperature?
A: Shouldn’t need to adjust but keep a lookout towards the end to ensure its fully cooked!
Hope that helps and feel free to clarify or ask anything 🙂
Did u beat the eggs n sugar using cake mixer or just hand beat? I’m going to try it. Tks.
Hey Christina! I am happy to hear that, I hope you will like this recipe as much as we do at my home!
Both will work. I am a fan of hand beating though it doesn’t make much difference 😀
1 cup flour is 250 g not 120 g. How much flour do we us
Hey June! We could be using different conversion systems but currently I am using this helpful website too to confirm my weigh measurements:
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart
It seems that 1 cup of flour is 120g.
Hi. Looking forward to making your yummy delicious cake. Jus wanted to check if full cream milk refers to uht milk? Also can I use packet coconut milk and do I need to dilute before adding?
Hey Saras! Its fine to use UHT milk in place of full cream, I believe UHT is milk treated at high temperatures for sterilization.
Regarding packet coconut milk, use as it is. I used mine as it is without dilution! Hope that helps 🙂
Hi Javier
Just tried your receipt and it taste so good and yummy. I find it too sweet and what is the max I can reduce the sugar level? U think gulu melaka works well with this recipe?
Hey Arina! Thank you for trying your hand at my recipe and I am glad to hear that you like the flavour of it!
Sweetness wise it is possible to cut to 100g (cutting 50g out), without affecting the texture as much but the height would be slightly flattened from the reviews I have heard who have done so. The safest is to cut 20-30g without affecting the height too much!
Gula Melaka should work well, so long its dissolved properly or smashed up properly 🙂 Otherwise there will be brown spots over the cake!
Hope that helps and feel free to ask if anything 😀
Hi may I know where can buy the tray?
Hey Zita! Are you currently residing in Singapore? I do know where to get it in Malaysia and Singapore but not too sure beyond that!
Hi Javier I’m staying in Singapore, so do u know where can I get the mould?
Hey Ziya! I am staying in Singapore too. You can most probably find an 8 x 8 inches (or 20cm x 20cm) cake tin in Fairprice Finest or Phoon Huat (RedMan ) 🙂 Hope that helps!
Hello Javier
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Made my own pandan paste and It is sitting in the oven now. The whole house smells so good… cant wait to taste it!
Hey Wenisa! Thank you for dropping by and trying out my recipe! I really hope that it works out well and that you like it as much as my family does!! The combination of pandan and coconut milk always make such a fragrant combination!
Hi Javier
Just tried your receipt and it taste so good and yummy. I find it too sweet and what is the max I can reduce the sugar level? U think gulu melaka works well with this recipe?
Hi Javier
Thank you for the easy yet Super yummy recipe!
I didn’t have Pandan paste however the cake is still Super Super nice.
We finished in 2 hours.
Yum
Thank you
Hi Javier
Thank you for the easy yet Super yummy recipe!
I didn’t have Pandan paste however the cake is still Super Super nice.
We finished in 2 hours.
Yum
Thank you
Hey Summee, thank you for dropping by and trying out my recipe! I am so so happy to hear that!
This cake is pretty flexible and almost any other flavour works just fine 😀
Hi Javier, can I use cake flour instead of all purpose/plain flour? Thank you!
Hey Kathy! That’s a good question. You most definitely can!
Hi how much roughly is the amount if I’m using real pandan juice? Would love to try this recipe
Hey Felicia! Am glad you chanced upon my signature recipe!
For real pandan juice that is freshly blended, let it rest overnight in the fridge and you will have a very concentrated layer at the bottom. Use that concentrated layer at the bottom (and slightly more the amount of extract used here), so about 2.5ml – 3.5ml will be safe! Hope it helps 🙂
Hi Javier, lovely recipe and going to try it.
As for the butter, milk and the coconut cream, can I use mircowave to make it slightly hot?
Hey SJ, thank you for the kind praise too!
That will definitely work! Just make sure its not too hot or too cold! 🙂
Hi, I live your hot milk cake and gave made it several times but I’m never sure whether I should be using a fan on my oven or not. Can you please tell me if your temperatures are intended for a fan or non fan oven please.
Hey Eva! Apologies for the late reply and thank you for your question 😀 The temperature i am using is for a non-fan oven. Although I do have the fan mode, I turned it off when I bake my hot milk cakes!