Easy Pandan Gula Melaka Cake 香兰椰糖蛋糕

I finally did it! This cake has been in my to-do list for ages. I was always put off by the lengthy steps and the degree of difficulty. I have, hence, came out with a relatively simple recipe that is more suitable for occasional bakers like myself. 

In this recipe, I used only brown sugar and and palm sugar (gula melaka) as I wanted to incorporate as much palm sugar flavour as possible without having the cake taste too sweet. I have also used store bought pandan coconut paste to cut off the step of extracting actual pandan juice. The use of a good pandan paste is essential here in order to get the closest original pandan taste. I have tried two other pandan pastes before I was satisfied with this. 

Lastly, I have simplified using Swiss merengue buttercream (SMBC) to just using whipped topping that was infused with lots of gula melaka. I actually loved the combination as it was not as sweet and as rich as SMBC. Making it was a breeze too!

All-in-all, I would say this recipe is easy but still time consuming as it involved various steps. You can actually make the cake one day before and assembling it the next day.

Easy Pandan Gula Melaka Cake 香兰椰糖蛋糕

Cake

A

200g flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

B

125 g salted butter

100 g brown sugar

2 large egg 

1 1/2 tsp pandan coconut paste 

220 g milk

Cooking Instruction

1. Sift together ingredient A. Line a 5" round baking tin. Preheat oven to 170C.

2. Beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy and pale. 

3. Add in egg one at a time whisking until fully incorporated. Then add in pandan paste.

4. Add in 1/3 of the flour and beat in slow speed until just incorporated.

5. Fold in 1/2 of the milk. Once incorporated, fold in another 1/3 of the flour. Repeat process until finish. 

6. Pour batter into the baking tin. Tap a couple of times to release air.  

7. Bake in 170C for 35 to 45 minutes until skewer comes out clean when tested.

8. When cake is cooled completely, cut cake into 3 layers. 

Gula Melaka Syrup

100 g gula melaka, chopped

1/4 cup water

2 pandan leave, knotted

a pinch of salt

2 tsp cornstarch  2 tsp water

Put in gula melaka, water and pandan leaves into saucepan and simmer for 8 to 10 mins until pandan flavour is infused into the syrup.  Remove leaves and add in the the rest of the ingredients. switch off fire and set aside to cool completely. Syrup should be thick after cooling process.

Frosting

150 g cold whipp topping (choose less sweet)

Whip frosting until stiff peak (cream becomes very thick and form a point when lifted). Add in 1/3 of the gula melaka syrup cooked earlier. Continue to beat until gula melaka is incorporated.

Assembling

1. Put the top layer of the cake on a flat dish. Fill up the top with frosting. 

2. Line the sides of the cake by making a small ring with frosting. Fill up the middle with gula melaka syrup.

3. Add in another layer and repeat until finish. Garnish with your choice of garnishing. Cool cake in chiller before serving.

YOUTUBE cooking instruction here:

Would you like to try your hands on another cake?

Carrot Cake (click here)