pandan chiffon cake

The first thing I found most striking is the color. A light spring green color that's one of my favorite shades of green. Before I tried to make it, I searched for images of Pandan Chiffon Cake online and was amazed by it's popularity. There must have been hundreds of posts and images dedicated to this cake! Some were made with fresh coconut milk and fresh pandan leaves which would have been my choice if I had access to them. Since I'm nowhere near any market where I can easily buy these two key ingredients fresh, I just relied on what's available, canned coconut milk and pandan flavoring. However, I couldn't wait to share it with my sisters-in-law in Manila so they can try to make it with fresh ingredients from the market. I love the combination of flavors in this cake that my palate is accustomed to. I've always liked the taste of rich coconut milk in both savory and sweet food. This cake is a sure winner in my book.

a very light cake with just the right sweetness

I took this photo (shown above) of a bunch of fresh pandan leaves which my sister-in-law harvested when I was in Manila last year. They are very low maintenance plants that grow wild in the Philippines. I found a very good recipe for this Pandan Chiffon Cake in All That Matters foodblog with more info about pandan leaves. The procedure was easy to follow. I just substituted pandan flavoring to the boiled fresh pandan leaves suggested in the recipe. The cake was smaller than the usual chiffon cakes I make but it was just right for a weekend dessert treat.