Pandan Chiffon Cupcakes

I want to say "Thank you!" to Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids for her fail-proof chiffon cake recipe! Quoting Zoe, "If baking chiffon cake has been a daunting experience for you, I would highly recommend this recipe to overcome your fear of chiffon cake baking." It's true!

Also Karen from some flour, sugar n butter, thanks for your encouragement!

So, here are my very first Pandan Chiffon Cupcakes! My hubby, who eats no other cakes except chiffon cakes, gives me thumbs up! He says the moistness and airiness of these chiffon cupcakes are pretty good, not dry and coarse like those cheap chiffon cakes produced in bulks. Woohoo!

Pandan Chiffon Cupcakes

Recipe from Bake for Happy Kids.

Ingredients:

(Makes 12-14 cupcakes but I use bigger muffin paper cups, so I get 7-8 cupcakes)

(A) 6 pandan leaves, 3 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon instant coconut powder

(B) 4 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, 20g castor sugar

(C) 90g self-rising flour, 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

(D) 4 egg whites, 1/4 tablespoon cream of tartar, 50g castor sugar

How to:

Note: For detailed instructions, please refer Zoe's. I followed her instructions closely. 

1. Preheat oven to 170°C with a metal tray at the second lower position. Line 7-8 muffin paper cups with baking paper.

2. Get about 30ml of pandan juice by processing pandan leaves with 3 tablespoons water in a food processor. Add water and 1 teaspoon instant coconut powder to get 60ml of pandan mixture.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and virgin coconut oil. Add in pandan mixture and sugar. Whisk until sugar has melted and all are well combined. Sift flour and baking powder into the mixture and whisk well into a smooth batter. Set aside.

4. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar in low-medium speed until egg whites start to foam. Increase mixing speed and add sugar gradually in 3 additions. Whisk until the meringue is smooth and glossy, with stiff peaks.

5. Fold in the egg white mixture into the flour batter gently and in three batches. Make sure that the cake batter is well combined. Be careful not to over-mix the batter as over-mixing will deflate the air in the meringue.

6. Pour batter into the prepared muffin paper cups. Bake at 170°C for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 160°C and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes.

7. When the cupcakes are cooked, switch off the oven and leave the oven door ajar and let the cupcakes cool in the oven slowly.

8. Remove the cupcakes from the oven when the oven is cooled to room temperature.

Muffin paper cups lined with baking paper.

Pandan + Egg yolk + Flour batter

This is the first time I'm beating egg whites and castor sugar to get meringue at stiff peak. I hope I do it right. It takes more practices to perfect this skill.

Ready to be baked.

After 10 minutes.

After the cupcakes are cooled completely.

The crust is a bit too brown but not burnt. Phewww.

The insides.

The hubby takes a look, gives it a light press, and says, "Yep, that's chiffon cake's texture."

I'm so thrilled!!!

I'm linking this post to the event, Bake-Along #64: Theme - Chiffon Cake organized by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, Lena from Frozen Wings, and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.