CAKES - Chiffon Cakes

Onde Onde Cake

September 05, 2017 | Recipe by Bake with Paws
Onde Onde Cake

Onde Onde Cake

Onde Onde Cake


It is my version of an Onde Onde cake. It is actually a Pandan Cake with Pandan Swiss Meringue Buttercream icing, coated with dried coconut flakes and layered inside with Gula Melaka filling.  My hubby said the cake perfectly mirrors the flavours of Onde Onde. 

I have another Pandan Cake with Gula Melaka Buttercream  recipe which is quite similar with this.  If you prefer Gula Melaka Buttercream, please visit the above recipe link.

I would suggest you read the general notes at the bottom of the post if are a beginner.

If you have any questions regarding this recipe or any other post, please leave me a comment in the “LEAVE A COMMENT” link and I will reply you as soon as possible.

Recipe - Homemade Pandan Juice

Ingredients:

35 - 40 pandan leaves (screw-pined leaves)
500 - 700 ml boil water, room temperature

Method:
  1. Chop pandan leaves into chunks, pop in a food processor and add boil water. Blend till fine. 
  2. Place pandan leaves in a muslin bag and squeeze out the juice.  If you don’t have a muslin bag, just use your clean hand to squeeze out the juice through a sieve.  If you like your pandan juice to be more concentrate, leave the pandan juice in the fridge for 3 - 5 nights. The chlorophyll will sink.  The longer the better.
  3. Pour away the top layer. Use the concentrated pandan juice in the bottom.

Recipe - Pandan Chiffon Cake (Improved version)


Yields: Two 6" Inch Round Cakes 

INGREDIENTS:
110g cake flour or all purposed flour
½ tsp double action baking powder 
½ tsp salt

6 egg yolks
55g corn oil or any vegetable oil
20g fresh milk
52g homemade concentrated pandan juice (screw-pine leaves juice)

6 egg white
90g caster sugar or fine sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice

Utensil : 
6 inch round pan X 2 units

METHOD:
  1. Preheat oven to 150C (top and bottom heat).  Grease and line the base of baking pan with non-stick baking paper.
  2. Sift flour and baking powder in a bowl.  Add in salt and keep aside.
  3. Separate egg whites from the yolks.
  4. Add in oil, pandan juice and milk to the egg yolks.  Whisk until all well combined with a hand whisk.
  5. Add in sifted flour mixture in three batches.  Mix until well incorporated. Set aside.
  6. Using a hand electric mixer, whisk egg white until frothy before adding cream of tartar and continue to beat until foamy. Gradually add in sugar and whisk until firm peaks formed (when you turn your whisk upside down, the peaks will hold and curl over a bit). 
  7. Gently fold the meringue into the egg and pandan batter with hand whisk in three batches.  Change to spatula and fold gently until well incorporated.
  8. Knock the mixing bowl on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
  9. Pour the batter into the 2 prepared round pan.  Skim the top with spatula gently while pouring to break the air bubbles.
  10. To prepare a water bath – Place the cake pans in a larger roasting pan, and pour room temperature water into the roasting pan until it comes up to a level of 1.5 cm – 2 cm.
  11. For my oven, bake in pre-heated oven at 150C for 60 minutes and 170C for another 20 minutes.  
  12. Remove from the oven and immediately invert the cake pans. This will prevent the cakes from sinking.  Let the cakes cool for 15 minutes before unmolding. 
  13. To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the pan and invert the cake on non-stick baking paper. Peel off baking paper from the base and place on a rack to cool completely for about an hour before icing the cakes.
Notes:

Please note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. It may not work for your oven. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.

Other recommended methods:
  1. 170C (top and bottom heat) for 90 minutes - water bath.
  2. 150C (top and bottom heat) for 60 minutes - dry bake.

Pandan Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

Ingredients:

5 large egg whites
133g caster sugar
250g butter, room temperature
¼  tsp salt or to taste
4 – 5 tbsp pandan juice, very thick and concentrated juice

Method:
  1. Cut the butter into cubes. Set aside to room temperature.
  2. Combine egg white and sugar in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the base of the bowl is not touching the water. Whisk with hand whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Rub between your fingers to check if there is any unmelted sugar.
  3. Transfer the egg white mixture to a bowl of mixer. With whisk attachment, beat over high speed until stiff peaks.  Let it cool to room temperature before adding butter, this will prevent the butter from melting. To speed up the process, you may leave the meringue in refrigerator.
  4. At low speed, add in the butter cube gradually then turn to high speed. Beat until the mixture comes together. Scrap the bowl if necessary.  At one stage, it will look curdled, but keep on beating until it combines into a smooth buttercream. 
  5. Once the buttercream become smooth, add in salt until well incorporated.  Please do not add all pandan juice at one time, start with 2 tablespoons first then slowly add in as you do not want your buttercream become too soft.  Turn down the speed and add in pandan juice one tablespoon at a time. Scrap the bowl with spatula and beat until all well combined. I used 4 ½ tablespoon.  You are not required to use all pandan juice.

To Assemble Cake

Ingredients:

150g gula melaka, finely chopped
Dried coconut flakes (I used Hawaii Dried Coconut Flakes) or steamed fresh grated coconut

Tools:  
Cake board, cake turntable, non-slip mat, icing spatulas, cake icing smoother,  dough scraper, piping bags, round tip nozzle and swirls nozzle.

METHOD:
  1. Cut the dome top off and slice the cakes horizontally into half.  
  2. Place the cake board on a turntable.  Spread some buttercream on the cake board. Place a layer of cake on top. Spread a layer of  buttercream on top of the cake, then sprinkle some chopped gula melaka.   Stake the second layer of cake on top, repeat until finish all the cakes.
  3. Touch up any unevenness on the sides of the cake with some buttercream. 
  4. Fit the a piping bag with a plain round tip and fill up with buttercream.
  5. Pipe rings around the cake starting from the bottom to the top.
  6. Once finished piping, use an off-set spatula to smooth the top.
  7. Even out the icing with an icing smoother by placing the smoother lightly on the cake with bottom touching the turntable and spin the turntable around.  Repeat few times until the icing is smooth and even.
  8. Smooth the top again with the an off-set spatula until even.
  9. Fit another piping bag with swirls nozzle and fill with the balance of buttercream.  Pipe swirls on top and sprinkle with coconut flakes



GENERAL NOTES

MERINGUE
Meringue plays a very important role in Chiffon Cake.  Over beating meringue may cause the cake to crack, while under beating will cause the cake to collapse or it may not rise much.

Use room temperature egg whites, this will yield more volume.  Cold egg whites will not whip well.  It is easier to separate your eggs when they are still cold, then leave the egg whites aside to come to room temperature. 

Make sure your bowl is clean and there is no any trace of egg yolk or fat.  Fat will interfere with the formation of meringue.

Use cream of tartar to stabilise the whipped meringue.  Cream of tartar is acidic and can be replaced with lemon juice or white vinegar. The replacement ratio is 1:2.  If your recipe asks for 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar, then replace with 1/2 tsp lemon juice.

Sources from herehere and here

Stages of Meringue:

Soft Peak – The meringue is soft and unable to hold its form, it will drip after you turn your whisk upside down.  You will see the ribbon lines, but it disappears the moment you stop whisking. 
 
Firm Peak – The peak will hold and fold back slightly when you turn your whisk upside down.  The meringue is glossy and the ribbon lines stay. This is the stage we look for if you do not want your cake to crack. 

Stiff Peak – The peak will hold straight and doesn’t fold back when you turn the whisk upside down.  The meringue is very glossy and thick too.  Most chiffon cake recipes will prescribe this stage but the cake will easily crack when baking.  However, if you don’t mind the cake cracking then it is fine. It doesn’t affect how the cake tastes.

Over-beating – The meringue looks grainy, broken and dull. We do not want this stage in baking as you will not be able to fold it into the flour batter nicely.

OVEN TEMPERATURE AND BAKING TIME
Do note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven. 

It would be good to use an oven thermometer when baking. This will help you understand and know the actual temperature you are baking at. The actual temperature in the oven may not be the same as the oven’s setting.  Leave the thermometer on the same rack where you place your baking. 

I usually bake cakes with top and bottom heats setting.  I don’t encourage baking cakes with fan-forced mode as this setting uses a fan to circulate the hot air for quick baking or cooking at high temperature and may result in cracks on the cake.  However, if fan mode is used, it is recommended to reduce the temperature setting by about 20C if using a fan-forced mode.

WATER BATH vs DRY BAKE
For a water bath, the cake pan sits within another pan filled with a little water. Place the cake pan within a larger pan and pour hot water into the outer pan until it comes up to a level of 1.5cm – 2 cm.  Place the whole thing in oven and bake. 

The benefit of water bath is that it will moderate the baking temperature and prevent the cakes from cracking.  The cake texture will be very moist too.  

Chiffon cake baked without a water bath is more brown and crumbly.  Some may prefer this texture. Please make your own choice between water bath or dry bake. This is a very individual personal preference.  

Comments

  1. This is seriously just too perfect cake!! I love the simplicity of wonderful flavor.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Sekhar,

    Sorry for late response.

    Thank you for the compliment and glad that you like this cake.

    Cheers:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hai..i love your website.. i just wondering what is the difference between onde onde cake and pandan guka malaka cake with swiss meringue buttercream?.. thanks so much..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Reza,

      Thank you for your comments.

      I think you are referring to Onde Onde vs Pandan Cake with Gula Melaka Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
      The cake itself is the same, both are made from Pandan Cake. Buttercream for Onde Onde is mixed with Pandan paste and Gula Melaka SMBC is mixed with Gula Melaka syrup.

      Thanks:)

      Delete
  4. Hi does this taste very sweet with the gula Melaka added in between?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there,

      Thank you for dropping by and question. Some people like it and maybe too sweet for some people. Another option is make gula melaka syrup and blend into the plain swiss meringue buttercream. Then spread in between layers of the cake.

      Cheers and happy baking:)

      Delete
  5. I live in Singapore and I am worried about the swiss meringue buttercream melting in the heat! How did your SMBC fare when you assembled the cake?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Julia,

      Thank you for dropping by. We are in the same climate:) I would advise you to assemble your cake in the air-con room. Please place your SMBC in the fridge while you are working at other things, even though just few minutes.

      Cheers & happy baking:)

      Delete
  6. Hi there! I live in Singapore and I am worried about the SMBC melting in the heat. How did your SMBC fare when you assembled it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Julia,

      I am so sorry for the late response. As long as you are in Air-con room that it will be fine. I never encountered this problem unless you left it out for few hours.

      Cheers:)

      Delete
  7. Hi just wnat to find out can i use the coconut milk to replace fresh milk .
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Thomas,

      Thank you for dropping by. Yes, you can replace fresh milk with coconut milk. But, I would advise to use the can or box coconut milk or the first press of the coconut milk.

      Cheers & happy baking:)

      Delete
  8. Hi dear. Can I ask if it is Possible to use fresh coconut flakes? Do we have to dry it microwave/air fryer prior to decorating the cake? Tia

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi dear,

    Thank you for dropping by. I never used fresh coconut. The colour maybe brown if you microwave/air fry. I guess should be ok if you don't mind brown colour. But, definitely not raw coconut. You may also use desiccated coconut. It is up to your preference.

    Thanks,
    Yeanley

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi there, the butter used in this recipe is salted butter or unsalted butter? Thanks very much - your cake looks so good, would like to try making it for my sister's birthday in November. Tq

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there,

      Thank you for dropping by. I used salted butter.

      Cheers & Happy baking :)

      Delete
  11. Hi,can I know how did you get the green tone of the cream for the pic you posted on Facebook.love the green. Appreciate your help

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jenny,

      Thank you for asking. I patched with Gula Melaka Swiss Meringue Buttercream. You may refer to the below link for Gula Melaka Buttercream.

      http://www.bakewithpaws.com/2017/07/pandan-cotton-cake-with-gula-melaka.html

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  12. Thanks for the recipe & it looks yummy!! Just 1 question, can I replace the pandan with green tea powder? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there,

      Thank you for asking. I have not tried this recipe with green tea powder. You can omit the pandan juice. But, you need to increase the full cream milk amount if you want to try this recipe with green tea powder.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  13. hi...
    Thanks for sharing. Whats the purpose of water bath bake? Can i do normal bake instead?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,

      Thank you for dropping by. Water bath will add moisture to the oven and prevent the cake from cracking. I am afraid your cake will crack very badly if you use normal baking.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  14. Hi, your cake really love awesome. .
    Can I replace the pandan juice to the paste?
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cynthia,

      Thank you for your question and compliment.
      Yes, you can replace with pandan paste. But, I am not sure the amount as I never used pandan paste in my baking.

      Cheers and happy baking :)

      Delete
  15. Hi, your cake really look so great. May I ask if we can replace the pandan juice with the paste? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there,
      Thank you for your question and compliment.
      Yes, you can replace with pandan paste. But, I am not sure the amount as I never used pandan paste in my baking.

      Cheers and happy baking :)

      Delete
  16. Hi there, do you use a fan oven ? Just trying to estimate the temperature for baking. Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Wendy,

      Thank you for your question. Please use top and bottom heat. It is not advisable to use fan mode as it will be too hot and the cake will crack.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  17. Hi there.. this cake looks fantastic! Can this recipe be made into cupcakes? If yes, do I still have to bake it in water bath?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there,

      Thank you for asking and your comment. Yes, you can bake in cupcake. No need to use water bath method. Bake for about 20 t0 25 mins at 160C (top and bottom heat).

      Cheers and happy baking :)

      Delete
  18. Hi I need to double the recipe to make a bigger cake. Any idea on baking time changes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Thank you for asking. Are you baking in two 8" round pan? It should slightly longer.
      But, the temperature and time are just a guide. You need to monitar and adjust accordingly to your oven behaviour.
      Cheers & Happy Baking :)

      Delete
  19. Yes I got the first press of coconut milk and I did replace it with Milk. Yr recipe is amazing and I am so impressed with the softness of the sponge. They are not sweet at all! We all love it and this is the 1st Gula Melaka Cake I have eaten! Thank you so much! Muaack.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, sorry for late response. Thank you for trying this recipe and comment. I am so happy to hear that you like it too. This is the recipe I have been baking and baking for these few years. Cheers :)

      Delete
  20. Hi there, thanks for your wonderful recipe. your method stated to remove the water bath after 1 hr and continue to bake for another 10mins but when I remove the water bath pan, the cake shrink. What’s the method or way to prevent this to happen or is it normal for it to shrink to smaller size?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there, thank for your question and trying this recipe. My cakes shrink a bit too when I remove the water bath. The reason I remove the water bath is because I do not want the side of the cake too wet. Try to bake for 150C for 90 mins without removing the water bath.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  21. Hi Yeanley, can I use normal baking powder instead of double action backing powder?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi, all your bakes look awesome. I am new to baking, but would really like to be adventourous and bake this beautiful cake for my mother's birthday. I was wondering, if I can use pandan essence to replace pandan juice? Do i need to use food coloring?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, I am sorry for late response. Thank you for your comment.
      Yes, you can use pandan essence to replace pandan juice. But, I guess you need to adjust the recipe. Sorry, I don't know because I never used pandan essence for all my baking. I think is better for you to use the recipe using pandan essence. I have seen people share online.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
    2. If let's say I use 10gm of pandan paste/ essence, the remaininig liquid of 40gm pandan water, I replace with milk ok? So I would have 90gm milk for this recipe. Do you think it will work?😅

      Delete
    3. Hi, yes you can replace with milk. Slightly less milk is fine too. Maybe 80g milk is enough.
      Cheers :)

      Delete
  23. hi there...nice recipe and i would like to try.. just wondering if i am using Tang Mian method, does the dough need to cool before i add the next ingredient?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hi, thanks for asking and visiting. I usually don't because I added the pandan and milk first then only the egg yolks.

    Cheers :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi i follow the exact recipe any idea why my cake base wet after i remove the cake?should i wathbath a bit longer? Anyway its an awesome recipe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks for trying. It is normal to have a wet base cake using water bath. Some recipes will ask to remove water bath at the last 10 minutes. But, my cake sank a lot when I opened my oven door. So, I just bath it through.
      You can try to remove the water bath for the last 10 minutes. Maybe your oven works better this way.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  26. Awesome recipe! I wonder why my cake abit wet after wath bath baking? Shld i bake longer?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks for trying this recipe and your feedback. Yes, please bake slightly longer. If you can remove the water bath toward the end of 10 minutes it will help too. But, some oven do not work, the cake collapsed when the oven door is opened.

      Please play around with the oven to understand.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  27. Hi how can i bake 10 inch cake any idea?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks for reading this recipe. I have not baked 10 inch cake on this recipe before. However, you may try on 8 or 9 eggs recipe on one 10 inch cake pan. Increase the above recipe to 1.33 or 1.5 times. It may or may not work.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  28. Hi,I am new to baking,and your steps are very details and hence it is wonderful for people like me,many thanks! Just one question:The reason you use TWO 6 inch pans is because you want the cake to look taller? If I only have one pan,can I half all the ingredient amount?Or can I store the mixture in fridge,then use it after I finish baking the first half?Thanks。

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks for reading this recipe and your questions.

      The reason you use TWO 6 inch pans is because you want the cake to look taller? YES I LIKE TALLER CAKE AND MANY LAYERS.

      If I only have one pan,can I half all the ingredient amount?YES, YOU CAN HALF THE RECIPE AND MAKE ONLY ONE CAKE.

      Or can I store the mixture in fridge,then use it after I finish baking the first half? NO. NOT ADVISABLE TO KEEP THE CAKE BATTER IN THE FRIDGE AND BAKE LATER. THE AIR WILL EXCAPE AND YOUR CAKE WILL NOT BE FLUFFY AND AIRY.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  29. I thought chiffon cake we are not suppose put anything on the base

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are not required to lined the base if you use removable base pan. Cheers:)

      Delete
  30. Hi. Can I make this in a square pan instead?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, of course. It is totally up to you. Cheers:)

      Delete
  31. Hi. I've never had this cake, but, it looks beautiful, and would love to try it. Before I do, was hoping for some clarifications :) Are the coconut flakes sweetened or unsweetened? In the recipe you say we can use steamed fresh grated coconut, but, in a comment it says don't use raw coconut. Do you mean just steam the coconuts first (without sweetening in any way) after grating? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thank you for your interest in this recipe. I used dried flake coconut. The one I managed to get is sweetened. You can use fresh grated coconut but advisable to steam first before putting on the cake to avoid any contamination. Yes, steam the grated coconut first. Just 5 minutes to kill any gem or bacteria.

      Cheers and happy baking :)

      Delete
  32. Hi bwp. Just wondering if u have a panettone bread recipe to share either using commercial yeast or sourdough starter. I checked Autumn kitchen and she used pasta nadre which I don't have and don't know. I always like your recipes. They are so reliable. Thanks for response. Regards. Chloe.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi Chloe, Thank you for your support always. Unfortunately, I never baked Panettone before because my family doesn't really like it and also involved a lot of steps and works too. So, I never tried to bake. I know it is very delicious.

    Cheers :)

    ReplyDelete

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