The pandan chiffon cake is a chiffon cake made with pandan leaves. This keto version may not be exactly like a traditional chiffon cake but it is light, moist and very delicious.
The leaves are taken from the pandan plant, also know as fragrant screwpine or vanilla grass, which grows abundantly in Southeast Asia.
It’s recognized for its distinct, sweet aroma so is also know as the vanilla of Southeast Asian cooking. It’s often therefore used to flavor desserts and cakes. The chlorophyll in the leaf juice tints the cakes and desserts a delightful vibrant green color.
Pandan chiffon cakes are popular in most Asian countries, but the recipe usually consists of regular wheat flour which of course is no good if you are following a low carb diet.
Keto Coconut Pandan Chiffon Cake
This recipe from Elsie Yan of Low Carb Recipe Ideas uses coconut flour, Erythritol, unsweetened coconut flakes, and other keto-friendly ingredients. So, it’s ideal for people who are following a low carb or keto diet.
Related reading: 3 Best Low Carb Flour Alternatives
I’ve posted some of Elsie’s recipe on this blog before. If you don’t know her she started a low carb diet in September 2017 and improved her health issues dramatically. She now loves to share her tasty low carb and keto recipes online.
She lives in Kuala Lumpa so can easily get pandan leaves. If you live in the United States or the UK you should be able to get them fresh, frozen, or dried from some Asian stores or order them online.
Health Benefits of Pandan Leaves
Pandan leaves are a good source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants known to help boost the immune system. They are used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat constipation, boils, colds and flu.
Folklore has it that drinking tea made from pandan leaves can help prevent asthma attacks and help to stabilise blood pressure.
Drinking pandan tea can also help you have a restful sleep. The alkaloid compounds also help you calm down when you are stressed or having anxiety.
For more keto and low carb cake recipes try these:
Walnut Coffee Cake
Chocolate Banana Cake
Keto Blueberry Cake
Keto Pandan Chiffon Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 90 g coconut flour
- 100 g Erythritol
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 180 ml coconut milk or cream (don’t dilute with water)
- 5 large organic/pastured eggs
- 100 ml melted grass-fed butter
- 120 ml pandan juice (130 g fresh pandan leaves and 200 ml water)
Garnishing
- 10 g unsweetened coconut flakes
Directions
- Prepare a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan by greasing it and lining it with some non bleached parchment paper
- Prepare the pandan juice. Cut the cleaned pandan leaves into inch lengths. Place them in a blender with 200 ml water. Blend until they become a sort of puree. The leaves are very fibrous so this can take some time. Place the pulp in a sieve or muslin bag and press or squeeze out the juice. Strain the juice and set aside. You can freeze any that is not used in the recipe.
- Next, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Whisk all the dry ingredients in a bowl using a hand held wire whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk all the wet ingredients until they form a smooth texture.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Whisk until the batter is very smooth, creamy and green.
- Using a spatula, scrape the sides of the batter, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin.
- .Sprinkle the top with the unsweetened coconut flakes, then bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool completely before serving. You can add more coconut flakes on top of the cake if you want.
- The pandan chiffon cake can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days or refrigerated in a covered container for a week. It can also be kept frozen for up to a month.
Here’s Elsie’s video of how to prepare this delicious keto pandan chiffon cake.
