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Rate

4.89 from 9 votes

Made with pandan juice and coconut milk, pandan cotton sponge cake (Japanese sponge cake) is full with Southeast Asian flavour, and the texture is as soft as cotton.

Cotton Sponge Cake boasts a texture that’s as delicate and plush as cotton, owing to its high egg-to-flour ratio. Given the low proportion of flour, it’s imperative that the cake doesn’t rise excessively during baking, lest it collapses upon removal from the oven. Therefore, it should be baked at a low temperature and placed in a water bath to ensure optimal results.

CHINESE VERSION: 香兰棉花海绵蛋糕-柔软如绵

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
 

Pandan Cotton Sponge Cake (Japanese Sponge Cake) | MyKitchen101en

Yield: 8-inch square pandan cake (24 pieces)

Ingredients:

Ingredients for meringue:

  • 7 egg whites (size: L)
  • ⅓ tsp fine salt
  • ½ tsp cream of tartar
  • 150 g fine sugar

Instructions:

1 Grease and line 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with non-stick baking paper. Fold a larger piece of aluminium foil into half to create 2 layers, top with 6-7 pieces of kitchen towels, wrap the bottom of the baking pan with the aluminium foil. 

(Reminder: Some moulds have joining parts at the bottom that water may seep in, thus you need to line the outside of the baking pan with a thick layer of paper kitchen towels and wrap with 2 layers of aluminium foil. The paper kitchen towels can absorb any water accidentally seeps in. It can also prevent the baking pan with batter from contacting with the larger pan, so that it is not too hot. You don’t have to wrap with foil if the mould doesn’t have joining parts, just put a piece of cloth at the bottom of the baking pan with batter to replace the kitchen towels.)

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
 

2 *For pandan juice: Blend 40 g of pandan leaves with 80 g of water, extract 70 g of pandan juice.

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

3 Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F.

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
 

4 Combine corn oil, coconut milk and pandan juice. Sift in cake flour, mix until combined. Combine egg and egg yolks, add to batter gradually, mix until well combined.

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

5 Whisk egg whites on low speed until foamy. Add in salt and cream of tartar, whisk until tiny bubbles are formed. Add in sugar gradually, whisk on low speed until soft peak (meringue is shiny with arch shape). (Reminder: Egg whites and equipment used to beat egg whites must be grease-free and water-free, including egg yolk. It is advisable to clean the egg shells and equipment with dishwasher detergent, then dry with a clean cloth. Use a clean small bowl to separate the egg yolk and egg white, if the egg yolk cracks, don’t use that egg white.)

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

6 Add meringue to egg yolk batter in 4 batches, mix gently with hand whisk.

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

7 Fold gently with spatula until well mixed. Tap mixing bowl a few times on countertop to burst large bubbles.

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

8 Pour the batter into prepared baking pan, tap baking pan on countertop a few times.

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

9 Fill a 10-inch square baking pan with hot water, about 1-inch high (for water bath), put in baking pan with batter.

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

10 Bake at 150°C/300°F for 1 hour 50 minutes, until fully cooked. (Reminder: If your cake does shrink when out of oven, then your oven temperature is too hot. Try reducing baking temperature to 140°C. The cake should rise slowly during baking to prevent it from over-rising then collapsing when out of oven.)

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

11 Drop the baking pan from 1 foot high onto countertop to minimise shrinkage.

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

12 Unmould the pandan cotton sponge cake and cool completely on wire rack (at least 6″ from countertop).

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

13 It is recommended to use a serrated knife to cut the cake once it has completely cooled.

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

Pandan Cotton Sponge Cake (Japanese Sponge Cake)

Made with pandan juice and coconut milk, pandan cotton sponge cake (Japanese sponge cake) is full with Southeast Asian flavour, and the texture is as soft as cotton.

Rate

4.89 from 9 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Course Cake, Dessert
Cuisine Asian, Japanese, Southeast Asia
Servings 24 pieces
Calories 91 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan
  • 1 10-inch (25-cm) square baking pan

Ingredients
 
 

  • 60 g corn oil or other vegetable oil
  • 50 g thick coconut milk
  • 70 g pandan juice*
  • 110 g cake flour
  • 1 egg size: L
  • 7 egg yolks size: L

For meringue:

  • 7 egg whites size: L
  • tsp fine salt
  • ½ tsp cream of tartar
  • 150 g fine sugar
Makes: 8 x 8inch rectangle

Instructions
 

  • Grease and line 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with non-stick baking paper. Fold a larger piece of aluminium foil into half to create 2 layers, top with 6-7 pieces of kitchen towels, wrap the bottom of the baking pan with the aluminium foil. 
    (Reminder: Some moulds have joining parts at the bottom that water may seep in, thus you need to line the outside of the baking pan with a thick layer of paper kitchen towels and wrap with 2 layers of aluminium foil. The paper kitchen towels can absorb any water accidentally seeps in. It can also prevent the baking pan with batter from contacting with the larger pan, so that it is not too hot. You don’t have to wrap with foil if the mould doesn’t have joining parts, just put a piece of cloth at the bottom of the baking pan with batter to replace the kitchen towels.)
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
  • *For pandan juice: Blend 40 g of pandan leaves with 80 g of water, extract 70 g of pandan juice.
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
  • Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F.
  • Combine corn oil, coconut milk and pandan juice. Sift in cake flour, mix until combined. Combine egg and egg yolks, add to batter gradually, mix until well combined.
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
  • Whisk egg whites on low speed until foamy. Add in salt and cream of tartar, whisk until tiny bubbles are formed. Add in sugar gradually, whisk on low speed until soft peak (meringue is shiny with arch shape).
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
  • Add meringue to egg yolk batter in 4 batches, mix gently with hand whisk. Fold gently with spatula until well mixed. Tap mixing bowl a few times on countertop to burst large bubbles.
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
  • Pour the batter into prepared baking pan, tap baking pan on countertop a few times.
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
  • Fill a 10-inch square baking pan with hot water, about 1-inch high (for water bath), put in baking pan with batter.
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
  • Bake at 150°C/300°F for 1 hour 50 minutes, until fully cooked. (Reminder: If your cake does shrink when out of oven, then your oven temperature is too hot. Try reducing baking temperature to 140°C. The cake should rise slowly during baking to prevent it from over-rising then collapsing when out of oven.)
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
  • Drop the baking pan from 1 foot high onto countertop to minimise shrinkage.
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
  • Unmould the pandan cotton sponge cake and cool completely on wire rack (at least 6″ from countertop).
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version
  • Cut with a serrated knife when completely cooled.
    Cotton Sponge Cake Pandan version

Video

Notes

This recipe yields an 8-inch square cake divided into 24 slices. 
The nutritional value for reference is for 1 slice of cake. 
Egg whites and equipment used to beat egg whites must be grease-free and water-free, including egg yolk. It is advisable to clean the egg shells and equipment with dishwasher detergent, then dry with a clean cloth. Use a clean small bowl to separate the egg yolk and egg white, if the egg yolk cracks, don’t use that egg white.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 91kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 54mgPotassium: 44mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 83IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword butter pandan cake, japanese sponge cake, pandan cotton sponge cake
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