Pandan Chiffon Cake ~ 香兰戚风蛋糕

This is my second attempt at baking Pandan Chiffon Cake for I slightly underbaked the first one and it just dropped off from the pan about 10 mins. after I inverted it onto a cooling tray.  So this time I did some homework and found a lot of tips to fine tune the recipe.  As I've never tried whisking the egg yolks and sugar with the ball whisk of a stand mixer, I thought I'd give it a try.  I'm not sure why this time my chiffon cake has more craters than all my previous Chiffon cakes, just wondering whether it could be due to the mixing with the ball whisk which had incorporated more air into the batter.  Nevertheless, I'd prefer to adhere to either beat the egg yolks and sugar with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or just combine the egg yolks and sugar with a wire whisk which I normally do.

Pandan Chiffon Cake ~ 香兰戚风蛋糕 

Ingredients (A)                   

                        

• 6 large egg yolks (68 gm  each with shell)
  
• 24 gm caster sugar
• 120 ml coconut milk
• 3.1/2 Tbsp canola/corn oil
• 2.1/4 Tbsp pandan juice
• a pinch of salt

(B)

• 120 gm superfine flour or plain flour (sifted twice)
• 1.1/4 tsp baking powder

(C)

• 6 large egg whites
• 72 gm caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Pandan Juice

1. Cut up about 15 or more pandan/screwpine leaves and blend with 2 Tbsp of water.
2. Strain the blended pandan leaves into a measuring cup.
3. Let the pandan juice settle in the fridge for a few days.
4. Use the settled residue.

Method

1. Beat egg yolks with sugar till sugar is dissolved, whisk in pandan juice, coconut milk, oil and salt till well combined.
2. Sift over the flour and baking powder.  Fold till mixture is free from lumps.
3. In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar @ high speed till foamy, then gradually add in the sugar.  Beat till stiff peaks form.
4. Add in 1/3 beaten egg whites to the yolk batter, fold till well combined.
5. Fold in remaining egg whites.  Mix well.
6. Pour the batter into an ungreased  23 cm tube pan, gently bang the pan on the work top to dispel air bubbles.  Use a chopstick or skewer to go round the batter also to eliminate air bubbles.  Smooth the surface with a spatula.
7. Bake in a preheated oven @ 170 deg.C for 55 to 60 mins. till golden brown.  Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
8. Immediately invert the cake over a mug and let cool for about 1 to 1.1/2 hours.  Gently remove the cake by hand.