Pandan Gula Melaka Chiffon Cake 'Ondeh Ondeh'

I have been dreaming about oozing chiffon cake "ondeh ondeh" for some time, ever since my previous Nyonya Kueh Chiffon Cake with chiffon "ondeh ondeh". It's not easy though, I had many countless failed experiments with exploded "ondeh ondeh" before I finally arrived at a model that can sort of work. Basically Gula melaka is heavy so it sinks to the bottom easily, so most of it usually comes out of the cake. There is an optimum amount and type that you can "encapsulate" to succeed.

This recipe was specially commissioned by and designed for LG Neochef last year in October 2017. I gave several demos on this chiffon cake "ondeh ondeh" cake pops with the LG Neochef then. It's super yummy and reviews for this Gula melaka chiffon "ondeh ondeh" cake pop were very good!

Currently the detailed printed recipe of this chiffon cake "ondeh ondeh" comes free with every purchase of the LG Neochef. LG was so generous that they allowed me to share on the blog now too! I'm happy more people can get to try this yummy recipe =).

Pandan Gula Melaka Chiffon “Ondeh Ondeh” (makes 12)
(by Susanne Ng, written for LG Neochef)

14g egg yolk (1 egg yolk)
26g gula melaka (in cubes)
14g coconut milk
1-2 pandan leaves, knotted
2g pandan juice
1g vanilla extract
15g coconut/vegetable oil
20g cake flour, sifted
Tiny pinch of salt
1/4 tsp pandan paste
20g grated gula melaka

60g egg whites (around 1.5 egg whites)
8g castor sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)

1. Cut 26g gula melaka into cubes. Dissolve the gula melaka in coconut milk (with pandan leaves to make more fragrant) to make the gula melaka syrup. Leave to cool. Makes around 40g gula melaka syrup.

2. Preheat oven, or LG Neochef microwave convection oven to 140 degrees celsius.

3. Whisk egg yolk with oil till well mixed.

4. Add in the gula melaka syrup, pandan juice, vanilla extract and pandan paste, whisk till well combined.

5. Whisk in sifted cake flour (with pinch of salt). Mix well and ensure no lumps are formed.

6. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar till frothy, in a grease-free and dry bowl.

7. Add in castor sugar gradually and whip till firm peaks form, i.e. peaks point upwards but not totally stiff.

8. Spoon gula melaka batter into cake pop molds. Leave a well, and then add a sprinkle (coffee stirrer size) of grated gula melaka into the well. Cover with more batter.

9. Bake at 140 degrees celsius for 28 min, or until skewer inserted into cake pop come out clean.
*I actually had some "controls" cake pops without filling to check for doneness as those with fillings will be wet.

10. Leave cake pops to cool on wire rack.

11. When cake pops are fully cool, unmould from the cake pop mould by flipping the mould over.

12. Roll in desiccated coconut (or freshly grated coconut steamed with some salt).

As I shared earlier, it is not easy to encapsulate the filling, I actually made a table of the amount and type to be encapsulated lol. For this experiment, those on the left 1st column had the most fillings, and subsequent columns had decreasing fillings, with "controls" - no filling- on the most right. Here's sharing what happens when you are too generous with fillings =p. Still (or even more) yummy of course! I had also tried liquid version (which didn't work), as well as gula melaka in cubes and grated. Oh and one last important point! Do not knock the batter in the cake pop molds to release air bubbles after you have added the fillings, they will sink and explode too =p. Finally, if you like even more fillings than the cake batter can handle, you can inject some gula melaka syrup using a piping tip or syringe, there will already be a "hole" in the middle of the cake from the gula melaka that was baked and melted.

With lots of love,

Susanne