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Soft and spongey steamed pandan coconut cupcakes known as putu ayu or puteri ayu or seri ayu pandan is a popular snack or jajanan pasar in Southeast Asia. Learn how to make this easy steamed kueh with this fool-proof recipe.
My kids love kue putu ayu pandan a lot. They are soft and spongy with an amazing aroma of pandan and coconut. Putu ayu is also known as apam puteri ayu or seri ayu in Malay. Before my mom got me the special moulds to steam puteri ayu in, I used mini muffin cups. They are not as attractive, but they still taste good. Now that I have the moulds, they look more like proper putu ayu 🙂
The recipe rundown
Taste: Lightly sweet with great pandan and coconut aroma
Texture: soft and spongey
Level: Easy
Where to get puteri ayu mould
If you don’t have the special mould for puteri ayu, you can use mini muffin cups. They won’t look like puteri ayu if you don’t mind that. You can also use mini bundt cake cups or these silicone cupcake moulds. They will give you pretty patterns just like the special puteri ayu mould.
How to make apam kueh puteri ayu
1. Cut the pandan leaves with kitchen shears. Put this in a blender along with 100 ml of coconut milk. Blend into fine pieces. Strain the mixture to get 100 ml of pandan coconut milk mixture. Top up with some water if necessary
2. Mix coconut with cornstarch and salt. Take about 1 tablespoon or more (depending on your mould size) and press it to the bottom of the moulds. Make sure you really press it down. Set aside
3. Bring the water in the steamer to a rolling boil. Beat the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy and triple in size using a stand mixer or hand mixer
4. Lower the speed and add 1/2 pandan coconut milk mixture and mix well, then add 1/2 of the dry ingredients and mix again. Then the rest of the pandan coconut milk mixture and mix again. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t overwork the batter. Use a rubber spatula to fold and mix again if you see any loose flour
5. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the mould. Fill it up all the way.
6. Lower the heat to medium and steam on medium heat for 5 minutes. Larger cakes may need 8-10 minutes
7. Remove from the steamer and unmould the cake immediately on a cooling rack to let them cool down completely
Leftovers
Leftovers can be kept at room temperature for 1-2 days max. If it’s humid where you are, the coconut may turn sour. They can be kept in the fridge for no more than one week. The longer you keep them in the fridge the drier the cake will get. For longer storage, let them cool down completely and then individually wrap in cling wrap and then put them inside the freezer bag, push all the air out and then seal and freeze for up to one month. Simply reheat in the steamer or microwave until heated through
Did you make this apam puteri ayu recipe?
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Putu Ayu /Puteri Ayu Pandan (Steamed Pandan Coconut Cake)
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs about 55-58 grams each with a shell
- 100 gr granulated sugar
Dry ingredients:
- 125 gr all-purpose flour
- 15 gr corn starch
- ⅛ tsp salt
Pandan juice:
- 100 ml coconut milk
- 4 pandan leaves see notes
Topping:
- 200 gr grated coconut unsweetened
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
Make pandan juice:
- Cut the pandan leaves with kitchen shears. Put this in a blender along with 100 ml of coconut milk. Blend into fine pieces. Strain the mixture to get 100 ml of pandan coconut milk mixture. Top up with some water if necessary
Prepare the mould:
- Mix the topping ingredients
- Take about 1 tablespoon or more (depending on your mould size) and press it to the bottom of the moulds. Make sure you really press it down. Set aside
Prepare the cake batter:
- Whisk to combine all the dry ingredients and set aside
- Bring the water in the steamer to a rolling boil. Beat the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy and triple in size using a stand mixer or handmixer. Lower the speed and add 1/2 pandan coconut milk mixture and mix well, then add 1/2 of the dry ingredients and mix again. Then the rest of the pandan coconut milk mixture and mix again. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don't overwork the batter. Use a rubber spatula to fold and mix again if you see any loose flour
- Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the mould. Fill it up all the way. Lower the heat to medium and steam on medium heat for 5 minutes. Larger cakes may need 8-10 minutes
Cooling down:
- Remove from the steamer and unmould the cake immediately on cooling rack to let them cool down completely
