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Pandan Kaya Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

written by Marvellina Updated: April 21, 2025
7.2K
PIN RECIPE COMMENTS VIEW RECIPE
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Pillowy soft and airy Hokkaido style chiffon cupcakes with an amazing sweet pandan aroma and filled with rich and creamy kaya filling is one of our family’s favorite chiffon cupcakes.
Pandan Kaya Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

If you feel overwhelmed having to bake the whole chiffon cake or if you don’t have a chiffon tube pan, these chiffon cupcakes are great ways to enjoy that soft and airy texture of chiffon cakes but much easier to handle. Hokkaido-style chiffon cupcakes are usually baked in tall, sturdy, and decorative paper cups. I don’t have any and so I just use regular muffin tins lined with paper liners

I use my pandan chiffon cake recipe with minor adaptation. I know pandan leaves aren’t always available for some of you who live outside of Asia (like myself). So, instead of using pandan juice, I’m just using pandan essence in this recipe for simplicity and convenience.

The recipe rundown

Taste: Lightly sweetened cake with rich and creamy kaya filling
Texture: Soft and airy texture of cupcakes with creamy kaya jam
Level: Intermediate

Pandan Kaya Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

How to make pandan kaya Hokkaido chiffon cupcakes

1. Separate the egg yolks from the white. The meringue whips better at room temperature. UPDATE: Heat oil in a microwave for 30-40 seconds or until its about 160 F (70 C). This step gives the cupcake a shiny crust. Add this to the cake flour and whisk quickly to combine. Add the egg yolks, sugar, oil, coconut milk, and pandan essence and whisk into a smooth batter. Set aside

2. Place the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl. I use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. You will have trouble whipping your meringue if there’s a trace of grease in your utensils or bowls. Beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy

3. Add cream of tartar or lemon juice/vinegar and whip until it turns whitish

4. Gradually add the sugar as you beat, in 3 batches

5. I beat them at high speed (speed 6 on Kitchen Aid). When you lift the whisk up, it will hold its shape with a slight bent on the tip. Stop once you reach this firm peak. Overbeating the meringue will break it. You can always stop to check on the meringue so you won’t under or overbeating it

6. Gently fold 1/3 of the meringue into the thick batter. Using a whisk, using a cutting motion, and fold over to mix. Repeat this motion several rounds. Continue on with the second 1/3 of the meringue again to mix.

7. For the last 1/2 of the meringue, use a rubber spatula instead to ensure you get all the batter at the bottom of the bowl mixed in as well. Use a cut down in the middle and fold over motion to fold gently but quickly. Make sure you don’t see any more white meringue.

8. The mixture should be fluffy and voluminous

9. Pipe the batter into the muffin tins, otherwise, you can just use a regular spoon, to scoop the batter into the muffin tins, about 3/4 full. Use a toothpick to draw a zigzag pattern on the batter to pop any bubbles inside the batter. (Sorry forgot to take photos on this step)
10. Please see recipe card for baking temperatures. There are 4 adjustment on temperatures to ensure cupcakes won’t deflate after taking them out from the oven

11.Remove from the oven and set the muffin pan on top of the cooling rack. Don’t move the cupcakes out yet Let them cool down completely in the pan like this
12. Transfer the kaya jam into a piping bag fitted with a large nozzle of your choice. Gently poke the tip of the nozzle into the cupcake and gently squeeze out the filling. You will fill the kaya jam fills up the cupcakes on the inside and you can stop piping once the filling shows up a bit on the top or you can continue to swirl or create a pattern on top of the cupcakes if you like

Pandan flavor and kaya jam are like a match-in-heaven combo IMHO. Look at that creamy filling inside the cupcakes.
Pandan Kaya Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

How to store Hokkaido cupcakes

1. For cupcakes without filling or unfrosted: you can keep the cupcakes at room temperature, well-wrapped to prevent loss of moisture, for 2-3 days. You can keep the kaya jam in the fridge.
2. For cupcakes with filling or frosted: Keep them in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. The longer you keep, the drier the cake will get. You can also keep them in the freezer for up to one month
Pandan Kaya Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

Did you make this pandan kaya Hokkaido chiffon cupcakes recipe?

I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Pandan Kaya Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

Pandan Kaya Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

Pandan Kaya Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Servings 12 standard size muffins
5 from 3 reviews
REVIEW & RATE PRINT

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

  • 50 gr cake flour
  • ⅛ tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

  • 3 egg yolks room temperature from 58 grams egg (large egg) with a shell
  • 50 g coconut milk
  • 33 g cooking oil
  • ½ tsp pandan essence

Meringue:

  • 3 egg whites room temperature
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar or 1/2 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice
  • 40 g granulated sugar please don't cut down on sugar

Filling:

  • 1 recipe Easy Authentic 10-minute Kaya Jam (you may have some leftover)

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the kaya jam the day before
  • Line muffin tins with cupcake liners. If you use the thick paper cups, place them on top of a baking sheet

Prepare cake batter:

  • Separate the egg yolks from the white. The meringue whips better at room temperature.
  • UPDATE: Heat oil in a microwave for 30-40 seconds or until its about 160 F (70 C). This step gives the cupcake a shiny crust. Add this to the cake flour and whisk quickly to combine. Add the egg yolks, oil, coconut milk, and pandan essence and whisk into a smooth batter. Set aside

Whip the meringue:

  • Preheat your oven to 250 F (120 C) for conventional oven.If you have a convection oven, I suggest lowering the temperature by 20 F (15 C).
  • Place the oven rack 3rd from the top. Place the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl. I use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. You will have trouble whipping your meringue if there's a trace of grease in your utensils or bowls.
  • Beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy, add cream of tartar or lemon juice/vinegar and whip until it turns whitish. Gradually add the sugar as you beat, in 3 batches. I beat them on high speed (speed 6 on Kitchen Aid) until you reach a firm peak but still have a slight bent on the tip. You don't want to overbeat the meringue

Fold meringue into the batter:

  • Gently fold 1/3 of the meringue into the thick batter. Using a whisk, using a cutting motion and fold over to mix. Repeat this motion several rounds. Continue on with the second 1/3  of the meringue again to mix. For the last 1/2 of the meringue, use a rubber spatula instead to ensure you get all the batter at the bottom of the bowl mixed in as well. Use a cut down in the middle and fold over motion to fold gently but quickly. Make sure you don't see any more white meringue. The mixture should be fluffy and voluminous.
  • UPDATE: transfer batter to a piping bag and pipe into the muffin liners, about 3/4 full. Alternatively, you can use a regular spoon, to scoop batter into the muffin tins, about 3/4 full. Use a toothpick to draw a zigzag pattern on the batter to pop any bubbles inside the batter

Baking:

  • UPDATE: there will be 4 temperature adjustments to increase over temperature gradually to ensure the cupcake rise slowly and they won't deflate after taking them out from the oven
  • Bake at 250 F (120 C) 20 minutes on the middle rack. Then increase temperature to 270 F (130 C) and bake for 5 minutes. Increase temperature to 300 F (150 C) and bake for 15 minutes. Increase temperature to 330 F (165 C) and bake for 8-10 minutes. For convection oven, please lower the temperature by 20 F (15 C).
  • The surface of the cake should feel dry and bouncy to the touch. If you insert a toothpick into the center, it should come out clean
  • Remove from the oven and set the muffin pan on top of the cooling rack. Don't move the cupcakes out yet Let them cool down completely in the pan like this
  • If the top of the cupcakes sink after they have cooled down completely, it could be that they need to be baked a bit longer. Next time, you can try to add another 5 minutes or so during the last baking temperature adjustment. Overmixing your cake batter (deflating too much of the meringue) can cause the cupcakes to deflate too.

Fill and decorate:

  • Transfer the kaya jam into a piping bag fitted with a large nozzle of your choice. Gently poke the tip of the nozzle into the cupcake and gently squeeze out the filling. You will fill the kaya jam fills up the cupcakes on the inside and you can stop piping once the filling shows up a bit on the top or you can continue to swirl or create a pattern on top of the cupcakes if you like
  • They are ready to be served. I suggest only fill as many cupcakes with the filling you want to serve. That way you can keep the chiffon cupcakes, well-wrapped to prevent loss of moisture, at room temperature for 2-3 days and the filling can be kept in the fridge to chill. When you want to serve them, you can fill it up on the same day

RECOMMEDED TOOLS

Kitchen Aid Standmixer
Electric hand mixer

*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*

Nutrition Facts
Pandan Kaya Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes
Serving Size
 
1 plain cupcake
Amount per Serving
Calories
79
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
5
g
8
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Trans Fat
 
0.01
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
2
g
Cholesterol
 
49
mg
16
%
Sodium
 
40
mg
2
%
Potassium
 
41
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
 
7
g
2
%
Fiber
 
0.1
g
0
%
Sugar
 
3
g
3
%
Protein
 
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
 
65
IU
1
%
Vitamin C
 
0.04
mg
0
%
Calcium
 
8
mg
1
%
Iron
 
0.3
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Did you make this recipe?Let me know how you like this recipe and consider rating it! Tag me @whattocooktoday I'd love to see your photos/videos on Instagram
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6 comments

Lyn L April 21, 2025 - 5:02 am

I made it today and it was a success. Instead of using pandan essence, I’ve just pandan extract (about 2tsp). The colour was a tinge of green inside. The aroma of pandan while baking was so nice. The cupcakes was light and fluffy and sweetness was just right. Great for little one’s snack.
In your recipe, there wasn’t any sugar stated for dry ingredients, but under the method, sugar was mentioned. I was a little confused but I referred to your chiffon pandan cake & there wasn’t any sugar added to the dry batter.
Thank u! Will definitely make it again.

Reply
Marvellina April 21, 2025 - 8:38 pm

Hi Lyn, sorry for the confusion! there isn’t any sugar with the dry ingredients. Most of the time I use the sugar for the meringue. I’m glad you figured it out 🙂 Thank you for letting me know! I have fixed the typo! Happy to know that the cupcakes turned out great for you!

Reply
Mag Tan July 8, 2022 - 10:40 am

Hi Marvellina, thanks again for the wonderful recipe. Mine turn out taste perfect, just that the top is slightly damp and inside there are some wet streaks. May I know what I am doing wrong? Thanks in advance

Reply
Marvellina July 8, 2022 - 3:01 pm

Hi Mag, you want to make sure you whip the meringue stiff enough (but not overwhipping too) and fold gently with the batter not to deflate too much of the meringue. It sounds like you can bake a bit longer since the wet is still top.

Reply
Mag Tan July 8, 2022 - 11:47 pm

Hi Marvellina, thanks for your prompt response. Appreciate it. I shall remake again. Thanks a million.

Reply
Marvellina July 10, 2022 - 10:19 pm

Hi Mag, I hope it turns out better for you in the next round. Keep me posted if you will 🙂

Reply
5 from 3 votes

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