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Soft and fluffy pandan sponge cake with a stripes design is filled with creamy and luscious white chocolate mousse.
This pandan white chocolate mousse cake blends the fragrant, slightly floral flavor of pandan with a luscious white chocolate mousse for a harmonious and unique treat. With pandan extract giving the sponge cake its green hue, this cake is designed with a stripe pattern for a striking visual effect. The soft and rich mousse interior perfectly complements the airy chiffon sponge cake. I made this cake for my husband’s birthday and the whole family really enjoyed it! It seems harder than it actually is. It’s a bit of extra work, but nothing complicated!
Pandan White Chocolate Mousse Cake
Ingredients
For pandan sponge cake:
- 75 g egg yolks from 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 55 g oil
- 55 g coconut milk
- 65 g cake flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp pandan essence
- 130 g egg whites from 4 large eggs
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 90 g granulated sugar
White chocolate mousse:
- 9 g gelatin powder
- 60 g water to bloom the gelatin
- 36 g egg yolks 2 egg yolks from large eggs
- 150 g coconut milk
- 160 g white chocolate bar finely chopped
- 360 g heavy cream make sure it's cold
- 20 g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pandan essence
Instructions
- Spray the baking pan, 9 x 13 x 1 inch, with non-stick cooking spray or brush some oil and then line with a parchment paper on the bottom and the side
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven. Lower the temperature by 20 degrees for a convection oven.
- You will also need a 7-inch round cake pan with removable bottom, with about 3 inches height to assemble the cake later. I line the side with an acetate sheet, which makes it easier and neater. You can skip this step if you don't want to
Prepare the sponge cake:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, oil, and coconut milk until combined.
- Sift in the cake flour, and salt.
- Whisk to mix until combined and no lumps
- Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature. Place egg whites in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until foamy on medium speed and then add cream of tartar and whip again for another minute
- Add 1/3 of the sugar and continue to add sugar until you use it all up.
- Whip until the egg white develops a medium-soft peak. When you lift the meringue up it will hold up its shape but the tail will bend. Do not whip until stiff peak. The cake will crack when you shape it later
- Fold about 1/3 of the meringue into the egg yolk batter
- Use a whisk to fold or whisk until mix and continue to fold in the next 1/3 until you use up all the meringue and the batter is smooth.
- For the last 1/3, switch back to spatula and make sure you swipe the bottom of the bowl to make sure the batter and the meringue is well-combined. The batter should be smooth and triple in volume
- Divide the cake batter into 2, about 200-230 grams each.
- Add pandan essence to one and fold to combine
- Put the pandan batter into a piping bag and the plain batter into a different piping bag
- Pipe the batter diagonally (as shown in the photo), alternating with the plain batter
- Gently tap the baking sheet on your working surface several times to pop any air bubbles
Bake the cake:
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes and then switch to convection mode (fan mode) and bake for another 3-4 minutes or until the top is golden brown and dry to touch. If you don't have convection mode, bake another 5 minutes and check to make sure the top is golden brown and dry to touch. It is important that the top is dry to touch
- Remove the cake from the oven and then lift it out from the pan immediately to a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper from 4 sides. This helps to prevent wrinkles on the surface. Let it cool down like this for 5-6 minutes
- After 5-6 minutes. Place a new piece of parchment paper, larger than the cake, on top of the cake and flip over to the other side. Peel off the parchment paper. Let the cake cool down completely before assembling
Assembling the cake:
- Trim off the 4 edges to make it neat
- Use a 6-inch ring cutter to cut out the cake to cover the base of the pan. If you don't have one, use a 6-inch round cake pan or anything round as a template and use a sharp knife to cut out a 6-inch round
- Then cut out strips of cake to cover the side of the pan. You want to make sure the cake strips reach the rim of the pan.
Prepare the white chocolate mousse filling:
- Bloom the gelatin with water and let it sit for 5 minutes to soften. Then you can microwave it in a burst of 10 seconds until the gelatin melts.
- Bring the coconut milk just to a gentle simmer. Do not let it come to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add the finely chopped white chocolate pieces and stir until the chocolate melts. Add melted gelatin and whisk again.
- Add pandan essence, egg yolk one at a time and keep whisking until mixture is smooth then add another one and whisk. Strain the mixture to make sure there are no lumps
- In a mixing bowl, add cold heavy cream and powdered sugar. Whip with a handmixer over medium speed until it thickens slightly but not forming any peak yet.
- Add the white chocolate mixture and whip again for 10 seconds or so over medium-low speed. It won't be fully combined yet, but we don't want to overwhip the cream
- Switch to a spatula and fold the mixture to make sure they are thoroughly combined
- Pour the mixture into the pan and gently smooth the top
Chill the cake:
- Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight for the best result
Finish up assembling:
- Remove the cake from the fridge. Push the cake up and remove the side of the pan and gently peel off the acetate sheet
- Garnish with top with some shaved white chocolate
RECOMMEDED TOOLS
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Important tips
1. Use room-temperature eggs and milk to make the sponge cake. This gives the cake its airy texture and for the meringue to whip properly
2. When piping the alternating diagonal lines of plain and pandan batter, try to keep the lines even in thickness. This helps create a consistent pattern.
3. Bloom the gelatin by sprinkling it over cold water and letting it sit for about 5 minutes before melting. This step ensures a smooth, lump-free mousse texture.
4. Use a high-quality white chocolate bar, NOT white chocolate chips. White chocolate chips do not melt as smoothly as the high-quality chocolate bar
5. Whip the cream to just firm enough to hold its shape, not stiff peaks, as over-whipped cream can make the mousse dense or cause it to separate.
How to store
1. This cake needs to be kept refrigerated at all times. Cover the cake with a cake dome or wrap it loosely with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out or absorbing other odors in the fridge. It can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days
2. If you’d like to freeze the cake, it’s best to freeze individual slices for easier serving. Wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to eat, thaw the slices in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
3. Before serving, let the cake sit at room temperature for about 10–15 minutes to soften the mousse slightly, bringing out its creamy texture and flavors.
