Taiwanese style Pandan Castella

Recipe from Emojoie (watch the video). Comes with a very good video! (See my Taiwanese and Japanese comparison list of recipes)

Ingredients (for 20cm or 8 inch square pan)

115g cake flour

115g butter or oil

115g milk

7 eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

115g sugar

½ tsp pandan essence

Whipping cream (optional)

Method

1. Separate the eggs. Bring everything to room temperature. Prepare the tin by lining the outside with foil (as it will go into a water bath) and inside with parchment. Ensure that the height of the inside parchment is 9cm tall.

2. In a saucepan, gently melt the butter and milk. Bring up to 50 deg C.

3. Pour the mixture into the sifted cake flour. Beat with whisk while still warm.

4. Add the egg yolks one at a time and beat. 

5. Add the vanilla and mix in.

6. Beat the meringue with all the sugar. Towards the end, turn the speed down low so that the bubbles are smaller. Beat until soft peak.

7. Pour the yolk mixture into the meringue. Use a whisk to gently fold in as you rotate the bowl. Finish off using a spatula to fold in to ensure no more white streaks remain. This also bursts the big bubbles.

8. Pour the batter in from a height. Use a spatula to push the batter into the corners and flatten the top. Shake the batter so that the big bubbles burst.

9. Put the cake tin in a bigger baking tin and pour 80 deg C water until about ⅓ up the side of the cake tin.

10. Place in the oven and bake at 150 deg C for 65 to 70 minutes.

11. Remove from the oven and the bath. Remove the paper while it is still hot. The cake will begin to deflate slightly.

12. Can be cut and served while still warm. Serve with whipping cream in between if desired.

Try 1:

Top was perfect! Spongy and light. Smooth surface with no cracks. But inside was uncooked. I did 65 minutes and used the Breville oven. I may need the full 70 minutes.

- Sugar level was ok. However, really very eggy tasting despite the ½ tsp pandan essence.

- Only difference from Breville Japanese souffle cheesecake is that I had to wrap the bottom of this pan with foil because it had a removable base. However, with both, I used cold water which I pre-heated with the oven. I put a grill on the outer pan and kept the water level below the grill. Maybe if I wrap the pan, I do have to use 80 deg C water as the recipe suggested.

- Perhaps too my method was off. 1) I didn't heat oil and milk until 50 deg C, only 40 deg C. 2) I beat the yolks then added the melted butter and milk (instead of other way round), and (3) beat the flour in (instead of pouring the yolk mixture into the flour and folding). 

- I followed the recipe of pouring the yolk mixture into the meringue and folded in, although I used (4) a spatula rather than whisk initially. Maybe all together I was too heavy handed. Next time I should follow the regular method I use for cheesecake where meringue is mixed in 3 batches.

- According to Y, temp of milk and oil are not high enough, causing the oil to separate from the mixture. Makes sense!