Pandan Swiss Roll

Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Chilling Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8-9 slices

This delightful pandan swiss roll is not only soft and fluffy but also filled with luscious whipped cream and topped with crunchy toasted coconut flakes. I've included all my best tips and a foolproof recipe that guarantees your roll cake won’t rip or ripple when you roll it up!

Ingredients:

Toasted Coconut Topping

120 g large coconut flakes

Pandan Cake

7 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
150 g granulated sugar, divided into 100g + 50g
70 g milk, dairy or non-dairy
50 g light-tasting oil, e.g. canola oil, avocado oil, etc.
2 teaspoons pandan extract
1 drop green gel food colouring, optional, if your pandan extract is clear
150 g cake flour
Whipped Cream Filling
450 g whipping cream or heavy cream, cold
40 g powdered sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon pandan extract, optional, only if yours is clear

Directions:

Toasted Coconut Topping

Prep: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 12x17" baking tray with parchment paper on the bottom only.
Toast coconut flakes: Scatter coconut flakes across the baking tray and spread them out. Bake for 5-10 minutes, stirring them around occasionally until they are lightly golden brown. Let the coconut flakes cool on the baking tray completely before transferring them to a small container for later.

Pandan Cake

Prep: Raise the oven temperature to 350°F. Clean off your lined baking tray from toasting the coconut flakes and set aside.
Divide eggs: Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two separate large mixing bowls, being careful not to get any of the yolks into the egg whites. Set the bowl of egg yolks aside.
Egg white meringue: To the egg whites, add cream of tartar. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until they become frothy like cappuccino foam. Add 100g of granulated sugar, one spoonful at a time, mixing well between each addition. After all the sugar has been added, continue beating the egg whites on medium-high speed until they become stiff peaks. Set aside.
Egg yolk mixture: To the egg yolks, add the remaining 50g of sugar and use the same hand mixer to mix until combined. Add the milk, oil, pandan extract, and green gel food colouring. Mix until combined.
Sift in flour: Use a fine mesh sieve to sift the flour into the egg yolk mixture. Mix until just combined and smooth.
Combine egg whites and egg yolks: Add about ⅓ of the egg white meringue into the egg yolk mixture. Use a spatula to fold them together until combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl as that's where thick batter accumulates. Add the rest of the meringue and fold together until no streaks remain.
Fill pan: Pour the batter into your lined baking tray. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter into the edges and sides of the pan and smooth the top into an even layer.
Bake: Bake for about 12-13 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and the top is puffy. Let the cake cool in the pan for only 5 minutes before running an offset spatula around the edges to release the cake from the pan.
Release cake: Place a wire rack (or parchment) on top of the pan, grip both sides of the pan and rack (with oven mitts), and flip the cake onto the rack. Peel the parchment paper off the cake. Place a fresh sheet of parchment paper on top and flip the cake onto the parchment paper.
Pre-roll the cake: Use a serrated knife to cut the browned edges off the two short ends of the cake sheet (optional). While it's still warm, roll up the cake sheet with the parchment paper, starting from one short end of the sheet. Let the cake cool completely in this rolled-up log shape.

Whipped Cream Filling

Whip cream: In a large mixing bowl, add whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and pandan extract (optional). Use a hand mixer on medium-high speed to beat the cream until it becomes firm peaks.
Spread cream: Unroll the cooled cake sheet. Use an offset spatula to spread a thick and even layer of whipped cream on top of the cake sheet. Leave the last 1" at the end of the cake sheet empty. Save any remaining whipped cream for the outside of the cake.
Roll cake: Roll the cake sheet up in the same way it was pre-rolled, without the parchment paper this time. When you get to the end of the roll, place a sheet of plastic wrap next to the cake so that you can roll the cake right onto the plastic wrap. Use an offset spatula to remove any excess cream that squishes out of the seam and push in any cream that squishes out from the two ends of the roll.
Chill: Wrap the cake roll in plastic wrap and chill the in fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight to allow the cream to set.
Coconut coating: Before serving, use an offset spatula to spread a thin layer of whipped cream on the outside of the cake roll. Press handfuls of your toasted coconut flakes all around the outside of the cake roll.
Slice: Use a serrated knife in a sawing motion to cut about ½" off both ends of the cake roll to reveal the swirl. Cut the cake roll into 1-2" thick slices.

Tips & Notes:

Stiff peaks: This means that when you pull the hand mixer out of the egg white meringue, the meringue stands up in little pointy "peaks" that curl over slightly at the tips. If you flip the bowl over, the meringue should not budge or fall out. If it's not at this stage yet, keep beating.
Pandan extract: There are various kinds of pandan extract that you can use for this cake. Artificial pandan extract/flavouring can be clear or have green colouring already added. If you're using natural/homemade pandan extract, it will naturally be tinted green but the pigment may not be enough to show in this cake. I used a clear pandan extract so I added green gel food colouring and I was also able to add the extract to the whipped cream. You can decide what you want to do based on the kind of pandan extract you're using.
Large coconut flakes - This is not the same as shredded coconut. Use large flakes for the best effect.
Eggs - Let your eggs come to room temperature before using them. Room-temperature eggs whip up faster.
Cream of tartar - This is an acidic powder that helps stabilize the egg whites so that they whip up faster into a stronger meringue. If you don't have this, you can omit it completely or replace it with double the amount of vinegar or lemon juice.
Granulated sugar - Divide your sugar into 100g and 50g bowls to make your life easier when adding it to the meringue. Don't ask me why you need to divide it when the batter all gets mixed together in the end. It just works. I've made this recipe before both ways and the difference is subtle but seems to be better when I divide them.
Milk - You can use any dairy or non-dairy milk. I usually use oat milk because it's what I have on hand.
Oil - Use any light-tasting oil like canola oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil.
Pandan extract - You can find many different types of pandan extract - artificial vs natural and clear vs green. Use any that you prefer and just adjust the recipe accordingly (i.e. if using green artificial pandan extract, omit the green gel food colouring). I used clear artificial pandan extract in mine.
Green gel food colouring (optional) - Add a tiny bit of this if your pandan extract is clear or if you want a boost in the green colour of the cake. Only use gel colouring (not oil-based or water-based food colouring) otherwise it messes with the consistency of the meringue.
Cake flour - Cake flour contains less gluten than all-purpose flour and makes softer and more delicate cakes.
Whipping cream or heavy cream - You can use either one. Whipping cream will give you a lighter and airier filling while heavy cream will be thicker and richer.
Powdered sugar, vanilla extract