Pandan Tres Leches Cake + 13 Ways with Pandan

13 Ways with... Pandan

I have Steph and Karen to thank for introducing me to Pandan. A somewhat uncommon ingredient to us everyday Aussies, but these green leaves are used extensively in South East Asian cuisine. Lending a delicate, almost floral taste that is perfect in baked goods, drinks and even ice cream, in a similar way to how we would use vanilla. I wanted to shine the spotlight on this great ingredient with 13 interesting and unique ways to it!

Drink it...

Picture Credits: Cooking Tackle & Singapore Shiok

1. It was a little surprising not to find more drinks made using pandan, but this Ginger Honey Pandan Drink from Cooking Tackle combines some of my very favourite ingredients in one drink. It looks so soothing, like something that would make you feel a lot better when you are sick.

2. How refreshing does this Lime Drink with Pandan look? The recipe comes from from Singapore Shiok, and I can imagine it would really hit the spot on a hot day, especially in the humid Malaysian climate! I am hoping that I can track down some fresh pandan leaves soon so I can try this.

Freeze it...

Picture Credits: The Food Dept & Dessert First

3. It is great to see Pandan being featured on incredible and popular blogs like The Food Dept. which is one of my new favourites, as the recipe ideas and photography are both amazing. Their Pandan ice cream with toffee pecans looks so good! I have made pandan ice cream before but the toffee pecans would take it to a whole other level of yum.

4. I remember seeing this post on Dessert First a few years ago (when I was still a Daring Baker!) before I had tried pandan for myself. These Pandan Cheesecake Pops are so cute and I can imagine how good they would taste. This post is really interesting for a side by side comparison of using pandan leaves vs pandan extract, and aside from the green colour which comes from the extract, the taste was remarkably similar!

Bake it...

Picture Credits: Spicyicecream & Alanabread

5. This Caramelised Pandan Cake with Coconut Sorbet from my archives was my first foray into baking with pandan, inspired by the dessert at Ms G's in Sydney. I gave it a calorific French-toast-like twist by soaking the chiffon cake in a sweet egg mixture and cooking it in caramel, with a big scoop of coconut sorbet to serve. This is actually one of my favourite desserts that I've made on this blog!

6. Another delicious looking recipe is this Jasmine Pandan Macarons from Alanabread. I can only imagine how nicely the pandan flavour goes with the floral jasmine! And as always I love the neon-green colour of the filling.


Picture Credits: Raspberri Cupcakes

7. As I mentioned, my friend Steph introduced me to Pandan, and her blog Raspberri Cupcakes is an amazing source for recipes using the ingredient. I love how she combined an Aussie dessert with the Asian ingredient to create these Pandan Lamingtons. And we all know how well pandan goes with coconut!

8. Okay, one recipe wasn't enough, so here is a beautiful Pandan Cotton Soft Cheesecake with Kaya also from Raspberri Cupcakes. Kaya is a coconut jam cooked with eggs and pandan leaves until caramelised, so you can imagine how delicious it would be slathered generously inside this cheesecake! I'm still looking for a way to use the kaya I brought back from Malaysia and I think this might be it!


Picture Credits: Masam Manis & Pickyin

9. I have never tried combining pandan and chocolate together, but the green and chocolate swirls in this Pandan Marble Cake from Masam Manis look so beautiful! This would be a delicious cake for a birthday party.

10. Another beautiful dessert is this Pandan Gula Melaka Cake from Pickyin. I absolutely love the icing roses and detailed tutorial for making layer cakes, but I am most intrigued by the flavour combination. I think the Palm Sugar frosting would be a perfect match for a cake flavoured with pandan!


Picture Credits: Ribbon and Circus & We Dare Food

11. It was actually through a waffle that I first experienced pandan, at a little shop in Cabramatta with the girls, and now I always get one whenever I go back! More recently I saw them on the menu at my favourite local Thai place Green Peppercorn. So then I had to include these Pandan Waffles from Ribbon and Circus in this roundup, as I can only imagine how good homemade would be.

12. And after the waffles, try these Pandan Pancakes from We Dare Food! Give your breakfast a green twist by adding pandan to your pancakes and serve them with a delicious coconut syrup. Or some kaya. Yum!



13. Yes, this cake is very very green. And also delicious. While looking for an interesting turn on the classic South American Tres Leches (three milks) cake, I wondered if an Asian twist would work. When pandan leaves are unavailable, a good quality extract or paste is my weapon of choice, which also gave this cake the most incredible colour. For the three milk soak, I used a combination of milk, sweetened condensed milk and coconut milk. And the Pandan Tres Leches Cake was born.

I'm so happy with how it turned out, the cake is incredibly moist without turning soggy, and actually tastes even better a day or two after making it. The coconut milk was definitely a good move here, as it goes so nicely with pandan. I topped the cake simply with some barely sweetened whipped cream and fresh raspberries for a colour and tart flavour contrast. But I think a palm sugar caramel drizzled over the top would be quite amazing as well!

I hope this roundup inspires you to experiment with some less common ingredients soon, and if you have any other great pandan recipes please share them with me in the comments below!

Blueberry Cobbler with Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Consider this recipe a farewell to this summer's berry season, a final hurrah if you will. I can't believe February (and summer) are almost over already, this year is already flying by! Berries are making way for stone fruit, figs and grapes, and soon we'll be seeing new season autumn fruit like pears and apples. While I can't play favourites with summer fruit (I love it all), blueberries are right up there, and a cobbler is a delicious way to serve them.

Unfussy, perfect for a crowd, with just a few simple accompaniments and a baked top that is half way between an American style biscuit and a cake. I really meant it when I said I'd be happy to only bake these kinds of fruit/pastry desserts for the rest of time!! But of course, this recipe can be adapted to almost any fruit. Nectarines or peaches would be quite lovely here too I think.



This recipe comes courtesy of The Bucket List on Sydney's famous Bondi beach via February's issue of Gourmet Traveller. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make it! The clam bake story was beautifully photographed and actually made me wish I liked clams... Anyone who knows me, knows about my aversion to oysters, mussels and clams. And as someone who used to dislike all seafood I've come a long way in the last 5 years, but I can't imagine ever enjoying eating an oyster!!

I scaled the recipe back as I only had two punnets of blueberries in the fridge, but kept roughly the same quantity of booze and vanilla. I was intrigued when I saw dark rum in the mixture as I'd never thought to pair it with blueberries, but it was really delicious.



Something else that goes wonderfully with blueberries is lemon, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out the lemon curd ice cream recipe that had been floating around in my head. I truly love that my favourite no churn ice cream can be adapted soooo many different ways, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to go back to making proper custard based ice cream!


I hope you have all enjoyed the summer as much as I have, and can make the most of the late season fruits in a recipe like this one soon!

Raspberry Ricotta Doughnuts

Ahhh Valentine’s Day. Since I can remember, I have not been a fan of the nauseating commercialism that surrounds the 14th of February. I'm fairly certain I’ve never posted anything heart-shaped on this blog! The boy and I have never even been on the same side of the country to actually spend it together. Showing love to your partner and friends on just one day of the year is, frankly, not good enough. As I’ve said before, I think it's the small thoughtful gestures shown on a regular basis that are truly appreciated.

So there will be no bouquets of roses around here on Thursday. But a bouquet of doughnuts? Well that's different! I can almost guarantee your Valentine (or your friends) will love a homemade gift, and these ricotta doughnuts are perfect.



They're easy to make, but super cute and delicious - just mix everything all in one bowl - no rising, rolling or proving here! The recipe came from fellow blogger Lara Ferroni's great book, and has made some of the lightest and fluffiest doughnuts to have ever come out of my kitchen.

I experimented with fresh raspberry in these doughnuts as an alternative to jam and I think it worked really well. I served them with a simple dusting of icing sugar but if you want to get even more fancy, try a honey and rosewater glaze or serve with white or dark chocolate dipping sauce to turn this into a decadent and romantic dessert.

Are you guys on Vine? I gave it a try for the first time when making these doughnuts. It was fun and I was quite pleased with the results, so behold, a little video for you as well! Click here to see it, and feel free to follow for more mini videos in future too.

I'm interested to know, what are your thoughts on VDay? Let me know in the comments!

Berry Buttermilk Cupcakes

It’s been a less than awesome week, but I hate to come here and complain. So instead, I’m going to make a list of all the things that have been making me happy lately and hopefully that will make me feel a little better!

• jacaranda trees in bloom everywhere • green juice • a new rooftop BBQ (more on this soon) • fluffy hotel robes • chocolate covered almonds • mojitos • finding time to read • morning walks • philosophy's birthday cake lip gloss • pinning apartment decorating ideas • our travel bucket list • old playlists that are still awesome • seeing summer stone fruit starting to appear at the market • I'm uncharacteristically excited about Christmas this year • cocktails in jugs • new cookbooks • discovering a lovely little homewares shop in Mornington • homemade pizza • the pierces • turquoise nail polish • strawberries • blueberries • raspberries!


I don't bake cupcakes nearly enough these days, but I still love how easy and delicious they are, not to mention how quickly they disappear whenever I do make them! The summer berries have been fabulous so far this spring and I had to show them off in a fruity little cake. Buttermilk is my secret weapon when it comes to cakes these days, I will not make a chocolate cake without it! If you're after a moist, fluffy, vanillary cake, this is it. A whole tablespoon of vanilla extract might sound like a lot, but it's the perfect amount for these cakes.

Cream cheese icing is still my favourite, so I may be biased but I think it was a perfect match to the cake and the berries inside and on top. Here's hoping things start to get a little less crazy soon, but in the meantime, cupcakes help! Hope everyone has a sweet weekend xx

PS: all of you should go over to Raspberri Cupcakes and wish Steph a happy birthday today!! :)

Chocolate Baklava Fingers

I have had Greek food on the brain a lot lately, not least of all because one of our brand new venues at work is a heritage pub in Newtown downstairs and a Greek restaurant called The Animal upstairs. With all the menu revisions making me very very hungry, I was very much looking forward to going and checking it out.

Happily, the doors swung open about 2 weeks ago and things are going great guns. The decor is awesome and so is the food, although I have only sampled a very small portion of the menu so far. I am looking forward to going back with a big group of friends so with our stomachs combined we can try a whole lot more of the dishes - so stay tuned!


I have shared one recipe for baklava on this blog, a few years ago now, but I've always really loved the dessert and thought I'd make a slightly different version this time. Chocolate, cacao nibs, pistachios, walnuts, cinnamon, honey and crispy filo is a combination that I knew would be great so I set to work chopping, mixing, brushing and rolling these little baklava "fingers" - individual servings of sweet and sticky deliciousness.


There are so many ways that you could adapt this recipe. Add some orange zest to the filling or the honey syrup, try a different combination of nuts, use chopped dark chocolate instead of the cacao nibs, accompany the baklava, with fresh figs or pomegranate arils instead of the raspberries I have used, or serve with a slick of salted caramel sauce like they do at The Animal, or a scoop of ice cream while they're still warm. Yum!

Chocolate Mousse with Bourbon Caramel Popcorn

By the time you read this, I'll be on a plane to Malaysia. Wheeee! I'm definitely looking forward to a nice getaway (and my first overseas trip) with the boy, especially after how crazy these last few months have been. When it rains, it pours, right! But don't worry, I have a few great posts lined up for you while I'm gone. 

I have a confession to make. I can count the times I've made chocolate mousse on one hand. Actually, it's more like three fingers. Which makes me wonder whyyyy I haven't made it more often. For some reason I always thought it was hard to do (I'm not great with gently folding) and gone and made ice cream instead. But boy have I been missing out.

I've always been intrigued by chocolate and olive oil mousse recipes, wondering how it would affect the texture and taste. As with any recipe, the quality of your ingredients matters so use the best olive oil you've got. I used Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt, which has now become one of my favourites. The hint of fleur de sel is such a perfect match for dark chocolate.


I decided to pair it with some homemade caramel popcorn that carried through the hint of salt, and also a little glug of bourbon thrown in for good measure, though this is totally optional. I have to say, the result was amazing - and I couldn't believe how easy the mousse was to make.

It was rich and dark, not too sweet, and best served in small glasses. This is definitely one recipe I'll keep in mind for dinner parties and entertaining as it can be made in advance and easily doubled - not to mention the fact that it would be a surefire crowd pleaser!

Lindt Dark chocolate was sent to me as a gift.

Cake Batter Ice Cream Sandwiches, and a Guest Post

Hello hello. Just a quick note from me today, as I'm guest posting over at my gorgeous friend Steph's blog Raspberri Cupcakes while she is off in Europe on her honeymoon! We're actually going to be in Kuala Lumpur at the same time next week, totally by coincidence - how crazy is that! So I'm looking forward to catching up with her then over many iced teh tariks :)


But, lets talk about this recipe for just a second. Ice cream sandwiches have been popping up on restaurant menus all over Sydney this year and I wanted to put my own spin on the now infamous dessert. Cake batter flavoured ice cream fit the bill perfectly as it’s delicious, sort of unusual – and perfect with sprinkles! And of course, you know how much Steph loves sprinkles!

You wouldn't believe how easy this ice cream is to make. There’s no ice cream maker required, no custard to make, no eggs to separate, minimal washing up, and it still turns out to be super creamy. I also loved the brownie 'sandwich' that was the perfect texture - half way between a cake and a biscuit. I'll definitely be making these again soon.

Click here to read the full post and recipe.

Etch's Caramel Date Tart

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang

I used to think of myself as a strictly coffee-only kind of girl, but in the last few years that has definitely changed. Green tea in the morning, Earl Grey in the afternoon and Peppermint at night – but one thing that doesn’t change is that I love my tea hot, sweet and super strong. Which is why I was excited to try Twinings’ new blend, Assam Bold, originating from the region of the same name in India’s north-east.


The part that piqued my interest is that this is the strongest Twinings blend ever in Australia. It was nice to take the time to share a cup of tea with my Mum, something that we don’t get to do very often! I really liked the rich, strong, malty, biscuity flavour, and it didn’t have even a hint of bitterness that other black teas sometimes get when you brew them for a strong cup. I had mine with a little sugar, she had a little milk.


Of course I had to make a little tea-inspired dessert to go with it. I made a slight twist on the Caramel Date Tart from Etch, a restaurant which sadly closed its doors recently. I had this for a dessert on my birthday a few years ago and absolutely loved it. I steeped the dates in Assam Bold tea instead of Earl Grey, which meant it was a perfect match, carrying the flavours through wonderfully.

The caramel layer was smooth and creamy, and I was surprised to find that it was actually very easy to make. For afternoon tea I served it plain, but if you were making it for a dessert, a big scoop of ice cream and a little caramel sauce with the tart would be lovely.

I also have one Twinings tea chest to give away for one lucky reader so you can try out Assam Bold for yourself! To enter, leave a comment and tell me what is your favourite sweet treat to eat with a cup of tea. The competition is open until 5pm Friday 19th October, and the winner will be notified by email, so sorry but no anonymous comments will be eligible. For full Terms & Conditions, please click here.

This competition is now closed.

Brownie Cookies with Maple Bourbon Buttercream

I had my first day off in months the other day and was excited to get into the kitchen and bake something, while still in my PJ's, in the middle of the day on a Wednesday. But when it came to deciding actually what to make, I hit a wall. The fridge was a little bare, the fruit bowl even more so, and nothing on my very long list of baking ideas was standing out to me.

But then I remembered these cookies from Donna Hay magazine a couple of months ago and was instantly inspired. The brownie cookies themselves are super easy to make, as long as you follow the recipe and allow it to rest after mixing it all together. These cookies also spread in the oven so be careful not to place them too close together on the baking tray. They take next to no time to bake, so keep an eye on them or you'll end up with crunchy cookies rather than rich and chewy ones, trust me I know! One unfortunate batch ended up on the crispy side when I wasn't looking.

 
Of course, I can never stick 100% to a recipe so I changed up the filling from peanut butter frosting to a delicious maple and bourbon buttercream, made with salted butter. Although anything that goes with chocolate would work well here - caramel, coffee, raspberries, coconut, honeycomb, more chocolate - use your imagination! But next time I think I'll skip the icing entirely and put a big scoop of homemade ice cream in the middle.

Have a great weekend!

Cherry & Pimm's Pie

I look forward to cherry season every year. It's a short but sweet couple of months where I quite literally gorge on them at every opportunity. Our cherry season is still quite a way off, but the imported cherries from the USA have been delicious, abundant and downright cheap this year, and I couldn't help but turn a few into a lovely pie. I know they have travelled an awfully long way and I should be cooking seasonally, but this cherry addict kinda doesn't care. I also tried blushing pink Rainier cherries for the first time this year and loved their sweet flavour, although they didn't make it into the pie as we I ate them all first!


It was actually a stunning winter's day on Sunday when I made these pies, warmer outside than in the house so we opened up the windows and let that almost-warm breeze flow through. A nice reminder that spring is on its way. My thought process while I was rolling out the pastry went a little like this...

Is 11am too early for Pimm's? It's perfect weather for it. I should make another recipe with Pimm's one of these days. Those Pimm's and Pomegranate Macarons we had in Melbourne were amazing. My kitchen is covered in cherry juice, it looks like a crime scene. Really must buy a cherry pitter. I wonder if Pimm's would go with cherries. I could muddle a few in a glass... I could put Pimm's in the pie filling!! DING DING!!


Unfortunately the taste ended up being quite subtle for this Pimm's fan, so I've amended the recipe below to hopefully give a stronger Pimm's taste in the finished product. But Pimm's or no Pimms, the pies are delicious warm or cold with a big scoop of ice cream on top. I wish I had some chocolate coated popping candy to sprinkle on top like the one at Gazebo!

Have a lovely week everyone! xo

Cinnamon Doughnut Ice Cream

To conclude my series of spiced up recipes for spicyicecream's 5th birthday, I have a very special recipe for you. I have to say, I wasn't sure this little experiment world work, but happily it did, and has become one of my favourite ice cream flavours to date. The doughnut flavour really carried through well and the ice cream itself was deliciously creamy.

This dessert was inspired by the Stoners Delight at Ms G's that included doughnut ice cream as part of a wacky dessert also featuring the likes of chocolate crackles, marshmallows, pretzels and dulce de leche, as well as bacon, and a fried banana fritter last time I was there. Soooo good!


Cinnamon doughnuts were always my favourite as a kid, especially when they were super fresh and hot from Donut King. These days I don't buy donuts as I prefer to make my own, but I wanted this ice cream to have that same flavour as the doughnuts I remembered. So I infused the cream with a dozen of them! Well, a dozen minus the one that ended up in my tummy.

The other great thing about this recipe is that you don't need an ice cream maker, you don't need to make a custard and you won't end up with a heap of leftover egg whites. There are only 4 ingredients and hardly any active time, most of it is taken up waiting while the cream infuses and while the ice cream freezes.

If you missed any of the other recipes in the spicy series, here they are!
• Spiced Mulled Cider
• Chai Spiced Rolls with Cinnamon Glaze
• Sticky Ginger Spice Cake
• Spicy Chocolate Doughnuts

Spicy Chocolate Doughnuts

So perhaps 5 posts in 5 days was a little bit ambitious! Life and work got in the way a little last week, but I still have two recipes left to share from my week of spicy birthday posts and they're both pretty cracking, if I do say so myself!

Of course I had to do a recipe that combined chocolate and chilli, and I had already made spicy ice cream! So of course, I decided to turn it into a doughnut... With a secret ingredient... Chilli P! Okay, yes, I have been re-watching Breaking Bad...


I had never made chocolate doughnuts before but it definitely won't be the last time. I can see a world of possibility for potential flavour combinations. Originally I was going to coat them in a chilli/sugar mixture but ended up using a glaze for maximum chocolate-ness. As with most instances where chilli is used in baked goods, the heat comes through as more of a warm aftertaste than actually being spicy, and it works so well with the chocolate.

You could of course add any spices you like instead of the chilli in the glaze too, or omit the spice completely if you're after a classic chocolate doughnut. Top with sprinkles for the kids (or those of us who are kids at heart) or if you're game, some chilli flakes!

Stay tuned for the last recipe in the spicy series. I don't want to give too much away, but let me say that it's one of my favourite creations so far this year! xx

Sticky Ginger Spice Cake

The single best thing about winter is all of the awesome comfort food you get to indulge in guilt free, at least until the start of spring! If you've been reading for a while, you may remember how much I love sticky date pudding. I've made it so many times i think it deserves to have its own category in my recipe index! Its something I make at least once every winter, topped with ice cream and cascading with warm butterscotch sauce.

But this year I'm taking a different route with this delicious ginger cake. I have been wanting to make it ever since I saw it on Jamie Oliver magazine a year or two ago. I finally found the required stem ginger in syrup in the David Jones Food Hall one day while browsing for something completely different and snapped it up.


The cake is super easy to make either in the food processor or a stand mixer. Of course I added a few extra spices to the mix because its my spicy blog birthday week, but feel free to stick to ginger if you prefer. Jamie suggests dousing the cake in rum once it's baked I added some to the batter instead.

The cake turned out a little differently to how I thought - a little less sticky and syrupy and more like a pudding, which is why ice cream and butterscotch sauce were my go-to accompaniments, but its also lovely as an afternoon tea cake completely unadorned, or topped with jam. And with a discovery as tasty as this, my old favourite sticky date might be on the back burner for a while...

Chai Spiced Rolls with Cinnamon Glaze

Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever figure this whole grown up work/life balance thing out. The last few months have been crazy with work, freelance and managing three blogs (PS, you should all go check out the other two) but also so rewarding with a promotion to Senior Designer (!) and getting to work on some great projects with my clients. I think it's easier to become a workaholic when you love what you do, but the constant deadlines, lack of sleep and having to be creatively switched on all the time is a little draining.

Yet still, somehow, baking is like a never-fail mood enhancer. I woke up bright and early on Sunday and started making dough. While kneading, I didn't think about all the other crap I had to do, and while making the filling with the warm scent of the spices filled the air, I resisted the urge to check my email again. Stressed is just desserts spelled backwards, right?

 
The second recipe in my very spicy birthday week is a twist on one of my all-time favourites from my archives, originally published in Bon Appetit by Molly from Orangette, whose blog I've been reading for as long as I've had my own. I've made it a few times over the years and decided that it would be delicious with chai flavours in addition to the cinnamon. And oh boy, it was!

This time I made a very simple cinnamon glaze to accompany the rolls, but the cream cheese version from the original would be absolutely delicious here as well. Make sure you have heaps of friends around for brunch when you make these, because the recipe makes about 18 rolls and they taste best the day they're made. Serve with lots of warm chai, of course.