Thai cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Layered Coconut-Pandan Cake

A steamed layered cake of rice and tapioca flour with coconut milk and pandan, cut into diamonds.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 100 g rice flour
• 150 g tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 180 g sugar
• 4 pandan leaves
• 200 ml water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil

Instructions

1. Cut the pandan leaves into small pieces, blend finely with the water and press through a fine sieve; set the green juice aside.
2. Warm the coconut milk with sugar and salt until the sugar has fully dissolved, then let it cool again.
3. Stir in the rice flour and tapioca starch, pass the batter through a sieve, divide in half, and color one half green with the pandan juice.
4. Preheat an oiled shallow dish in the steamer for 5 min., pour in the first white layer about 5 mm deep and steam for 5 min. until it's set and translucent.
5. Alternate green and white layers, steaming each for 5 min. — this builds 8 to 9 layers in total; steam the final layer for 10 min.
6. Let the cake cool completely and cut into diamonds with an oiled knife — only when cold do the layers separate cleanly.