Pandan Ombre Cake with Gula Melaka Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

     Assalamualaikum... Hari ni tayang kek yang menggunakan swiss meringue buttercream lagi... Disebabkan kek sebelom ni aku guna teknik ni jugak dan hasilnya sangat memukau dan sangat sedap, aku pun buat lagi sekali. Ni macam nak praktis laa... Alhamdulillah kali ni berjaya jugak. Maksudnya lepas ni boleh la buat selalu. Rasa pun sedap dari buttercream biasa tu... Walaupun agak leceh, tapi berbaloi dan sedap. Untuk kali ni ada tambahan gula melaka... Hmmm... Lagi sedap dan wangi cream kek ni.. Gabung pulak dengan haruman kek pandan tu... Lagi la memukau kalbu.... Kek ni pun gebu dan lembut... Untuk resepi ni aku tak buat pandan extract tu, aku ganti pandan paste dalam botol sebab tak rajin. Hahahaaa.... Kek ni aku buat 6 lapis. Resepi asal buat 4 lapis saja... Memang tinggi kek ni. Cecah 6 inci tau... Kalau tak mau buat tinggi boleh buat dalam acuan 7 atau 8. Tapi lapisan kek tu kena kurangkan la... Nanti takut nampak nipis sangat.... Kalau ada sapa-sapa nak cuba jom tengok resepinya...

Pandan Ombre Cake with Gula Melaka Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

C&P : Life is Great

For the extract: ( aku tak buat ganti pandan paste )

-15-20 pieces mature pandan leaves, washed and snipped into 1-inch pieces

-3 tablespoons water

Prepare the pandan extract: 

1. With a mortar and pestle or a blender, mash the leaves finely along with the water into a paste. Use as little water as possible. Press through a fine sieve or squeeze through cheesecloth to extract the green juice only. You should obtain at least 100  ml liquid. If you have the time, let it sit for a few hours. The green extract will settle at the bottom and you can remove the excess water before using.

For the cake:

-1 1/2 cups cake flour

-1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon baking powder

-1 cup/2 sticks/227 gram s unsalted butter, softened

-2 cups granulated/castor sugar

-4 large eggs, at room temperature

-1 cup thick coconut milk (if using canned/boxed coconut cream , thin out slightly with water to make 1 cup)

Bake the cake layers: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line and grease cake tins, set aside. In a sm all bowl, com bine the flours, baking power and salt, set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the coconut m ilk. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, taking care not to overbeat.
2. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the mixing bowl to make sure all the ingredients are well blended. Divide batter into desired portions and mix in the prepared pandan extract accordingly to color each layer. Bake each layer for about 25-40 m inutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake com es out clean. Cool the cakes com pletely on a wire rack before icing. You can, at this point, cling wrap and chill/freeze the cake layers for later use.

For the frosting:
-100 grams gula Melaka, crushed
-1/4 cup water
-300 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
-5 large egg whites
-220 grams granulated sugar
-2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
-pinch of salt
-1/4 cup desiccated coconut (optional)


Make the frosting:

1. In a heavy-based saucepan over medium low heat, melt the gula Melaka with the water. Stir till all the sugar has melted, then let it reduce slightly, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely to room temperature. The caramel will thicken more as it cools. If it becomes too thick, thin out with a little bit of water before using. Combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk frequently, keeping it over the heat, until the mixture reaches about 160°F/70°C and the sugar has dissolved (rub some between your fingers - if it feels grainy, it hasn't dissolved).
2. Transfer the mixture to a mixer with a whisk attached and beat on medium -high for 8 minutes, until stiff peaks have form ed and the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Turn down the speed to medium and start adding sm all chunks of butter, checking that it has incorporated before adding more. Keep beating until it comes together, this will take about 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add in the gula Melaka caramel, one teaspoon at a time, beating until well combined between each addition. Add between 6 to 9 teaspoons, according to taste.

Assemble the cake: 

1. Secure the bottom cake layer (the lightest or darkest layer) onto the cake board with som e frosting. Layer on frosting and add on the cake layers accordingly.
2. Coat the entire cake with a thin crumb coat, then chill the cake for 15-20 minutes. Ice the cake and decorate as desired, with som e desiccated coconut and piped rosettes.