If you take a look at the pictures you might think »Is that still ok? It’s so green!« ;P Well.. the answer is »yes«, it’s absolutely ok and the color is intentional! If you are coming from Google because you searched the term »Pandan« you will know what’s happening, I assume. This is a delicious Spinach Pandan Loaf Cake. Not the usual box cake your grandma normally puts on the table but certainly no less delicious! ;)
If you like Asian food, you’ve probably stumbled across Pandan before. Pandan is often used for desserts in Asian countries. »Pandanus amaryllifolius« is an evergreen plant that thrives in the tropical areas of Asia, where it is also cultivated in many places. The leaves of the plant have a vanilla-nutty aroma which is perfect for desserts. Many say that Pandan is “the vanilla of Asia”.
The extract you get from the Pandan leaves is green. I am not sure if additional green color is added to the extract, but I assume they add something to get that extremely vibrant color ;P The list of ingredients on my little bottle is so small you can’t read anything ;P Maybe I should not use to too often in my bakes… who knows what happens if I do ;)
Anyway. I came across sweets flavored (colored) with Pandan on a trip to Thailand and then again on Bali. Our hotel back then had a small tea ceremony in the afternoon where they served little sweet treats with the tea. Small cakes with a green sponge and a coconut filling… they were sooo good! I wished I had the recipe for those ;P
The nutty-vanilla flavor is so good. One of my favorite desserts with Pandan is something you can get in many Asian restaurants here in Germany – Pandan waffles with coconut cream and fresh mango. That’s something I can definitely do at home someday. That should not be too complicated ;)
Anyway. I actually wanted to tell you how this cake with spinach and pandan came to life and not about my trips to Asia. Well… I always wanted to try spinach cake because a small coffee shop in our neighborhood serves an excellent one. I tried to recreate that cake, but it did not go well the first time. The second time I changed some ingredients and also added Pandan because I thought it would go well with the other flavors and could help with the green color – the first attempt was not green enough for me ;P Well… the results of this second attempt can be seen here. Unfortunately, you can’t taste it, so I can only tell it tastes delicious!
You can’t really taste the spinach here. It might add some minerals and vitamins. That’s it. Still – it turns this into a veggie cake, and veggie cakes are healthy. Right?! ;P If you haven’t tried Pandan yet and want to bake something with it, I can only recommend this delicious cake here. Get a small bottle of the extract in your local Asian supermarket and go for it!
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the batter:
3.5 oz. (100g) baby spinach
9 oz. (250g) margarine
3/4 cup (150g) sugar (or xylitol)
1/2 tsp. Pandan paste*
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 medium eggs
10.6 oz. (300g) all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
zest of 1 organic orange
2 tbsp. milk
For the decoration:
1 cup (130g) confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. milk
some chopped pistachios (optional)
Für den Teig:
100g Blattspinat
250g Margarine
150g Zucker (oder Xylit)
1/2 TL Pandan Paste*
1/2 TL Vanille Extrakt
4 Eier (M)
300g Mehl (Type 550)
4 TL Backpulver
1/8 TL Salz
Abrieb von 1 Bio-Orange
2 EL Milch
Für die Dekoration:
130g Puderzucker
1 EL Sahne
1 EL Zitronensaft
einige gehackte Pistazien (otional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9.5×5 inches (24x12cm) loaf pan lightly and line with some baking paper. Set aside.
2. Heat up a non-stick pan and add the spinach. Let cook until the leaves have wilted. Remove from the heat and let cool down. Add the spinach to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and mix until you get a smooth spinach purée. Set aside.
3. Add margarine and sugar to a large bowl and mix until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one after another, mixing well after each addition. Next, add the pandan paste, vanilla extract, and spinach and stir in. Combine flour with baking powder, salt, and orange zest, then add it in two batches to the bowl, alternating with the milk – mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth out the top, and bake for about 55-60 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool down inside the loaf pan for several minutes, then remove and let cool down completely on a wire rack.
4. For the glaze, mix the confectioners’ sugar with lemon juice and milk until smooth. The mixture should be quite thick – if needed, thin it out with a little more lemon juice or milk. Glaze the cooled cake with the mixture and let it dry before cutting. Store leftovers at room temperature and eat within 2-3 days.
1. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Eine 24x12cm (9.5×5 inches) Kastenform leicht einfetten und mit Backpapier auslegen. Zur Seite stellen.
2. Eine beschichtete Pfanne erhitzen, den Blattspinat hineingeben und zusammenfallen lassen. Wenn die Blätter alle schön weich sind, vom Herd ziehen und abkühlen lassen. Den abgekühlten Spinat dann in einem Mixer oder mit einem Stabmixer pürieren. Zur Seite stellen.
3. Margarine und Zucker (oder Xylit) in einer großen Schüssel hell und luftig aufschlagen. Die Eier einzeln dazugeben und jeweils gut unterrühren. Pandan Paste, Vanille Extrakt und pürierten Spinat dazugeben und unterrühren. Mehl mit Backpulver, Salz und Orangenabrieb vermischen und dann in zwei Portionen, abwechselnd mit der Milch zur Schüssel dazugeben und nur kurz unterrühren. Den Teig in die vorbereitete Form füllen, glatt streichen und dann für etwa 55-60 Minuten backen. Mit einem Holzspieß testen, ob noch Teig kleben bleibt und den Kuchen erst herausholen, wenn dieser sauber herauskommt. Den Kuchen aus dem Ofen nehmen und in der Form für einige Minuten abkühlen lassen, dann mit dem Backpapier herausheben und auf einem Kuchengitter komplett auskühlen lassen.
4. Für die Glasur den Puderzucker mit Zitronensaft und Milch zu einer glatten Masse verrühren. Die Mischung sollte recht dickflüssig sein – ggf. mit etwas mehr Zitronensaft oder Milch verdünnen. Den abgekühlten Kuchen mit der Glasur überziehen und vor dem Anschneiden antrocknen lassen. Reste sollten sich gut eingepackt bei Zimmertemperatur etwa 2-3 Tagen lang halten.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Spinach Pandan Loaf Cake
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 01:00
- Total Time: 02:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cake
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Not your normal loaf cake but definitely delicious and a green showstopper: Spinach Pandan Loaf Cake. Probably not what you expect from a cake with spinach ;)
Ingredients
For the batter:
3.5 oz. (100g) baby spinach
9 oz. (250g) margarine
3/4 cup (150g) sugar (or xylitol)
1/2 tsp. Pandan paste*
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 medium eggs
10.6 oz. (300g) all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
zest of 1 organic orange
2 tbsp. milk
For the decoration:
1 cup (130g) confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. milk
some chopped pistachios (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9.5×5 inches (24x12cm) loaf pan lightly and line with some baking paper. Set aside.
2. Heat up a non-stick pan and add the spinach. Let cook until the leaves have wilted. Remove from the heat and let cool down. Add the spinach to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and mix until you get a smooth spinach purée. Set aside.
3. Add margarine and sugar to a large bowl and mix until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one after another, mixing well after each addition. Next, add the pandan paste, vanilla extract, and spinach and stir in. Combine flour with baking powder, salt, and orange zest, then add it in two batches to the bowl, alternating with the milk – mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth out the top, and bake for about 55-60 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool down inside the loaf pan for several minutes, then remove and let cool down completely on a wire rack.
4. For the glaze, mix the confectioners’ sugar with lemon juice and milk until smooth. The mixture should be quite thick – if needed, thin it out with a little more lemon juice or milk. Glaze the cooled cake with the mixture and let it dry before cutting. Store leftovers at room temperature and eat within 2-3 days.
Notes
Have fun baking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
