Pandan Gula Melaka Layer Cake

Source: http://pickyin.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/pandan-gula-melaka-layer-cake-and.html

Yield: One 8-inch 3-layer cake

For the extract:

30-35 pieces mature pandan leaves, washed and snipped into 1-inch
pieces
3 tablespoons water

Prepare the pandan extract:

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, or overnight in
the fridge. 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 grams unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated/castor sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup fresh coconut milk

Bake the cake layers:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line and grease cake tins, set aside. In a small bowl,
combine the flours, baking powder 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.
Pour settled pandan extract into measuring cup, discarding the excess water).
Add in the coconut milk until mixture measures 1 cup, then combine well. Add
the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the coconut milk mixture. With
each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, taking care not to
overbeat.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the mixing bowl to make sure
all the ingredients are well blended. Divide batter into cake pans evenly. Bake
each layer for about 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center
of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes completely 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 (Swiss Meringue Buttercream):

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

Make the frosting:

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 160F/70C and the sugar has dissolved (rub some between your
fingers - if it feels grainy, it hasn't dissolved).
Transfer the mixture to a mixer with a whisk attached and beat on medium-high
for 8 minutes, until stiff peaks have formed and the mixture has cooled to room
temperature. Turn down the speed to medium and start adding small chunks of
butter, checking that it has incorporated before adding more. Keep beating until
it comes together, this will take about 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. With the
mixer running, slowly drizzle in the gula Melaka caramel, beating until well
combined.

Gula Melaka Italian Meringue Buttercream

50 gm gula Melaka
1 helai daun pandan
1/8 cawan air
Satukan semua bahan di atas dan masak hingga gula larut
Kemudian sejukkan
80 ml air
150 gm gula halus
1 biji telur
1 biji kuning telur
1 sudu teh esen vanilla
250 gm butter tanpa garam ~ di potong dadu
1 sudu besar caramel gula Melaka ( adunan gula Melaka yang di masak tadi )
Satukan air dan gula dan masak hingga pekat dan suhunya mencapai 117C.
Jika tak ada jangka suhu anda boleh gunakan garfu. Celup garfu dalam larutan
gula. Bila anda angkat garfu, larutan gula akan terbentuk macam kaki itik. Itu
bermakna gula tu dah cukup pekat. ( rujuk gambar )

Kemudian tuangkan caramel gula Melaka tadi , gaul rata biarklan sekejap ia
pekat.
Sementara anda lihat gula dah didih dan dah terbentuk kaki itik tadi, baru putar
telur dan kuning telur dalam mesin pemutar hingga kembang, bila dah kembang
terus tuang gula yang panas-panas ke dalam telur tadi sambil terus putar hingga
sebati
Bila dah sebati, simpan dalam peti sejuk dengan pemutar dan mangkuk
pemutarnya sekali ( ingat !! bukan mesin pemutar ya, hanya mangkuk dan alat
pemutar sahaja )
Bila dah betul- betul sejuk ( ita sejukkan 1 ~ 2 jam ) keluarkan
Putar semula dan masukkan esen vanilla, dan butter satu persatu sambil putar
hingga kembang dan halus.
Kemudian masukkan dalam piping bag dan paipkan atas cup cake tadi

Caramel Gula Melaka

50 gm gula Melaka
1 helai daun pandan
1 sudu besar gula
1/2 cawan air
Satukan adunan dan masak hingga gula larut dan pekat
Jika kurang pekat campurkan 1 sudu teh tepung jagung yang di bancuh sedikit
air
Masak semula hingga pekat
Sejukkan
Bila dah sejuk baru drizzle atas cup cake tadi