Classic pandan chiffons and a stellar durian cake
Pandan is one of the wonder plants of Southeast Asian cuisine. Like vanilla in French pastries, pandan imparts a unique fragrance to desserts that cannot be substituted. It also has the nifty effect of turning food into shades of green. It’s great for St Patrick’s Day.
Pandan cakes are not new in Toronto, but My Pandan Cake is the first specialist of them. Specifically, pandan chiffon cakes.
The unofficial national cake of Singapore (and Malaysia)
Pandan chiffon cakes don’t have a cult following in Singapore and Malaysia. They are just there in the background in neighbourhood bakeries. Kind of like cinnamon rolls in Canada. There are certainly connoisseurs and specialty stores out there, but most Singaporeans will propose other desserts like chendol (shaved ice with red beans and jelly in coconut syrup) as the national dessert before considering pandan cakes.
It might be because the cake is simple. For the uninitiated, chiffon cakes are extremely light and tall cakes. Their airy texture comes from whipped eggs and avoidance of solid fats like butter. For pandan chiffon cake, add coconut milk and essence of pandan. The latter is derived from straining pandan leaves into a dark green liquid. It tastes like a fragrant grass. The cake is baked in a pan with a tube in the center, resulting in a characteristic hole in the middle. Traditionally, the cake is undecorated and enjoyed plain with coffee or tea.
Even though pandan chiffon cakes don’t get a lot of hype in their home countries, it’s definitely something that visitors notice when they stay for more than a few weeks.
The food
If you haven’t tried pandan chiffon cakes or pandan for that matter, My Pandan Cake is an excellent place to get started. The aroma of pandan and coconut is noticeable even from the sidewalk. It becomes blissfully intense inside the small bakery.
The offerings at My Pandan Cake can be summarized in two dimensions: (1) pandan cakes and non-pandan cakes and (2) chiffon cakes and magic boxes. More on magic boxes later.
Their signature is, of course, the classic pandan chiffon cake. Intriguingly enough, they offer an add-on of pandan icing ($1.00 with tax). It wasn’t traditional but I went with it out of curiosity. It turned out to be a small container of pandan syrup. The flavour was a hit of floral brightness but I wished that it was more solid, like an actual icing. Also, I didn’t expect to have to apply icing on my own. It would be awesome if they changed it to a pandan-glazed drip cake. 7/10 for the syrup.
Weird “icing” aside, the main attraction delivered in all aspects. The cake had risen beautifully and you can see the little air pockets around the cake. It had bounce. It was baked evenly and yes, it was green. Pandan leaves are green, what do you expect? The botanical fragrance balanced with the coconut milk and was pleasingly mild. Not too sweet. It was a textbook version of a pandan chiffon cake, on par with the top bakeries in Singapore. 8/10.
Unfortunately, they don’t sell chiffon cakes by the slice. They probably could if they moved to somewhere with more foot traffic. For individual portions, you could try something called “magic boxes”, more accurately called tin can cakes on their website. Each magic box is a personal-sized tin can with a cake filled in it. This isn’t a traditional Singaporean nor Malaysian thing. It’s the baker’s own invention. Some of these confections use the same pandan cake base.
Durian chocolate cake caught my eye. I don’t usually find good durian desserts outside of Southeast Asia. I am pleased to report that this one is legit. The aesthetics of the label could be improved since they are pricing it at a premium. But for me, taste reigns supreme.
White chocolate shavings adorned the top of the cake. I was expecting dark chocolate but I supposed it would have clashed with the strong durian flavours. Unfortunately, white chocolate wasn’t a great choice either because I could barely taste it and it got lost once durian entered the picture.
But the pandan held its own against the durian. Somehow, they worked harmoniously together. And the durian pieces were plump and generous. I am glad they did not tone it down for timid palates. The durian seemed freshly plucked from a tropical plantation. It was comparable to the best durian desserts from Singapore and Malaysia. However, I would not recommend it if it is your first time trying durian; it’s an acquired taste. 8.5/10.
I can see how these magic boxes have an advantage in corporate and group events. They are easy to store and distribute to attendees. We’ll probably have to wait until after the pandemic to see its full potential.
My Pandan Cake doesn’t just have pandan cakes. They also have other chiffon cakes like orange lemon and soy cranberry. For their magic boxes, they have modern combinations like matcha, oreo, and raspberry cheese.
They are also one of the few enlightened places in Toronto that include taxes in their prices. For a limited time, they are offering a 30% discount for walk-ins.
The place
My Pandan Cake is a takeout operation. There isn’t any space for tables. It’s decorated with an understated elegance. The theme is pandan and it comes through in the green branding and the smell in the store.
Some photos of their chiffon cakes are displayed on one side of the tiny store.
Verdict
Top-notch pandan cakes and a killer durian combination. 8/10.
Practical information
- Name
- My Pandan Cake
- Rating
- 8/10
- Recommended dishes
- Durian chocolate cake (for durian lovers only)
Pandan chiffon cake - Prices (including tax)
- Durian chocolate cake: $9.99
Pandan chiffon cake: $16.00 - Address
- 246 Gerrard Street East
- Hours
- Monday to Sunday 1200h – 1800h
- Date of visit
- August 2021