As a Singaporean living abroad, there is one recipe I always go to when I miss the flavors of home: Pandan Chiffon Cake. A light green, pillows soft cake, it is typically sold by the slice in almost all local bakeries across the island.

Actually, green-tinted desserts on Singapore are typically made with pandan and are often present at holidays. No wonder the sights of sweets with a light green hue evoke memories of celebrations back home.

For those who might have no idea what we are talking about, Pandan has been cultivated for home cooks in both South and Southeast Asia for centuries and imparts flavors of vanilla, coconut, and rose.

The use of pandan in savory dishes like the iconic chicken rice provides a subtle but important herbaceous note in the background. Despite this, the aroma of pandan will always shine when used in Singapore’s most popular traditional desserts, such as durian cake.

Since pandan comes in so many different forms, what is the best choice for baking? Well, fresh pandan leaves are almost always the first choice for cooking savory dishes. While leaves, juice, extract, paste, and powder can all be used for desserts, depending on the recipe you’re making.

One of the best ways to go about this is by using pandan extract, as it typically works well for all types of baking. These bottled extracts store well in a pantry for several months, but if you find you aren’t using the natural extracts as frequently, they can be stored for longer in the refrigerator.

Keep in mind pandan leaves tend to have similar aromas to vanilla, coconut, rose, and sometimes even almonds. Also the flavor compounds in pandan are quite similar to that of fragrant basmati rice, and in certain communities pandan are cooked along with plain rice to emulate the flavors of the more expensive basmati.

If you want to buy the kueh ko swee or pandan durian layer, then you should consider paying a visit to The Chalk Farm. Their Pandan Durian Layer is quite a stunner: four layers of sponge, scented with freshly extracted pandan juice, lavished with Mao Shan Wang durian custard and cloaked in hula Melaka cream.

Be sure to check out this online cake shop in Singapore to examine what they offer customers before you finally decide to make a purchase decision.