Puteri Ayu (Steamed Pandan Coconut Cakes)

Nov 7, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Breakfast Pancakes waffles french toast Medium

Puteri Ayu (Steamed Pandan Coconut Cakes)

Puteri ayu are little green sponge cakes flavored with fresh pandan juice and coconut milk, steamed in flower-shaped molds. Each one is crowned with a firm cap of lightly salted grated coconut that was pressed into the mold first, so the sweet, airy sponge and the salty coconut come out together. Makes 24 cakes in about 1 hr 35 min.

Prep 30 min

Cook 25 min

Cooling 30 min

Total 1 hr 35 min

Servings 24

Ingredients

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servings

1 ¼ cups (150 g)fresh grated coconut, white part only, or thawed frozen unsweetened
2 ¼ tsp (6 g)cornstarch
1 pinch (1 g)fine salt
1 oz (30 g)pandan leaves, about 8 leaves, cut in short pieces
¼ cup (60 ml)water
7 tbsp (100 ml)coconut milk, room temperature
3 (150 g)eggs, large, room temperature
¾ cup (150 g)granulated sugar
1 ½ cups (180 g)all-purpose flour, sifted
¾ tsp (3 g)baking powder
2 tsp (10 ml)neutral oil, for the molds

Fresh ingredient guides

CoconutHow to pick, season & nutrition · 496 kcal per 140 g

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Instructions

Blend the pandan leaves with the water until finely chopped, then squeeze through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to get about 50 ml of dark green pandan juice. Stir the pandan juice into the coconut milk and set aside.
Mix the fresh grated coconut, cornstarch and fine salt in a heatproof dish and steam over boiling water for 5 minutes so the coconut keeps longer and binds; let it cool for 10 minutes.
Brush each mold with a little neutral oil. Press about 1 heaping teaspoon (6 g) of the coconut topping firmly into the bottom of each mold so it forms a compact layer.
Bring the water in a large steamer to a rolling boil, with a cloth wrapped around the lid so condensation does not drip on the cakes.
Whisk the eggs and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until very thick, pale and tripled in volume, and the batter falls in a ribbon that holds for a few seconds, 6 to 8 minutes.
Sift the all-purpose flour with the baking powder. On low speed, add the flour in three parts, alternating with the pandan coconut milk in two parts, mixing only until no dry flour shows.
Spoon the batter over the coconut in each mold, filling right to the rim.
Steam over medium-high heat until the cakes have risen into domes and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 8 to 10 minutes. Steam in batches if needed, keeping the remaining batter covered.
Turn the cakes out of the molds while still hot, coconut side up, onto a rack and let them cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Tips

Whisk the eggs fully; the airy egg foam is the only real lift, and an underbeaten batter steams into dense, rubbery cakes.
Press the coconut layer hard into the molds so it stays attached to the sponge when you unmold.
If you cannot get pandan leaves, use 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pandan paste in 100 ml coconut milk plus 50 ml water.
Contains coconut; check with your doctor if you avoid tree nuts.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make puteri ayu (steamed pandan coconut cakes)?

Plan on 30 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cooking, plus 40 minutes to rise and rest. The recipe makes 24 cakes (24 servings).

How should I store puteri ayu (steamed pandan coconut cakes)?

Best the day they are made. Keep covered at room temperature up to 8 hours, or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 days and re-steam 3 minutes to soften.

Can I make puteri ayu (steamed pandan coconut cakes) ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Sold at kueh stalls across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia (where it is called putu ayu), puteri ayu is a whisked-egg pandan sponge steamed in small fluted molds on a pressed bed of lightly salted grated coconut. Serve it with hot black tea with condensed milk.

Variations

Gula melaka coconut: sprinkle 40 g (3 tbsp) finely grated gula melaka over the coconut topping before pressing it into the molds; steam time unchanged.
Butterfly pea: replace the pandan juice with 50 ml butterfly pea flower tea (made from 10 dried flowers steeped in 60 ml hot water) for blue cakes; steam time unchanged.
One large cake: line a greased 6-cup (1.4 L) bundt pan with the coconut, add all the batter and steam 30 to 35 minutes instead of 10, until a skewer comes out clean.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 24 servings this recipe makes.

102 Calories / serving

4.0g Fat

15.6g Carbs

1.8g Protein

8.7g Sugar

Whole recipe (24 servings): ~2448 cal · 96g fat · 374g carbs · 43g protein · 209g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.