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In Indonesia, putu means cake and ayu translates to beautiful. Putu Ayu are charming little steamed pandan cakes with a perfectly sweet coconut topping. They make a fantastic tea accompaniment for when you want a sweet that is light, really fast and easy to put together. There is no need to whip up frosting, or deal with any finicky decorating. These bad boys are your ticket to Dessert Easy-Street, and they just happen to be completely vegan too!
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For the initiated, pandan will be one of your new favorite culinary herbs, especially for desserts. They bring vibrant green color and an unforgettable aroma to desserts like klepon, Bubur sumsum, kuih dadar, and these adorable little steamed pandan coconut cakes!
No matter your cooking level, whether you're a novice or a seasoned chef, I've got you covered with very clear instructions, an extremely well-tested recipe, and easy-to-follow step-by-step photos. Grab a hot mug of bandrek to sip while you cook, and let's start steaming!
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🥰Why you'll adore this putu ayu recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of my recipes, this one is 100% plant-based. Indulge in the deliciousness without harming our furry and feathered friends. No eggs or dairy are required! This vegan recipe is based on the best I have had at night markets throughout Indonesia and Malaysia.
🥸 Fool-proof Method: Don't worry if you're a newbie in the kitchen. My step-by-step instructions make it a breeze to create perfect Putu Ayu on your very first try. If you love coconut cupcakes, these are like that, but with even fewer steps and fuss! You don't even need cake pans or an oven like you do for my vegan carrot cake!
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my Indonesian and Malaysian recipes, I have tweaked and perfected this Putu Ayu recipe. After that, I have shared it with chefs from around the globe (sorry flat earthers, it's a thing) who have double and triple-checked that it works well in kitchens all over the planet.
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🥥 Ingredients for this Indonesian pandan dessert
Pandan
Pandan leaves, also known as Screwpine leaves, are a signature ingredient in many Southeast Asian dishes, including rice dishes like nasi uduk betawi and nasi minyak, and desserts like che ba mau and biji salak. They contribute a delightful, fragrant, and slightly sweet flavor, giving the cakes their distinctive taste and aroma.
Extract is a good shortcut, but only if you can find a natural one that doesn't contain artificial flavors and colors, like the pandan extract I use in my buko pandan salad.
If you can't find fresh, frozen, or extacted pandan leaves at your local Asian grocery store, consider using a different herb and flavor altogether, such as using ube extract (which also makes a killer glaze for karioka) and making these little cakes a gorgeous shade of violet.
Palm Sugar
Palm sugar, aka Gula Melaka in Indonesia, is a natural sweetener made from the sap of palm trees. It has become one of my go-to natural sweeteners of choice, and I use it in everything from bubur cha cha from Singapore, to tupig and turon from the Philippines. If you can't get palm sugar, coconut sugar or brown sugar are good substitutes.
Freshly Grated Coconut
I think using mature coconut (the one with the woody brown outside) for the topping is 100% the way to go. In a pinch, if you can't find fresh coconut (or don't want the hassle of having to bust one open), you can use unsweetened desiccated coconut as a substitute. Rehydrate the dried coconut with a bit of warm water before using it to mimic the texture of freshly grated coconut.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Chocolate Putu Ayu
Stir ⅓ cup of chopped semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips into your Putu Ayu batter, and add a few tablespoons of crushed dry roasted peanuts to the topping. Peanuts and chocolate are a match made in heaven, so I load the heck out of my martabak manis with them as a filling.
Purple Kue Putu Recipe
Instead of pandan, use ¼ cup of ube powder in the batter to give these that gorgeous signature ube flavor and color.
Tri-Color Pandan Ayu:
To steam up a really cute layered version of these, you should follow my recipe for Roti Kukus.
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📖 How to make this kue putu ayu recipe
Nail these lil' fluffy coconut kue putu cakes on your first shot by following these step-by-step instructions with important tips. Or you can follow along with the easy-to-print recipe card towards the bottom of this page.
Step One
Pandan Leaf Preparation:
Cut two pandan leaves into 1cm. Sections with scissors and then blend them into tiny bits using a blender or spice grinder.
Step Two
Coconut Topping Mixing:
Add grated coconut to the blended pandan, along with your choice of sugar, and pulse a few more times in the blender to combine. Set aside.
Step Three
Pandan Milk Blending:
Blend the coconut milk and 3 more cut pandan leaves for 90 seconds until fully pureed.
Step Four
Straining Pandan Milk:
Pass the pureed pandan-scented coconut milk through a wire mesh strainer, discarding the remaining pandan pulp.
Step Five
Cake Batter Mixing:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the strained pandan milk with flour, baking powder, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until the batter is smooth.
Step Six
Oil your molds:
If you are using metal cake molds, lightly oil them using any neutral-tasting oil of your preference. There is no need to oil silicone molds as they are naturally nonstick, and easy to get the cooked cakes out of.
Step Seven
Coconut Topping Placement:
Place a tablespoon of grated coconut topping into the bottom of each cake mold and fill them ⅔ of the way with batter. You can use metal molds, or silicone molds. Just make sure before you fill them that your molds will fit into your steamer and that your steamer basket allows them to sit flat.
Step Eight
Cake Filling and Steaming:
Steam the cakes for 30-35 minutes until they are just firm. After cooling for ten minutes, unmold and serve, maaaaaybe even with a dollop of cool vegan whipped cream, or a smear of this absoltuely glorious vegan cream cheese frosting!
💡Serving Ideas
Putu Ayu makes a delightful dessert that pairs perfectly with a variety of Indonesian dishes.
After savoring the rich and aromatic flavors of Sayur Lodeh with Lontong, Tahu Goreng, Sambal Goreng Tempeh, Urap Sayur or Asinan Sayur over Nasi Kunyit, Nasi Minyak, or Nasi Uduk Betawi, dive into the sweet wide open arms of Putu Ayu which will hug you until your eyes pop out (but like, in a nice way)…
These coconut cakes are a nice light dessert to enjoy after your favey noodle dishes like Bami Goreng, Ketoprak, Mee Rebus, Mie Goreng, Pad Woon Sen, or Mi Xao Xi Dau topped with miso-glazed eggplant.
I mean, they don't even need a savory meal as a prelude or anything. You can also be pretty darned happy serving them as part of a breakfast spread with blue corn pancakes or apple fritters.
👉Top tips
- Pandan Leaf Blending: Even a quality blender can have a tough time with pandan. Pandan has light fibers throughout the leaves that easily wrap around the blades of a blender. Make sure you cut the pandan with scissors into 1cm sections and your blender will be able to do a much better job with them.
- Best steamer to use: I always use a bamboo steamer. Steamers with a glass or metal top tend to accumulate drops of water on the bottom side of their lids, which end up raining down on whatever you are steaming in them. This is especially an issue with dishes like chee cheong fun. Bamboo steamers, on the other hand, are a little porous, and prevent your steaming cakes from getting soggy. If you don't have a bamboo steamer, a good workaround is to stretch a clean kitchen towel across the top of the steamer before you put the lid on. The cloth will absorb some of the extra moisture and prevent that hot rain effect.
- Steaming Precision: Steaming time is critical for the texture of Putu Ayu. Ensure the cakes are steamed until firm but not overcooked. Use a toothpick or fork to check for doneness. It should come out clean when inserted into the center.
🤷♀️FAQ
Yes, you can use pandan extract as a substitute for fresh leaves, but use it sparingly as it's more concentrated. I prefer to use fresh leaves as pandan extract that is 100% natural is rare.
You can use desiccated (dried) coconut as a substitute, rehydrating it with a bit of warm water before using it in the recipe.
Yes, you can make Putu Ayu in advance and store it in an airtight container. Reheat it gently in the steamer before serving it for the best taste and texture. That really brings them back to life!
✌️My favey desserts to pair with putu ayu:
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Easy Putu Ayu (Indonesian Steamed Coconut Pandan Cakes)
Ingredients
Coconut Topping:
- 2 pandan leaves cut into 1 cm. pieces
- 2 cups coconut freshly grated, or desiccated
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or coconut sugar, or brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Pandan Cake:
- 1 ¼ cup coconut milk
- 3 pandan leaves cut into 1 cm. pieces
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat a large steamer over medium heat.
- Place the pandan leaf into a blender or spice grinder and blend until it is in tiny bits.
- Add grated coconut to the blended pandan, along with your choice of sugar, and pulse a few more times in the blender to combine. Set aside.
- Place the coconut milk and pandan leaves into a blender and blend for 90 seconds until completely pureed.
- Pass the pureed pandan-scented coconut milk through a wire mesh strainer and compost the remaining pandan pulp.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the strained pandan milk along with flour, baking powder, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until smooth.
- If you are using metal cake molds, lightly oil them using any neutral-tasting oil you prefer. There is no need to oil silicone molds as they are naturally nonstick, and easy to get the cooked cakes out of.
- Place a tablespoon of grated coconut topping into the bottom of each cake mold.
- Spoon the cake batter into molds, filling them two-thirds full.
- Steam the cakes for 30-35 minutes until firm. Unmold after they cool for ten minutes and serve!
Notes
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