Ondeh Ondeh Pound Cake

Pound cakes are one of my favorite cakes due to their versatility and relatively easy to make nature. Pound cakes can be easily infused with whatever flavors the heart desires and only requires a few steps to combine and create the batter. I infused my pound cake with pandan extract in order to impart a nice, slightly grassy, and vanilla flavor to the cake, and topped it off with palm sugar and shredded coconut to round out the ondeh ondeh flavor profile.

What are ondeh ondeh?

Ondeh ondeh are essentially little, pandan infused chewy rice balls that are filled with liquid gula melaka or palm sugar and then covered in shredded coconut. They’re Malaysian treats that are are very popular around Southeast Asia and are loved for their chewy texture and sweet, bursting interior.

What is pandan?

Pandan is often called the vanilla of Southeast Asia due to its prevalence in all kinds of dishes. Pandan is not limited to just sweets, but is also infused into savory dishes as well to impart subtly sweet, grassy notes to a dish. This plant can usually be found in Asian gorcery stores as fresh or frozen leaves, and also be found as an extract (which is the form that I used fror this recipe).

Do I have to use palm sugar?

In order to really recreate the flavors of a traditional ondeh ondeh I would highly recommend using gula melaka or palm sugar. However, if one cannot find any at their local Asian grocery store then it should be fine to substitute the palm sugar with light brown sugar. Brown sugar is usually stickier and sweeter than palm sugar though, so be sure to lessen the amount used by a bit if substituted!

Ondeh Ondeh Pound Cake

ryanllee FacebookTweetPin Pound cakes are one of my favorite cakes due to their versatility and relatively easy to make nature. Pound cakes can… Recipes Ondeh Ondeh Pound Cake European Print This

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 70 minutes 70 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.7/5

( 3 voted )

Ingredients

Pound Cake

• 14 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
• 3/4 tbsp pandan extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt

Palm Sugar Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup grated palm sugar (55g)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 5 tbsp heavy cream
• pinch of salt

Topping

• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Instructions

Pound Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and baking powder until pale and fluffy (~7 minutes)
3. With the mixer still on, add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time until fully incorporated
4. Then beat in the sour cream and flour (alternating in halves between the two) at low speed until no streaks of flour nor sour cream is left
5. Pour the batter into a 9in x 5in loaf pan and tap on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles
6. Bake the pound cake in the oven for 60-70 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out relatively clean
7. Allow the pound cake to cool in the pan for ~10 minutes
8. Remove the pound cake from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack

Palm Sugar Glaze

1. In a small saucepan add the butter, palm sugar, and heavy cream
2. Bring the mixture to a light boil over medium heat
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes
4. Then gradually beat in all of the powdered sugar

Assembly

1. Once the pound cake has completely cooled, pour the palm sugar glaze over the top of it
2. Then sprinkle the pound cake with the shredded coconut 
3. Allow the glaze to firm up before serving