Does Pandan Cake Have Sugar? The Sweet Truth About This Southeast Asian Dessert

December 28, 2025 •

4 min read

Like most chiffon cakes, a traditional pandan cake is typically made with sugar to achieve its characteristic delicate texture and balanced flavor. While the pandan leaf itself contributes a unique, nutty aroma rather than sweetness, recipes rely on added sugar for structure and taste.

Quick Summary

A pandan cake is traditionally prepared with granulated or caster sugar, which provides the necessary sweetness and stabilizes the meringue for a light, airy texture. The unique grassy and nutty aroma comes from pandan leaf extract, not its natural sweetness. Recipes can be adapted to reduce sugar, though this may affect the cake's final structure and rise.

Key Points

Yes, it contains sugar: Traditional pandan cake recipes use granulated or caster sugar in both the egg yolk mixture and the whipped egg white meringue.
Pandan is not inherently sweet: The pandan leaf provides a fragrant, nutty, and vanilla-like aroma, not the sweetness.
Sugar is vital for texture: The sugar stabilizes the whipped egg whites, which is crucial for creating the light, airy, and fluffy chiffon texture.
Low-sugar options are possible: Recipes can be adapted to use less sugar or alternative sweeteners, but this might slightly alter the cake's structure.
Color is often added: While fresh pandan juice adds a natural, light green tint, many recipes use artificial green food coloring to achieve a more vivid hue.
Healthy alternatives exist: Some pandan-flavored desserts, like Vietnamese honeycomb cake (Bánh Bò Nướng), can be naturally lower in sugar and gluten-free.

Unpacking the Ingredients: Where Does the Sweetness Come From?

When exploring the question, "Does pandan cake have sugar?", it is essential to first understand its basic composition. A classic pandan chiffon cake contains several key components, and sugar plays a vital role in two distinct parts of the recipe. The first is the egg yolk batter, where sugar is combined with egg yolks, coconut milk, oil, and pandan extract to create a rich base. The second, and arguably more critical, is the meringue, which is made by whipping egg whites with sugar until stiff peaks form. This meringue is what gives the cake its signature light and fluffy texture, and the sugar is necessary for stabilizing the whipped egg whites, trapping air bubbles and ensuring the cake rises properly.

The pandan leaf itself, often called the 'vanilla of Southeast Asia,' is a fragrance agent, not a sweetener. Its aromatic compounds impart a grassy, floral, and nutty flavor profile, which pairs beautifully with the richness of coconut milk. This potent aroma can often make people assume the cake is naturally sweet, but this is a misconception; the sweetness is entirely from the added sugar, which also enhances the overall flavor balance.

Customizing Your Pandan Cake: Reducing Sugar and Alternatives

For those looking to reduce their sugar intake, pandan cake recipes are highly adaptable. Here are several methods to consider when baking at home:

Reduce the added sugar: Many recipes allow for a significant reduction in the amount of granulated sugar without completely sacrificing the cake's structure. Some recipes specifically mention that you can use less sugar for a less-sweet result.
Use alternative sweeteners: Substituting some or all of the granulated sugar with natural sweeteners like coconut sugar can slightly change the flavor profile but still provide sweetness. Artificial sweeteners can also be used, though their effect on the meringue's stability and the cake's overall texture should be considered.
Pair with low-sugar toppings: Instead of sugary frostings, consider a less-sweet topping like lightly sweetened coconut whipped cream or fresh fruit.
Choose a different pandan dessert: The Vietnamese honeycomb cake, known as Bánh Bò Nướng, is a naturally gluten-free pandan dessert that is often noted for being "not too sweet".

Standard vs. Low-Sugar Pandan Cake

To highlight the differences, consider this comparison between a standard recipe and a modified low-sugar version. The main alterations involve reducing the quantity of refined sugar and adjusting other elements to compensate for the change in taste and structure.


Feature	Standard Pandan Cake	Low-Sugar Pandan Cake
Sweetness	Moderately sweet, sometimes very sweet with toppings.	Mildly sweet, with a focus on pandan and coconut flavors.
Sugar Amount	Often 100g or more per average cake.	Reduced to 50% or less of the original recipe.
Sweetener Type	Granulated or caster sugar.	Granulated sugar, coconut sugar, or artificial sweeteners.
Texture	Very light, fluffy, and airy due to the stable sugar-based meringue.	Slightly denser, as reduced sugar can compromise meringue stability.
Toppings	Often paired with sweet cream cheese frosting or kaya (coconut jam).	Minimalist toppings like fresh fruit or light coconut cream.

The Role of Pandan Extract and Color

Pandan extract is responsible for both the unique flavor and the green color of the cake. While freshly extracted pandan juice provides a subtle, natural green hue, many commercial pandan pastes and extracts contain additional artificial food coloring to achieve a more vibrant shade. The flavor profile is complex, often described as vanilla, almond, or coconut-like, and pairs exceptionally well with coconut milk.

A Global Perspective on Pandan Cake

Pandan cake is a beloved staple across Southeast Asia and its popularity has spread globally. Its origins can be traced to Indonesian bakers who, influenced by Dutch baking techniques, combined European-style chiffon cakes with local ingredients like pandan leaves. The result is a uniquely fragrant and moist cake, which can be enjoyed plain or with minimal decoration. In Singapore and Malaysia, it has achieved iconic status. Its appeal lies in its distinct and refreshing taste, making it a wonderful alternative to heavier, butter-based cakes. For more on the unique aspects of this ingredient, check out this excellent resource on what you need to know about baking with pandan.

Conclusion

In summary, the answer to the question "Does pandan cake have sugar?" is a definitive yes. While the pandan leaf itself is not sweet, traditional recipes rely on a significant amount of added sugar to create the cake's signature fluffy texture and balanced flavor. However, home bakers can easily modify recipes to reduce the sugar content, offering a healthier, less-sweet alternative. By understanding the role of each ingredient, you can appreciate the intricate balance that makes this Southeast Asian treat so popular, and feel empowered to adjust it to your own dietary preferences.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, pandan leaves themselves are not sweet; they impart a unique, aromatic, and nutty flavor. The sweetness in a pandan cake comes from added granulated sugar, much like in any traditional cake recipe.

Yes, it is possible to bake a sugar-free version using sugar substitutes. However, be aware that the cake's texture may differ from the traditional version, as sugar is essential for stabilizing the egg whites to create a light chiffon.

Not necessarily, as it still contains fats (from oil and coconut milk) and carbohydrates from flour and sugar. Some recipes are lighter because they use oil instead of butter, but the sugar content is still comparable to many other cakes.

The flavor of pandan is unique and aromatic, often described as a mix of vanilla, rose, almond, and coconut. It has a slightly grassy and sweet aroma, making it a popular flavoring in Southeast Asian desserts.

Besides pandan extract or juice, a typical pandan cake includes common baking ingredients such as flour, eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, and coconut milk, which complement the pandan flavor.

The light and airy texture comes from the chiffon technique, where egg whites are whipped with sugar to a stiff-peak meringue. This meringue is then carefully folded into the batter, trapping air that expands during baking to create a cloud-like crumb.

The natural chlorophyll from pandan leaves does create a pale green tint. However, to achieve the vibrant green color seen in many commercial cakes, bakers often add green food coloring or use pandan paste that already contains artificial coloring.