Problems
The first thing I noticed when offered cakes in Singapore and Asia is that cakes are often green. My face turns green to match the cakes. What is this?
Answers
Is green such an unusual colour for sweetmeats? In the UK we have green pistachio ice cream. Fruits are coloured green: greengages, green grapes. Green on the outside apples. Nowadays we have kiwi fruit.
However most green fruit is unripe. Green strawberries? Er - no thanks.
Green Pandan
When I first tasted green pandan cake I was expecting exquisite, richly-flavoured and slightly grainy filling pistacho, with its nutty addition of protein. I was very disappointed with pandan. Like green sponge cake, but no butter nor anything rich. Like candy floss, and sponge cake, both of which disappointed me as a child, just a big piece of air-filled nothing which disappears in your mouth.
However, I later discovered that some green cakes were appealing. The Japanese like green tea and subtle flavours. Green tea is supposed to be good for you, anti-oxidants, fighting cancer? Not just food colouring but a natural colour and flavour, closer to the natural world and natural unchanged goodness, freshness.
I discovered my two favourites, bean curd paste, and sweet green paste in buns.
Green Buns
Green Cake
Photos by Angela Lansbury, copyright.
The green cake is from Yamazaki, Boulangerie Chaude.
Author
Angela Lansbury
