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This vibrant green honeycomb cake gets its color from Pandan Extract. This traditional Vietnamese cake recipe is known as Bánh Bò Nướng. It has a spongy, soft texture, and is lightly sweetened. The pandan leaf extract is nutty and pairs nicely with the rich coconut milk and coconut shavings on top!
If you're looking for a unique dessert recipe to wow your guests, then look no further! This Vietnamese honeycomb cake has a bright green hue, thanks to the use of pandan extract!
This Vietnamese pandan cake has so many different names, because while the recipe originated in Vietnam, it has been adapted by people all over the world. You might find it being called by its traditional Vietnamese name - bánh bò nướng, or baked bánh bò, but it's also called pandan cake, honeycomb cake, Vietnamese cow cake, Vietnamese baked rice cake, Vietnamese green coconut cake and more!
There are two methods to making this cake: baking or steaming it. I prefer the baked version because you end up with a nice, golden brown crust, versus the steamed version where you don't end up with that chewy, slightly crispy browned crust.
This homemade honeycomb cake takes a bit of technique to get the right texture. In order to create the beautiful honeycombs pattern, you'll need to be able to beat the air bubbles into the batter to create the light fluffiness the cake requires.
When it comes to the texture of this Vietnamese sponge cake, keep in mind that it wont be light and fluffy like a typical cake. Instead it has more of a light, spongy, soft texture - with a little chewy bite too. The taste of the cake is slightly sweet and nutty.
Most recipes for banh bo nuong may not turn out exactly right on your first attempt, because it can be quite complex to get the right texture. But, with a little bit of attention to detail and diligence, you will find that this easy honeycomb cake recipe turns out great every time!
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Vibrant green hue
- Spongy, airy and light texture
- Deep amber color on the outside
- Subtly sweet honeycomb sponge cake recipe
- Unique coconut pandan flavor
- Naturally gluten-free
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🥘 Ingredients
This banh bo nuong recipe calls for many simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand, and one special ingredient that gives this pandan honeycomb cake recipe its beautiful color!
- Coconut Milk: A traditional ingredient used in this recipe it pairs nicely with the grassy flavor of the pandan.
- Pandan Extract: Made from Pandan leaves (from the Pandan plant), it has a green color, and a sweet, vanilla, coconut flavor, with a hint of earthy grassiness. It is most often found in artificial form, but I recommend getting pure pandan extract. I don't recommend using pandan paste, as that has a different texture and slightly different flavor than the extract. Note: You can make this same cake with a variety of extracts for different flavors. For example, coffee, almond, or vanilla extract would all work!
- Eggs: The eggs in this dish make it light and airy, and spongy!
- Tapioca Starch: The tapioca starch combined with the baking soda and coconut milk is what will help you achieve that honeycomb center!
- Baking Powder: Regular baking powder is double acting. This means it reacts once when combined with the wet ingredients, and again when heated. Be sure that you have a fresh double acting baking powder for this easy recipe (single acting baking powder will not work!)
- Rice Flour: This gluten-free flour helps to leaven this pandan Vietnamese dessert and along with the tapioca starch, helps to keep this entire cake gluten-free.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar works best.
- Shredded Coconut or Lemon Zest (optional): Looks and tastes delicious with a sprinkle of shredded coconut and / or lemon zest on the outside of the honeycomb Vietnamese cake!
🔪 Instructions
Follow these directions exactly, and you'll be able to make baked bánh bò that sets up well and doesn't deflate. Here's how to make honeycomb cake:
Preheat Oven, Beat Eggs: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 C. Crack eggs in a medium bowl, and beat lightly with a fork. Do not overbeat otherwise your cake won't have the beautiful honeycomb texture. I don't recommend an electric whisk, hand mixer, or electric mixer for this since you want to avoid overbeating.
Add Wet Ingredients: Add in coconut oil, water, coconut milk and pandan extract and mix until combined.
Combine Flour Mixture: In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
Fold Together: Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix slowly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure the ingredients are fully combined.
Prepare Cake Tin: Grease the Bundt pan with cooking spray and pour batter or spoon mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 50-55 minutes until your Vietnamese green cake is golden brown. Turn off the oven but keep cake in the oven with the oven door partially open for 20 minutes.
Let The Cake Cool: Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. Add shredded coconut to the top of the cake (optional) and rest on a cake stand or large plate lined with parchment paper.
Serve: Cut into slices and serve immediately! You can enjoy this pandan honeycomb cake simply with nothing added, or sprinkle some coconut flakes, brown sugar, or lemon zest on top! It's perfect on its own or with some hot tea or coffee on the side.
💭 Expert Tips
- Use a quality pandan extract. There are many different varieties out there, some are of low quality with added artificial ingredients. Use an extract that is pure, and bright green in color. Avoid buying anything that looks diluted (a light green vs. dark green color)
- To avoid over-mixing the eggs, break up the yolks of the eggs with a fork, and then beat. This will help keep you from over beating the eggs which can cause the cake to have too much air.
- Fold the ingredients together gently. You don't want to over mix the batter and lose the airy quality.
- Remove the cake from the cake pan to cool right away! This will keep the cake from collapsing on itself in the pan.
- If you don't have a bundt pan, you can try this recipe with a large loaf tin. However, I don't recommend it as you will have to adjust the baking time, and this green Vietnamese dessert may deflate once it's cooked.
🧊 How To Store
The best way to enjoy this green Vietnamese cake is immediately after its baked and cooled, as that's when it has the best texture and flavor. If you do have to store it, you can either store it at room temperature or in the fridge. You can't freeze this pandan dessert, as it won't have the right texture when defrosted.
To Store At Room Temperature: Let your bánh bò nướng cake cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Store in a cool dry place. It will keep mostly spongy and light for up to 2 days at room temperature.
To Store In The Fridge: If you have not eaten all the cake in 2 days, transfer it to the refrigerator to keep for an additional 2-3 days. You can also bake it, cool it, and transfer it to the fridge in an airtight container (where it will keep for a total of 4-5 days). To reheat, warm slices in the microwave until just heated through before serving.
❓Recipe FAQs
What Is Honeycomb Cake made of?
It's called a honeycomb cake because of the honeycomb structure that it creates in the center when baked. This cake does not actually have any honey in it, and is made with coconut milk, eggs, pandan extract, tapioca starch, rice flour, oil, baking powder and sugar.
What Is Pandan?
Pandan is a tropical green plant that is used most often in Southeast Asian recipes. It has long blade like leaves. It is most often sold in specialty grocery stores. It has a sweet aromatic flavor with hints of vanilla, coconut, and a grassy undertone. Its extract is used in desserts, and gives this Vietnamese pandan cake a unique look with it's bright green hue!
Why is it called Banh Bo Nuong?
In Vietnamese, "bánh bò" literally translates to "cow cake," and "nướng" means "baked." It is believed that honeycomb pandan cake is called banh bo nuong because the texture inside looks similar to a cow's stomach lining, which also looks like a honeycomb.
Why doesn't my cake have a honeycomb look?
If your cake rose too quickly, and then deflated you will lose the honeycomb effect. This will create a dense cake. This could also be related to the temperature of the oven. Be sure to use an oven thermometer before adding the cake to make sure it is the exact temperature needed. Too hot and the cake will deflate. Too low and the cake will be too eggy in texture.
Why did my cake deflate?
Make sure to keep the cake in the oven with the temperature turned off and the door open for 20 minutes. This helps keep this Vietnamese green dessert from suddenly deflating by gently coming to a cooler state. If you take it out of the oven immediately and allow it to cool on the counter top, the temperature contrast is too great and it will deflate.
If your cake still deflates, then I recommend letting the cake cool upside down on a wire rack while still in the bundt pan (If you choose this option, then don't grease your bundt pan too heavily to avoid the cake from falling out while it's cooling)
