Gula Merah/Gula Melaka Chiffon Cake (Palm Sugar Chiffon Cake)

Super soft and fluffy chiffon cake infused with the aromatic gula merah/gula Melaka is one of our family most favorite chiffon cakes.

It’s been a while since I bake chiffon cake. We love chiffon cakes and I love baking them too. I have always wanted to use gula merah or also known as gula Melaka to bake chiffon cake. The aroma when this cake is baking is AMAZING! oh my gosh! so aromatic yet the cake isn’t overly sweet, super soft and spongy it just blew my mind! This gula merah chiffon cake is definitely one of our favorite chiffon cakes!

This recipe is adapted from Katherine Kwa’s with some modifications

Ingredients and substitutions

1. Gula merah/gula Jawa/gula Melaka
They come in blocks or some may come in already grated form.

You can also use gula aren, which is made from the sap of the aren palm. Gula aren is extra flavorful compared to gula merah, but unless you are in Indonesia, this is not available outside of Indonesia. The only reason I have it is because my mom brought it for me. You can also use coconut sugar, which is widely available if you are in the U.S. Alternatively, if you don’t have any of those, you can use light brown sugar but I have to warn you that it won’t be as flavorful as using gula merah or coconut sugar

2. Light brown sugar
I use light brown sugar to whip the meringue. You can also use coconut sugar. I don’t recommend using gula merah or gula aren that comes in blocks because they won’t whip well with the egg whites

2. Coconut milk
I use canned coconut milk. Make sure you shake the can well before opening it because the thick cream part usually separates from the juice.
3. Cooking oil
Any neutral-tasting oil works here
4. Cake flour
This gives you a soft fluffy crumb. We call it cake flour here in the U.S., but any low-protein/low gluten flour in your area that is used for making cakes can be used. Just know that if you use all-purpose flour, the texture won’t be as soft as using cake flour. DO NOT substitute with gluten-free flour as this recipe is not written for gluten-free
5. Eggs
Use room temperature eggs and I strongly encourage you to weigh the eggs for accuracy
6. Salt
A small pinch of salt goes a long way and improves the overall flavor and taste of the cake
7. Lemon juice/vinegar
This is added to the egg whites to stabilize the meringue. You can also use cream of tartar if you have it

Step-by-step on how to bake gula Melaka chiffon cake

1. You can use gula merah or gula aren. They usually come in blocks. Cut them into smaller pieces so they melt faster. Put the gula merah and coconut milk in a saucepan.

2. Let them heat over medium-low and keep stirring until the sugar melts. Strain the mixture. Let it cool down to at least lukewarm

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, cooking oil, gula merah syrup. Sift in the cake flour and salt into the batter. Whisk to mix into a smooth batter. Set aside

4. Beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy, add cream of tartar or lemon juice/vinegar and whip until it turns whitish and air bubbles are fine. Gradually add the light brown sugar as you beat, in 3 batches. I beat them at medium speed (speed 6 on Kitchen Aid). This will take a bit longer compared to beating at high speed. I used to do higher speed (speed 8), but the meringue is smoother and nicer when I maintain the speed on 6 and much more stable too. I highly recommend stopping several times to check on the consistency and scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure no sugar left on the side of the bowl. Whip until you reach a stiff peak but still have a slight bent on the tip. Then lower the speed to 4 and whip for 1 minute to even out large bubbles and stop beating

5. Gently fold 1/3 of the meringue into the thick batter. Using a whisk, using a cutting motion and fold over to mix. Repeat this motion several rounds.

6. Continue on with the second 1/3  of the meringue again to mix. For the last 1/3 of the meringue, use a rubber spatula instead to ensure you get all the batter at the bottom of the bowl mixed in as well. Use a cut down in the middle and fold-over motion to fold gently but quickly.

7. Make sure you don’t see any more white meringue. The mixture should be fluffy and voluminous.

8. Pour the batter into an UNGREASED chiffon cake pan.

9. Use a chopstick to draw a zig zag on the cake batter to pop any large air bubbles that are trapped inside and also to even out the batter. The large air bubbles will create large holes in the crumbs later.

10. While one hand is holding the middle tube and another hand holding the rim of the tube pan, gently tap the cake pan on the counter 2-3 times to pop any bubbles again before baking

11. Put the chiffon pan in the middle rack and let it bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour. The time is just for reference. Your oven may need less or more time to bake.

12. Don’t be alarmed if your cake has some cracks on top. What you are looking at will become the bottom of your cake. I know many people mind it a lot and make a big fuss when the top of the chiffon cake cracks, but actually it’s not a flaw.
13. Drop the cake pan from about 10 cm height on the counter several times to prevent shrinkage when you pull the cake out of the oven. Then carefully invert the pan upside down immediately. Please don’t be tempted to remove it from the pan if it’s still warm. It takes about one to two hours to cool down completely

13. Once it’s cool down completely, use a spatula knife to run through the edge and the outer center of the tube to help release the cake. Gently push the base to lift the cake out. Use the knife again to run through the base of the pan and then carefully release the cake

14. I suggest that you wait for 24 hours before serving the cake (if you can wait). The flavor always gets better the next day compared to when you serve it on the same day

Did you make this gula merah/gula Melaka chiffon cake recipe?

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