Pandan cake from Singapore conquers the world-the family behind the trend
Pandan cake from Singapore conquers the world-the family behind the trend
A fluorescent green cake has become a daily pleasure in Singapore. The locals take a piece of the ring-shaped Pandan chiffon cake on their way to work or buy a whole cake for birthday celebrations from friends.
the origin of the Pandan chiffon cake
The airy, fluffy cake gets its characteristic color and the subtle, grassy vanilla taste from the tropical pandan plant, which has probably originated in the Molukken Indonesia and has been used in the kitchen for centuries. In Singapore, the Pandan Chiffon cakes appeared for the first time in the 1970s, reports the local nutritionist Khir Johari . Today the dessert in the city is omnipresent and can be found in both small bakeries and in high restaurants.
The way to popularity
A special family -run bakery contributed significantly to the spread of these cakes in the city, adds Johari. "I made him popular in Singapore," says Anastasia Liew, who founded the first Bengawan solo confectionery in 1979, a small neighborhood business. "Sorry, we are not very modest," adds her son Henry, a company manager, with a smile.
Anastasia cake, which she baked at home,initially had to open a shop to meet the license requirements for sale in department stores. Today Bengawan Solo has more than 40 branches in the city with six million inhabitants.
an international phenomenon
henry explains that the popularity of the bakery on word of mouth is based, supported by a variety of prominent fans. For example, the Singaporian mandopop star JJ Lin gave away a Bengawan solo cake to his jurors in a Chinese singing show eight years ago. In 2022, the Taiwanese music star Jay Chou posted on Instagram for the cake preserved when he appeared in Singapore.
The company also offers other products such as Kueh Lapis, a layered cake, on the one, sticky rice balls with palm sugar, and pineapple tarts, but the Pandan chiffon cake remains its best-known product.
The numbers speak for themselves
Last year, the bakery sold around 85,000 entire Pandan chiffon cake for $ 22 each (about $ 17) and thus achieved sales of around 76 million Singapore dollars ($ 57 million) in all products, which corresponds to an increase of 11 % compared to 2023. However, Henry is convinced that the greatest opportunities are abroad.the look into the future
"I don't think we can grow a lot more in Singapore," says Henry. He adds that the company plans to sell its products as food gifts across Asia and hopefully beyond, while it is working on unique packaging, for example. "There is a very pronounced gift culture in Asian culture," he explains.
Bengawan Solo worldwide
It is impossible to leave the Changi airport in Singapore without getting past a Bengawan solo branch. At the Changi, the fourth largest international airport in the world in 2024, there are five shops, including one in every departure airport.
The cakes are particularly popular in countries such as Hong Kong, where friends, family and colleagues from Singapore travelers often expect a cake. The demand even produced a secondary market on Facebook Marketplace and the Carousell app.
challenges abroad
Henry mentions that the airport transactions now make up more than half of Bengawan's total sales. The products are particularly in demand for travelers from Hong Kong, mainland-China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. The company has considered expanding internationally, but is faced with challenges such as high rental costs in Hong Kong. The family also wants to ensure that the quality of the products is preserved. It currently receives the 300 to 400 kilograms of pandan leaves mainly from Malaysia.
The growing appetite for pandan
with or without Bengawan Solo seems to grow the worldwide interest in Pandan. In Hong Kong, Pandan is sold the cakes in two upscale shopping centers. Pandan cakes and dishes, from Mochi Egg types to cronuts, have found their way into cities such as New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Keri Matwick, Senior Lecturer at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and Expert in Food and Language, notes that interest in Asian baking in the USA, including desserts, which is aromatized with ingredients such as Matcha, Kokosnuss and UBE - a purple yam from the Philippines. Matcha, a Japanese green tea, has become so popular that some tea sellers in Japan in front of a impending deficiency warn.
Now it could be time to know Pandan Global. "Matcha has already created the precedent that something green is in order," says Matwick. "I think Pandan begins to shine more than ever."