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    Home » Recipes » Cheesecake Recipes

    Pandan Cheesecake - Perfectly Baked & The Creamiest Ever!

    Published: Jun 23, 2022 · Modified: Sep 16, 2022 by Priya Maha

    Jump to Recipe
    A round pandan cheesecake with gula melaka syrup.

    This pandan cheesecake recipe makes the creamiest, most fragrant baked cheesecake with natural pandan flavor. Paired with a coconut based cookie crust, whipped cream and thick homemade gula melaka syrup topping, this easy cheesecake is truly decadent!

    A round pandan cheesecake with gula melaka syrup, with a slice cut out.
    Pandan Cheesecake - Perfectly Baked and the Creamiest Ever!

    Making this pandan cheesecake is pretty easy. It is naturally flavored with fresh pandan leaves. For maximum pandan flavor, the leaves are cut into small pieces and infused in the cream before being processed finely and the juice squeezed out.

    If you are not able to find fresh pandan leaves, the frozen ones would work well too. And if these are also not available, you can replace them with a teaspoon of pandan paste (store bought).

    The crust for this pandan cheesecake is coconut flavored. Fresh dessicated coconut is added into the cookie crust, giving this pandan cheesecake the lovely tropical aroma of the pandan and coconut. And to top all these, a simple drizzle of gula melaka syrup completes the pandan cheesecake.

    Table of contents

    • How to Make
      • Ingredients
      • Preparing the cheesecake crust
      • Making the pandan infused cream
      • Mixing the batter
      • The water bath (Bain Marie)
    • Notes
      • Can you use shredded coconut instead of desiccated coconut in the pandan cheesecake crust?
      • What is the best substitute for fresh pandan leaves?
      • Why is it important to heat up the cream first before using it to process the pandan leaves?
      • Why is it important re-measure the cream after blending in and straining the pandan leaves?
    • Like this cheesecake recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out
    • Recipe (Printable)

    How to Make

    Ingredients

    Crust

    • Digestive cookies (or Graham Crackers)
    • Castor sugar
    • Butter (melted)
    • Grated coconut

    Filling

    • Cream cheese (softened)
    • Castor sugar
    • Plain flour
    • Whipping cream
    • Pandan juice
    • Eggs

    Topping

    • Gula melaka syrup

    Preparing the cheesecake crust

    A poster of 6 images showing how to make cheesecake crust with coconut and cookie crumbs.
    1. Dry roast the desiccated coconut in a pan over low heat until it becomes light and slightly browned. Stir constantly to avoid the bottom from burning. Set aside to cool down.
    2. Melt butter over low heat and set it aside to cool down. Crush the cookies until fine. You can do this is a food processor or by placing them in a ziplock bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.
    3. Transfer the crushed cookies into a bowl. Add the sugar and the coconut and mix well.
    4. Pour the melted butter and mix thoroughly until all the dry ingredients are well moistened.
    5. Line a 7 inches round springform pan with a parchment circle. Pour the cookie crust into the pan and press it down into the bottom of the pan firmly.
    6. You can use the back of a spoon to do this or the back of a drinking glass. Set the crust aside while preparing the cheesecake filling.

    Making the pandan infused cream

    A poster of 6 images showing how to extract pandan juice.
    1. Measure the cream into a small pot.
    2. Wash and pat the pandan leaves dry. Cut them into small 1-cm lengths and add to the cream.
    3. Turn on the heat to low and let the cream heat up until you see bubbles forming around the sides. Turn of the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Let the leaves remain in the cream as it cools down slightly.
    4. Pour the warm cream along with the pandan leaves into a blender and blend the leaves until fine.
    5. Strain the pandan infused cream with a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth.
    6. Measure the pandan cream again and top up with more whipping cream if the quantity is lesser than what was measured before blending the pandan leaves in. Refrigerate the cream until ready to use.

    Mixing the batter

    A poster of 6 images showing how to mix pandan cheesecake batter.
    1. Measure the cream cheese into a medium sized bowl. Beat until it becomes smooth and creamy. If the cheese is at room temperature, this process should not take long. However, if it is still cold, you will need to beat it for a longer period of time. Constantly scrape the sides of your mixing bowl.
    2. Next, add the sugar, flour and salt and beat again until the ingredients are well incorporated and mixture is smooth.
    3. Add in both the eggs and continue beating, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl constantly.
    4. Finally, add the pandan infused cream and mix it into the batter until well incorporated. Scrape the bowl to ensure no parts of the cheese mixture is left unmixed.
    5. Pour the pandan cheesecake batter into the prepared crust and bake in a water bath in 160 degrees Celsius pre heated oven for 60 minutes.
    6. Check the pandan cheesecake at 50 minutes baking time. If the sides are already firm but the center is still wobly, the cake is done. If not, continue baking until the 60 minutes is up and until the sides are firm (but the center should be wobbly or you risk having overbaked your pandan cheesecake). Once baked, turn of the oven and let the cheesecake remain in the oven for 10 minutes.

    A poster of 2 images showing how to remove cheesecake from pan and top with gula melaka syrup.
    1. Remove from the oven, and let it rest in the tin for about 15 minutes before removing it from the tin. Round a spatula around the sides of the cake before releasing it from the springform pan. Refrigerate the pandan cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.
    2. To serve, cut out slices onto serving plates and drizzle the gula melaka syrup on top.

    A round cake on a white cake stand.
    Pandan Cheesecake with Gula Melaka Syrup Topping

    The water bath (Bain Marie)

    • Water bath (or bain marie) is a term used to describe the process of baking with a bowl of water in the oven. The heat from the oven cause the water to evaporate into steam and this steam helps to keep the interior of the oven moist.
    • Such moist interiors, in turn, help to avoid cheesecakes from cracking.
    • There are 2 ways to do the water bath for your pandan cheesecake:

    The first method:

    • The first method requires aluminum foil and an oven safe dish larger than the cheesecake tin.
    • Wrap the sides of your springform pan with foil.
    • The foil should be as high as the sides of the tin. Place the wrapped tin in a large dish filled with water.
    • Make sure the water is only halfway up the springform pan after placing it into the dish, to avoid the water from getting into the foil wrap and seep into the cheesecake through the bottom of the cheesecake pan.

    The second method:

    • The second method requires 2 oven safe dishes larger than the cheesecake tin, but one of them should be slightly larger than the other.
    • You fill up the largest dish with water (about one third full).
    • And place the second tin into it.
    • You then place the cheesecake tin into the second dish (which is dry) and bake the cake as indicated in the recipe.

    Notes

    Can you use shredded coconut instead of desiccated coconut in the pandan cheesecake crust?

    • Yes, you can. Use the unsweetened version.

    What is the best substitute for fresh pandan leaves?

    • You can use frozen ones and if those are also not available, you can use pandan paste that is sold in Asian stores or bakery supplies stores.
    • Use 1 teaspoon of the paste for the recipe below. There is also no need to heat the cream up first. Simply add the pandan paste into the cheesecake mixture after adding the eggs.

    Why is it important to heat up the cream first before using it to process the pandan leaves?

    • Whipping cream in cold temperature will stiffen when beaten. When added cold into the blender to process the pandan leaves, it will stiffen as the blender works and that will make it difficult to squeeze out the pandan juice.
    • Heating it up will ensure it does not stiffen when being processed in the blender. Squeezing the juice will also be a lot easier.

    Why is it important re-measure the cream after blending in and straining the pandan leaves?

    • Often the amount of cream you get after the blending and straining is lesser than the originally weighed amount. The cream tends to loose some volume as it is heated up and as it is mixed with the pandan leaves and strained.
    • To ensure you still use the same amount as specified in the recipe, measure it again after straining. Top it up with more fresh cream until it reaches the required amount in the recipe.

    Like this cheesecake recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out

    • Pandan Cake - Easiest Pandan Flavored Pound Cake
    • Pandan Syrup - How to Make
    • Flavorful and Easy Pandan milk
    • Pandan Cookies with Coconut and Gula Melaka - An Easy Recipe
    • Pandan Jelly with Coconut (Agar Agar Pandan)
    • Easy Pandan Milk Tea - Easy Homemade Bubble Tea Recipe


    Recipe (Printable)

    Here is the full printable version of my easy baked pandan cheesecake recipe.

    A slice of pandan cheesecake on a white plate.

    Pandan Cheesecake

    This pandan cheesecake recipe makes the creamiest, most fragrant baked cheesecake with natural pandan flavor and gula melaka syrup!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Asian
    Keyword: Pandan Cheesecake
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Chilling Time: 4 hours
    Total Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
    Yield: 1 seven inches round cheesecake
    Author: Priya Maha
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Metric - US Customary

    Ingredients

    Crust

    • 100 g Digestive Cookies or Graham Crackers
    • 15 g granulated sugar
    • 30 g butter melted
    • 50 g grated coconut unsweetened

    Filling

    • 450 g cream cheese
    • 150 g granulated sugar
    • 20 g flour
    • 100 g whipping cream
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 eggs
    • 5 pandan leaves (approximately 30cm length each)

    Topping

    • Gula melaka syrup
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 160°Celsius.

    Making the crust

    • Line a 7 inches round springform tin with a parchment circle.
    • Dry roast the desiccated coconut over low heat until light and slightly golden brown in color. Stir constantly to avoid it from burning at the bottom. Turn of the heat and set it aside to cool.
    • Crush the digestive cookies to a fine crumb. Add sugar and the coconut. Mix well. Pour in the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are well moistened.
    • Pour the crumbs into the lined springform pan. Press it down firmly with the back of a small spoon or the back of a drinking glass. Set aside.

    Preparing the pandan infused cream

    • Measure the cream into a small pot.
    • Wash and pat the pandan leaves. Cut them into small 1cm sizes and add them into the cream.
    • Heat the cream over low heat until the sides start to bubble.
    • Remove from heat and cover the pot. Let the cream cool down slightly.
    • Pour the cream along with the pandan leaves into the food processor and process the leaves until fine.
    • Strain the cream with a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Discard the pulp.
    • Measure the cream and top up with extra whipping cream if the volume is lesser than required in the recipe. Refrigerate until ready to use.

    Making the cheesecake filling

    • To make the filling, add cream cheese to a medium-sized bowl and beat until creamy for 30 to 60 seconds. Beat longer if the cheese is cold and appears lumpy. Scrape the sides of the bowl half way through the creaming process.
    • Mix the flour and sugar in a small bowl and add into the creamed cheese. Beat until the flour is well incorporated.
    • Add the eggs and beat again, scraping the bowl after every 20 seconds.
    • Next, add the pandan infused cream into the cream cheese mixture. Beat until well combined.

    Baking the pandan cheesecake

    • Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
    • Bake the pandan cheesecake in the lowest rack in the oven (without the fan function) in a water bath for 20 minutes.
    • Once baked, let the pandan cheesecake rest in the oven for about 10 minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool completely.
    • Let the cheesecake remain in the tin for another 15 minutes. To release the cake from the tin, run a spatula around its sides and then release the tin. Chill the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.
    • To serve, cut the cake into slices and drizzle the gula melaka syrup on top. Serve immediately. Keep leftovers refrigerated. The gula melaka syrup is best drizzled right before serving.

    Notes

    The water bath (Bain Marie)

    • Water bath (or bain marie) is a term used to describe the process of baking with a bowl of water in the oven. The heat from the oven cause the water to evaporate into steam and this steam helps to keep the interior of the oven moist.
    • Such moist interiors, in turn, help to avoid cheesecakes from cracking.
    • There are 2 ways to do the water bath for your pandan cheesecake:
    The first method:
    • The first method requires aluminum foil and an oven safe dish larger than the cheesecake tin.
    • Wrap the sides of your springform pan with foil.
    • The foil should be as high as the sides of the tin. Place the wrapped tin in a large dish filled with water.
    • Make sure the water is only halfway up the springform pan after placing it into the dish, to avoid the water from getting into the foil wrap and seep into the cheesecake through the bottom of the cheesecake pan.
    The second method:
    1. The second method requires 2 oven safe dishes larger than the cheesecake tin, but one of them should be slightly larger than the other.
    2. You fill up the largest dish with water (about one third full).
    3. And place the second tin into it.
    4. You then place the cheesecake tin into the second dish (which is dry) and bake the cake as indicated in the recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 3756kcal | Carbohydrates: 292.8g | Protein: 51.4g | Fat: 274g | Saturated Fat: 166.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 64g | Trans Fat: 1.3g | Cholesterol: 960.4mg | Sodium: 2471.1mg | Potassium: 1197.9mg | Fiber: 10.1g | Sugar: 220.2g | Vitamin A: 8738.4IU | Vitamin C: 1.4mg | Calcium: 576.8mg | Iron: 4.8mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @decorated_treats or tag #decoratedtreats!

    And that's that. My easy homemade, naturally flavored pandan cheesecake recipe.

    A slice of cake on a white plate.
    A slice of creamy pandan cheesecake

    Happy baking 🙂

    More Cheesecake Recipes

    • Durian Cheesecake - Perfectly Creamy & Simply the Best!
    • Mini Basque Cheesecake (Easy Mini Burnt Cheesecake Recipe)
    • Earl Grey Cheesecake - Perfectly Creamy & Simply the Best!
    • Pineapple Cheesecake with Coconut (An Easy Homemade Recipe)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Raye

      September 16, 2022 at 6:30 pm

      Hi, just letting you know that in the printable recipe, you’ve listed the bake time as 20 minutes instead of 60 minutes (as stated earlier). Thanks for sharing the recipe

      Reply
      • Priya Maha

        September 16, 2022 at 11:03 pm

        Hi Raye,
        Thank you for informing me. I have amended the bake time in the recipe card.
        Thanks again!

        Reply

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