Banh Da Lon (Vietnamese Steamed Layered Cake)

Let’s make the most popular Vietnamese bakery dessert, banh da lon or Vietnamese steamed layered cake. The soft, yet bouncy layers of fragrant pandan and creamy mung bean are steamed together to create the most beautifully intricate and delicious cake.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Vietnamese

Keyword banh da lon, banh da lon recipe, pandan jelly cake, Vietnamese mung bean cake, Vietnamese steamed cake

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 498kcal

Author Megan

Equipment

Ingredients

Pandan Layer

45 g Pandan leaves
1 cup water (250 ml) for pandan juice
¾ cup coconut milk 180 ml
½ cup granulated sugar 100 g
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ cup tapioca starch 200 g
⅓ cup rice flour 45 g
½ teaspoon pandan extract

Mung Bean Layer

½ cup split yellow mung beans 120 g, soaked 4 hours or overnight
1 cup water 250 ml, to cook the mung beans
1 cup coconut milk 250 ml
½ cup granulated sugar 100 g
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 ⅓ cup tapioca starch 170 g
¼ cup rice flour 35 g

Coconut Sauce (optional)

¾ cup coconut milk 180 ml
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 pandan leaf knotted
1 ½ teaspoons tapioca starch
2 teaspoons water

Instructions

Mung Bean Layer

Cook the mung beans. Wash the mung beans 2-3 times until the water runs clear. Then transfer them to a small pot with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring periodically, until the beans are soft and cooked through. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Combine. In a blender, add the mung beans, coconut milk, 1/4 cup water, sugar, salt, tapioca starch, and rice flour. Blend until smooth and combined. Strain the mixture as you transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Pandan Layer

Make pandan juice. Blend the pandan leaves with 1 cup of water, then pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth.
Combine. In a blender, add the pandan juice, coconut milk, sugar, salt, tapioca starch, rice flour and pandan extract. Blend until smooth and combined. Strain the mixture as you transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Steam

Set up your steamer. Bring water in your steamer to a boil over medium-high heat. Lightly grease a 8x8 inch pan with a thin layer of oil. Steam the pan for 2 minutes.
Steam the pandan layer. Give each batter a stir before pouring. Pour the pandan batter, about 2/3 cup (160 ml), or adjust depending the size of your pan, into the pan spreading it evenly. Cover and steam for 5-6 minutes or until translucent.
Steam the mung bean layer. Then pour the mung bean batter, about 2/3 cup (160 ml), or adjust depending the size of your pan, over the pandan layer and steam for 5-6 minutes or until set. Continue layering until your desired thickness or all the batter is used.
Steam the cake. After you pour the final layer, steam for 10 more minutes or until the cake is cooked through with no wobble in the center.
Serve. Remove from the steamer and let it cool completely before removing and slicing with a knife wrapped in plastic wrap.

Coconut sauce (optional)

Cook the coconut sauce. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add the coconut milk, sugar, salt, and pandan leaf. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and simmer for 5 minutes.
Thicken. In a small bowl, combine the tapioca starch and water. Combine with the coconut sauce until thickened.

Notes

See the Expert Tips section for more guidance.

Nutrition