Forgot to mention that pandan is a bright green powder made from a plant with leaves similar to pineapple leaves, but what you will often find in asian markets in a little bottle does usually have food color in it.

My suggestion is to look up some recipes for "Pandan Cake" - these usually make the spongy cakes you are referring to. They call for pandan which can be found in some asian markets, and is used primarily for flavor (similar to almond sort of), and color (bright green). But I think many of the recipes would be fine without it, and still give you what you are looking for. Oh yes, some of these recipes call for gelatin which helps with the spongy texture. Good luck!

Hi there, I don't think the Gadget Show knew that food pickle is for cooking emergencies and last minute questions, tips and while cooking oriented, it isn't a recipe database or a "how to" tool for basic recipes. The host of food pickle, food52.com has recipes from contributors here. It is U.S. based, so recipes are in US terms.

We don't get cakes like you describe in U.S. Chinese restaurants, so no idea.