Ng himself is a fan, drawn to the cake's "spongy and soft" texture and "refreshing" taste. "We seldom have shops selling food made of pandan leaves, and the pandan cake's taste is unique ...

There is, of course, the pandan chiffon cake, where pandan leaf extract was added to chiffon cake, an early 20th-century American invention, to create a delectable treat unique to Southeast Asia.

pandan is a tropical shrub whose leaves are boiled and used for flavoring in drinks, desserts, rice and more. And although it has the same light green hue as matcha, the taste is wildly different.