Today we’re getting a little bit weird. But a little delicious at the same time. We’re going to make a creamy, coconutty, pandan juice infused dessert and set it atop a biscuit base and wow everyone with our kick-ass cheesecake making skills. That’s right, we’re making a Seri Muka cheesecake.
What is Seri Muka?
Seri Muka is a dessert found in Malaysia and certain parts of Indonesia. In Malaysia it can be found everywhere, from the humble street food stalls to the high end bakeries, and is an integral offering during Malaysian afternoon tea, a daily tradition that echoes the nation’s colonial past.
The two layers of a traditional Seri Muka cake are:
- The White Layer – Sticky glutinous rice that has, usually, been cooked in coconut milk (although there are varying recipes out there)
- The Green Layer – A coconut milk based custard unfused with the juice of pandan (or screwpine) leaves.
Once the two layers have been made and assembled, the entire dessert is steamed to sticky, coconutty perfection.
I discovered Seri Muka on one of my many travels to Malaysia and, being the nerdy food blogger I am, I had to recreate it back home. However, since the entire dessert (usually assembled in a large baking tray or dish) needs to be steamed – and I don’t have the necessary equipment to do so – my attempts were never quite successful. Although they did taste delicious.
And so, for this blog, I wanted to make a Seri Muka, or a Seri Muka inspired recipe, that anyone, anywhere in the word, could follow without the need to hunt around for specialist ingredients or equipment.
The first idea I had was inspired by these Mango Lassi Tarts from Thyme to Eat. I loved the colours of these tarts and how simple they looked to make. And so, I made my own version, swapping the Mango lassi for Seri Muka custard which you can see in the picture below.
If you’ve followed me and this blog for any length of time you will know I’m not the greatest of bakers. The making of cakes, tarts, biscuits, or any sweet thing, is generally kept to a minimum because I tend to suck at the whole dessert making process: my cakes always sink in the middle, or burn around the outside, or resemble scrambled eggs in the middle – or all three at the same time!
And this was true for the Seri Muka Tarts. I tried so many different recipes for tart crusts – and followed each and every one to the letter – but they never quite made it at the hands of this less than talented baker.
So for a while the Seri Muka themed recipe stayed on the backburner. I then I had the Eureka moment: I would make a cheesecake.
Now, this is not quite a traditional cheesecake. This recipe does not use cream cheese as the main ingredient for the filling because, to me anyway, oodles of cream cheese didn’t quite say “South East Asian” inspired dessert.
Instead of the usual cream cheese filling, I swapped it for panna cotta. Yes, I know, it’s a little out there and a little weird but bear with me…
I won’t lie, when you first bite into this cheesecake – expecting it to be cream cheese cheesecake – and find it to be a jelly-like thing instead, the connections between brain and tastebuds become confused – like wtf is this?!?
But once the confusion is taken over by the buttery biscuit base and the creaminess of the coconut and pandan panna cottas – all is right with the world.
The Pandan Leaves
Pandan (or Screwpine) leaves are what gives Seri Muka its distinct taste and colour. The leaves can be found in certain Asian groceries (they’re usually alongside banana leaves in the freezer section) but, if you can’t find them there is a solution: Pandan Extract.
Just like the bottle of vanilla extract you have sitting in your cupboard, pandan extract is a simple way to get the flavour and colour of a traditional Seri Muka without going on an expedition to find pandan leaves.
And once you have the pandan leaves or extract sorted, it’s a simple case of throwing together a simple cheesecake crust (crushed biscuits + butter = sorted!) and topping it with a coconut and vanilla flavoured pannacotta, allowing it to set, before pouring on the pandan panna cotta and waiting for it to set (the hardest part!).
And there you have it, the delicious, albeit slightly weird, Seri Muka cheesecake.
Until next time foodies
James
Seri Muka (Malaysian Pandan Custard) Cheesecake

This dessert brings all the flavours of a traditional Malaysian Seri Muka along with a buttery biscuit base to create a kick-ass cheesecake
- Prep Time: 30 mins (plus chilling time)
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Base:
- 300g Graham Crackers/ Digestive biscuits (or any other biscuit of choice) crushed into crumbs
- 100g unsalted butter, melted
For the Coconut Layer:
- 1 ½ Cups Coconut Milk
- 2 teaspoons powdered gelatine
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 ½ cups coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
For the Pandan Layer:
- 1 ½ Cups Coconut Milk
- 2 teaspoons powdered gelatine
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cups coconut cream (1 ½ cups if using pandan extract)
- 6 pandan leaves (or 2 tsp pandan extract)
- pinch salt
Instructions
The Biscuit Base:
- Stir together the biscuit crumbs and melted butter until well combined. Transfer the mixture into a lined, 20cm diameter spring form pan and prese down firmly to creat an even layer. Place in the fridge and chill for at least thirty minutes.
The Coconut layer:
- Place the coconut milk into a small pan and sprinkle over the gelatine. Allow to stand for five minutes until the surface of the milk looks wrinkled. Heat the milk over low heat (don’t let it boil) until the gelatine has dissolved (if you dip a spoon into the mixture, there should not be any grains of gelatine sticking to it).
- Add the honey and whisk until dissolved, once again making sure the milk does not boil.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the coconut cream, vanilla extract and salt. Allow to cool. Once cooled, pour over the prepared biscuit base and return to the fridge.
The Pandan Layer:
- (If you are using pandan extract, skip this step) In a food processor or blender, blitz the pandan leaves with ½ cup of water. Strain the juice through a sieve and discard the remains of the leaves.
- Repeat the same steps as with the coconut layer but, when you get to step three, add the pandan juice (or pandan extract) along with the coconut cream. If you are using pandan extract, increase the amount of coconut cream to 1 ½ cups.
- Allow to cool to room temperature. Once the coconut layer has set (it should be firm to touch) pour over the pandan layer. Tap the pan lightly against your counter to remove any bubbles and return to the fridge. Alow at least three hours to set, but overnight is suggested.
- Remove from the fridge ten minutes before serving. Run a rubber spatula, or thin knife, around the edge of the pan to loosen before carefully removing the springform sides.
- Slice and serve
Those layers are perfection!!! That texture looks incredible too. Love the colors against the dark background!
Thanks Lindsay!
Looks delicious and so beautiful – almost too good to eat. I can certainly get the coconut here in Greece but the leaves or extract are going to be challenging. I know if we change the top, we change the whole recipe, but is there anything similar that could be used?
Hi Wendy, thanks! The flavour of pandan leaves is very unique and, as far as my internet research goes, there isn’t really a straight forward substitute. However, places such as amazon.com do sell pandan extract, it depends if they deliver to Greece or not.
This looks like such an interesting cake! The layers look to die for. I also loveeeee pandan 🙂
Thanks Rebecca! It certainly is something a little different – and weird, ha! And it’s great to find someone who also loves pandan, it is amazing!
This looks stunning! The layers are so perfect. Always glad to discover a new dessert from a different part of the world. I love the flavor of pandan and coconut. They go so well together. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Jenny, thanks! Pandan and coconut are an awesome flavour combo, can’t get enough them in both sweet or savoury dishes! Thanks for stopping by ?