When was the last time you made a chiffon cake? Or, have you ever made one? Maybe you’ve never even tasted one—or heard of one. They are decidedly old-fashioned and that’s a shame since they are deliciousIn 1927 a man named Harry Baker who was a Los Angeles insurance salesman and who also baked cakes for Hollywood parties, invented the chiffon cake—the first truly new cake in one hundred years. He kept his recipe secret for twenty years, preferring to bake cakes for his catering business that no one else could make, but finally sold the recipe in 1947 to Betty Crocker, owned by General Mills.
Attributes of this cake include a moist, richness like a butter cake but with the lightness of a sponge cake. The texture is soft, its trademark characteristic. The shortening in a chiffon cake is oil which not only makes it soft but tenderizes it and keeps it exceptionally moist.
The chiffon cake is also easy to make, is a good keeper and slices easily even when frozen, unlike its sister predecessor, the angel food. And, unlike angel food, it is not excessively sweet.
Here at the Candlelight Inn B & B, we make a lot of things with just egg yolks; lemon curd and chocolate pots de crème, to name two. I freeze my egg whites in a rigid container and collect them to make angel food, meringues and chiffon cakes. So, add another virtue to the chiffon cake—it uses up those extra whites you may have around.
Although it is easy to make, be sure to follow the directions carefully. As with all cakes, the measuring, oven temperature, pan size and oven placement are crucial to success.
The following two recipes are very different from one another; the first uses fresh citrus to perfection, resulting in a moist, billowy, light and refreshing cake. If you want to gild the lily, a citrus glaze (made by adding the citrus juice to powdered sugar just until it is of pouring consistency) can be poured over the finished, cooled cake. The second, chocolate, is a surprise: very chocolate-y and the texture is perfected by using both safflower (or other vegetable oil without silicates) and walnut oil.
Citrus Chiffon Cake
2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour (no substitutions)
1 ½ cups sugar (superfine is best)
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup vegetable oil (preferably safflower)
7 large eggs, separated, + 3 additional whites
¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp. grated orange zest
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ¼ tsp. cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 325 deg. F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, all but 2 Tbsp of the sugar, baking powder and salt and beat 1 minute. Mix oil, egg yolks, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla together and add all at once to a depression in the center of the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute. In another large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy, add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in egg whites until just blended. Pour into a 10-inch tube pan, run a small knife through the batter to prevent air pockets and bake for 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Invert pan to cool.
Variation: Lemon Chiffon Cake
Substitute ½ teaspoon baking soda for the baking powder and 2/3 cup water + 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (freshly squeezed) for the orange juice. Use 1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest for the orange zest called for.
Chocolate Chiffon Cake
½ cup +2 Tbsp. cocoa *
¾ cup boiling water
1 ¾ cups sifted cake flour
1 ¾ cups sugar
½ tsp. baking soda*
½ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. walnut oil
6 large eggs, separated + 4 additional whites
2 tsp. vanilla
1 ¼ tsp. cream of tartar
*If using Dutch-processed cocoa, use ½ cup + 1 Tbsp. and 2 tsp. of baking powder in place of the baking soda.
Preheat oven to 325 deg. F. In medium bowl combine cocoa and boiling water. Wisk until smooth. Cool. In large mixing bowl, combine flour all but 2 Tbsp. of sugar, baking soda and salt and beat 1 minute. Add oils, egg yolks, chocolate mixture and vanilla to well in center of dry ingredients and beat until smooth. In another large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy, add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining 2 Tbsp. of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold 1 heaping cup of egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining egg whites until just blended. Pour into tube pan. Run knife through the batter to prevent air pockets and bake for 60 minutes or until it tests done. Invert pan and cool completely. (About 1 ½ hours). Remove from pan. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.
