Chiffon cake is one of my favorite cakes to eat because it’s so light and fluffy. It has a delicate, soft texture that’s pillowy soft and just melts in your mouth.
I’ve adapted this recipe from my mother’s days as a professional pastry chef. Her baker’s recipe is similar to a Japanese chiffon cake, meaning it’s less sweet and dense than its American counterpart.
Chiffon cake is one of my favorite cakes to eat because it’s so light and fluffy. It has a delicate, soft texture that’s pillowy soft and just melts in your mouth.
I’ve adapted this recipe from my mother’s days as a professional pastry chef. Her baker’s recipe is similar to a Japanese chiffon cake, meaning it’s less sweet and dense than its American counterpart.
It’s a type of foam cake, which is leavened by whipping egg whites to create its volume. The resulting texture is a light, airy, spongy cake that’s extremely soft and fluffy.
Chiffon cakes are always baked in a chiffon cake pan, which has a center tube that’s raised above the rim of the pan. It may also have raised feet built into the top of the pan to allow for upside down cooling.
CHIFFON CAKE VS SPONGE CAKE VS ANGEL FOOD CAKE
You may be wondering what’s the difference between chiffon cake, sponge cake, and angel food cake.
Sponge cakes are any cakes that are leavened with beaten egg whites. They are non-yeast cakes which means they don’t contain any type of yeast and are sometimes leavened with baking powder in addition to beaten egg whites.
Both chiffon cakes and angel food cakes are a type of sponge cake. But the difference between the two is that chiffon cakes contain both egg whites and egg yolks whereas angel food cake only contain egg whites.
CHOOSING A CHIFFON CAKE PAN
A chiffon cake pan is the best pan to use when baking a chiffon cake. There are several reasons why you’d want to use this particular type of pan and a few things you want to look for when choosing a chiffon pan:
BUY ALUMINUM WITHOUT A NON-STICK COATING
An aluminum pan without a non-stick coating helps the cake batter adhere to the wall of the pan while it rises in the oven so you get a tall, fluffy cake.
A non-stick coating prevents the cake from fully rising as the coating is difficult to adhere to, resulting in a deflated cake that’s more dense than it should be.
REMOVABLE BASE
Look for a pan with a removable base or a two piece chiffon pan. This makes it easier to remove the delicate cake in one piece without tearing.
INNER TUBE
Your chiffon pan should have a raised inner tube which allows for even baking and a full rise.
The inner tube allows the cake to bake from the center in addition to the sides, which help it bake evenly without burning. It also helps the chiffon cake have something to adhere to while it rises.
☑ INGREDIENTS
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cake flour – – (200g)
- 1 ⅓ cup sugar – – (260g); divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder – – (5g)
- ½ teaspoon salt – – (3g)
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar – – (1g)
Wet Ingredients
-
- 6 large egg yolks – – (100g)
- 6 large egg whites – – (200g)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil – – (80g)
- ¼ cup water – – (60g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste – – substitute with vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 355 degrees F.
Add the egg yolks, vegetable oil, water, vanilla, salt, and half of the sugar to a large mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine. (The remaining half of the sugar will be used for the egg whites.)
- Sift the cake flour and baking powder, into the egg yolk mixture in three batches. Fold after each time until well combined. Avoid over mixing.
- Add the egg whites and cream of tarter to a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium high speed while adding the remaining half of the sugar. Add the sugar in three batches until you’ve reached firm peaks. See Note 1.
- Add half the beaten egg whites to the egg yolk mixture. Fold gently to combine then add the remaining half. Fold gently again to avoid deflating the batter. The batter should be light, airy, and fluffy.
- Spray the inside of your ungreased, aluminum chiffon cake pan with water including the inner tube. This helps prevent the cake from sticking too much to the pan once baked.
Pour the batter into the pan and fill up to 75% full otherwise you may risk overflow.
- Bake at 355 degrees F for 25 to 35 minutes. Your baking time will depend on how shallow or deep your pan is. See Note 2.
Check after 25 minutes for doneness. It’s ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is a golden brown color. If your pan is tall and deep, you may have to bake it longer.
- Remove from the oven and immediately flip the chiffon pan upside down to invert it. Cool it down as soon as possible to prevent it from sinking and deflating.
Drape a cold, damp towel over it to cool it down as quickly as possible. Rinse the towel under cold water and wring it dry. Drape it over the pan again and repeat this process until the pan is no longer hot. See Note 3.
- Once the cake has cooled, flip over the pan and carefully run a knife along the sides of the pan to help remove it. Then run a knife along the bottom of the pan to remove it from the base.
- Invert the cake again so the flat side is facing up and dust on powdered sugar. Slice and serve
