Chiffon Cake
- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Baking time: 60 minutes
- Cooling time: 1½ hours
- Total Time: Approximately 3 hours
Ingredients
Tube Pan:
- 1 ungreased 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom
Dry Ingredients:
- 2¼ cups cake flour (or 2 cups flour)
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Moist Ingredients:
- 5 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Egg Whites:
- 8 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup sugar
Toppings:
Ingredients
(serves 4)
Section
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 325°.
- Have ungreased 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom ready.
- In a medium bowl whisk dry ingredients; set aside.
- Separate the 8 eggs placing the 8 egg whites in a large mixing bowl and 5 of the egg yolks in a separate large work bowl (discard the 3 remaining yolks). Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to separate eggs.
- Set the bowl with the 8 egg whites aside.
- Add water, oil, lemon zest, and vanilla to the 5 egg yolks and beat on high speed until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mixture and beat on low until smooth; set aside.
- Add ½ teaspoon cream of tartar to the the bowl with the 8 egg whites.
- With clean beaters, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
- Beating on high speed, gradually add the ¼ cup sugar to the egg white mixture.
- Beat the egg white and sugar mixture until the peaks are stiff but not dry.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold ¼ of the egg whites into the flour and egg yolk mixture, repeating until all of the egg whites are folded in.
- Using a spatula, gently transfer the batter into the tube pan and spread evenly.
- Bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; 55 to 65 minutes.
- Once baked, invert the cake immediately to prevent it from sinking.
- Cool upside down until completely cool; at least 1½ hours. If your tube pan does not have feet, place the tube over a bottle neck. If tipsy place a few overturned mugs or bowls under the pan for stability.
- To remove the cake from the funnel pan, first slide a straight edged metal spatula or knife around perimeter of pan, pressing the knife against the pan to avoid tearing the cake.
- Once the sides are completely released, press the removable bottom of the pan away from the side.
- With your hand gripped around the top portion of the funnel, pull the funnel with the cake out of the pan.
- Place the flat "bottom" part of the tube on a flat surface.
- Slide the metal spatula or knife under the cake to detach it from the bottom of the tube.
- Invert the tube and allow the cake to drop onto a serving platter.
- Glaze with Lemon Glaze, Chocolate Glaze, Creamy Glaze, or serve with Whipped Cream or vanilla ice cream.
Recipe from Joy of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker. New York: Scribner (1997).
Comments
A simple but classy chiffon cake. Light and surprisingly moist; this is a crowd pleaser!Especially good with Lemon Glaze.