Chiffon Cake -- Classic Orange

Chiffon Cake was created in 1927 by Harry Baker, an insurance salesman in Los Angeles who developed a cake so light and moist that everyone in Old Hollywood wanted the recipe. Wisely, Mr. Baker kept his recipe a secret until 1947, then sold it to General Mills. Betty Crocker published it in 1948 and gave it the name "Chiffon Cake" billing it as a glamorous and easy alternative to Angel Food. And glamorous it is! Here's a texture shot of an orange one I just made. When mixed with a little vanilla the orange flavor is more like Dreamsicle or Creamsicle flavor and so good in cake.

And here's what the whole cake looked like. My office had some nice light so it's on my desk.

This is the most glamorous shot, right? And look at that lovely pan. Guess who is going to be soaking in hot water? You, Mr. Tube Pan. Update: Not only did it require soaking, but lots of scrubbing with steel wool. This is the downside to Chiffon Cake.

That's probably why I don't make Chiffon Cake more often, but this was worth cleaning the pan.

But Wait. What is Chiffon Cake?

Chiffon Cake is a soft, light textured cake similar to a sponge cake, but made with oil instead of butter. It's like Angel Food Cake in that it's baked in a tube pan, but it has the richness of a yellow cake and is often flavored with different zests. This new one calls for orange juice (preferably fresh), orange zest and vanilla. It's one I put together using The Cake Bible, but I went out on my own a bit (thanks to things I learned reading The Cake Bible) so it's a little different from the book's version.

Tube Pan With or Without Legs

For this recipe you'll need a removable bottom tube pan with or without legs. I recommend one with legs, otherwise you'll have to suspend the inverted pan on a bottle. As mentioned, the tube pan in the photo above is normal size, while the one below is actually a half size tube pan. So if you are like me and prefer smaller cakes, you can halve this recipe and use a small tube pan. I think I picked the small one up at Michael's. But if you don't have a tube pan at all it's probably best to just go with a full size. And honestly, Chiffon Cakes are fluffier and more stately when made full size.

Chiffon Cake Tips

• Be sure to use cake flour for this, not all-purpose or self-rising.
• Weigh the ingredients for accuracy, especially the eggs. You'll probably need about 10 of them (7 yolks, 10 whites), but go by the weights.
• Do not overbeat the egg whites. Beat just until stiff peaks form and no more.
• Bake immediately after mixing.
• For a small batch cake, use half of the ingredients and bake in a 6-inch removable bottom tube pan. The cake won't be quite as beautiful as the full size version, but it's great when you want a little something to serve with fresh berries and whipped cream.

• Chocolate Angel Food Cake
• Unsweetened Chocolate Chiffon Pie
• Lemon Chiffon Cake
• Raspberry Chiffon Pie
• Chiffon Gingerbread

Recipe

Classic Chiffon Cake

Anna

This recipe is flavored with orange juice and orange zest. For a vanilla flavored cake you can use water in place of orange juice, leave out the zest and increase the vanilla to 2 teaspoons

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 54 minutes mins

Cooling 1 hour hr 28 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 42 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Equipment

• Tube Pan
• Stand Mixer Preferably one with two bowls

Ingredients

 

• 2 cups cake flour (225 grams)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided (300 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup vegetable oil (neutral)
• ½ cup egg yolks (120 grams yolks) -- from 7 eggs
• ¾ cup orange juice (or use half orange juice half water)**
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups egg whites (300 grams whites) -- from 10 eggs
• 1 ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Have ready an ungreased 10-inch removable bottom tube pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, preferably a stand mixer bowl, sift together the cake flour, all but 2 tablespoons (24 grams) of the sugar and the baking powder. Add the salt and whisk until ingredients are evenly blended.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the oil, egg yolks, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla. Attach the paddle and beat for one minute or until blended.
• In the second bowl, using a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar until soft peaks start to form, then gradually add the reserved 2 tablespoons of sugar, beating until whites are just starting to form stiff peaks. Do not let the egg whites get too dry.
• With a heavy duty scraper, fold the whites into the egg yolk mixture. Be sure everything is evenly blended, then pour into the tube pan.
• Pour into a tube pan and run a knife or scraper through the batter to prevent air holes. Bake for 55 minutes.
• Invert the tube pan. If it has legs you don't need to suspend it on anything. If it doesn't, suspend it over a wine bottle or something similar. Let cool for about 1 ½ hours.
• Release the Cake: Once cooled, run a knife around the sides and center tube of the pan to release the cake. Gently remove it from the pan. Loosen the core piece and remove.
• Serve: Serve plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or with a glaze, frosting, or fresh fruit and whipped cream if desired.

Notes

If you can't get ¾ cup of orange juice out of 1 large orange, you can dilute it with water to make 170 grams.  Most of the orange flavor comes from the zest anyway.

Keyword Chiffon Cake

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