Calling all Chiffon Cake lovers! This is one of my most favorite cakes and if you’re new to chiffon cakes, I’m so excited for you!
In the quickest terms, chiffon cake is a type of sponge cake similar to angel food cake, but instead of just using the egg whites you also use the egg yolks resulting in a rich, cloud-like cake loaded with moisture and flavor. Additionally, chiffon cake also has a wee bit of oil to it as well.
I have a Lemon-Olive Oil Chiffon Cake in The Cake Book and I knew I needed a classic, go-to chiffon cake recipe on the blog.
In the chiffon cake photos below, I show it with homemade lemon curd and toasted meringue for a Lemon Meringue Cake vibe. Chiffon cake is equally delicious served with fruit (think mixed summer berries) and fresh whipped cream!
Why You Should Bake
This Delicious Chiffon Cake STAT!
- This chiffon cake recipe is light, soft, fluffy and rich, all at the same time
- It’s the perfect make-ahead cake (I like to leave it in the pan, upside-down, until ready to use)
- Fluffy chiffon cake is as beautiful dressed up with meringue as it is with a simple dollop of whipped cream
- It’s quite simple to make and uses standard baking ingredients (nothing fancy or difficult to find)
- I love that it uses both egg whites and egg yolks. You’ll have one extra egg yolk that you can use for salad dressing, an aioli or my favorite lemon curd.
- It’s so incredibly light, but also sturdy enough to handle cake soaks and buttercreams
I recommend (and use) a tube pan for making chiffon cake. However, you can use any pan as long as you follow three chiffon cake rules:
- Make sure the pan is *not* non-stick.
- Do not grease whatever pan you’re using. The cake uses the un-greased sides to climb up the side of the pan, giving it that light texture.
- Cool the cake upside, making sure that it is propped above the countertop so that air can circulate underneath the cake while it cools. This ensures the cake won’t collapse on itself.
More on all of this below and as always, leave any questions in the comments section at the bottom of the post and we will respond! xx
The Baker’s Guide to Measuring Flour
One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes in baking is how we measure flour. If you find yourself without a scale, see my top tips on how to properly measure flour for the perfect amount every time!
Step-by-Step Instructions (with photos!) to Make
The Perfect Chiffon Cake
Below are step-by-step photos (with captions) to make THE BEST Chiffon Cake perfect every time! My biggest tips are:
- Make Sure You Really Whip the Egg Whites Into a Meringue. Make sure everything that touches your egg whites is freshly cleaned and dried. Then make sure you whip your egg whites until they reach stiff peaks. To check, dip your whisk into the meringue, swirl it around, lift it straight out of the meringue, invert it and the tip should point just shy of north. You can check my favorite Meringue Recipe for more tips.
- Likewise Really Whisk-up the Egg Yolks. You want the egg yolk mixture to be thick and opaque. Don’t just combine everything, really mix it together.
- Gently Fold in the Meringue. You’ll fold in the meringue in two batches. You want to use a light hand so that you don’t deflate the meringue while also making sure it’s well combined and there aren’t any lumps of meringue in the cake batter.
- Use the Correct Pan. I love to use a classic tube pan, ideally with a removable bottom (see photo below). Make sure that it isn’t non-stick and that you do not grease the pan. See the pink box above regarding using different pans.
- Let Cool Completely Upside Down. If you’re using a standard tube pan they often have little legs that will keep the pan propped above the surface while the inverted cake cools (upside down). If your pan doesn’t have those little legs, you can set it on a wine bottle.
Ok, let’s make my favorite chiffon cake recipe!!
Serving Ideas for Classic Chiffon Cake
Chiffon cakes are great on their own, with a dusting of powdered sugar or spruced up like the Lemon Meringue Cake in the photos.
They are a great cake for cake soaks (such as the lemon soak used on my Lemon Olive Oil Cake). They’re also delicious with simple things, like macerated summer berries, fresh whipped cream and tart lemon curd.
You can also cut the cake horizontally in half and make a layer cake. I love using whipped cream as frosting in the middle and on the top of the cake and then piling it high with macerated berries (following the instructions on my chocolate pavlova post for macerating berries).
Shop this Easy Chiffon Cake Recipe
My absolute favorite tools for making this moist cake are:
This tube pan, my favorite electric stand mixer for getting the meringue perfect, a whisk, this spatula for scooping the cake batter into the pan, an offset spatula for smoothing the top of the cake and my favorite marble round for serving. Enjoy!
Favorite Cake Recipes
I love the simplicity and elegance of this chiffon cake recipe! If that’s also your jam, check out these delicious and easy cake recipes: Chocolate Brownie Meringue Cake, Banana Skillet Cake, Lemon Olive Oil Cake or my favorite Easy Apple Cake.
I hope you love this soft Chiffon Cake Recipe as much as I do!!
How to Make the Perfect, Fluffy & Foolproof Chiffon Cake
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups (208 g) cake flour how to measure flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) baking powder
- 2/3 cup (160 g) whole milk room temperature
- 6 large egg whites room temperature (reserve the egg yolks; see below)
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar divided
- 5 large egg yolks room temperature
- ½ cup (112 g) good-quality extra-virgin olive oil or neutral oil such as sunflower or grapeseed oil
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) real vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF (177ºC). In a small bowl, whisk together your flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. Make sure the bowl and whisk are freshly cleaned and dried. Whisk on medium until the eggs are foamy and frothy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Then slowly add in ½ cup (100 g) of granulated sugar. You want it to slowly absorb into the egg whites and build structure. Once the sugar is in, turn the mixer on high until you just reach stiff peaks; this should take about 1 minute. The meringue will look glossy and the peak will slightly slope off to the side rather than stand straight up when you invert the whisk. The meringue should feel smooth when you rub some between two fingers.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, remaining ½ cup (100 g) of granulated sugar, oil and vanilla extract until the mixture is thick and opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Alternate adding the flour and the milk to the egg yolk mixture in two batches.
- Fold the egg whites into the mixture in two batches, being careful not to deflate the egg whites but also make sure there aren’t any meringue clumps.
- Scoop the mixture evenly into a 9-inch (23-cm) ungreased tube pan (ideally with a removable bottom). Run a butter knife through the cake batter in a zigzag motion to remove any air pockets and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed up; the top may be cracked and lightly golden brown, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Invert the cake onto a wine bottle (upside down) to finish cooling completely, 1 to 2 hours. Once cool, run a knife along the inner and outer edges of the pan and gently coax the cake out of the pan. If your pan has a removable bottom, run a knife along the cake to release it completely from the pan. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Mixer
You can use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment to make this recipe. Make sure the bowl of your electric stand mixer is freshly cleaned and washed before adding your egg whites to it.Ingredients
I don’t recommend substituting all-purpose flour for the cake flour. If you’d like to use another oil in place of the olive oil, feel free to substitute any other oil (such as vegetable oil, sunflower oil or grapeseed oil) 1:1. Likewise, you can substitute the vanilla extract for any extract that floats your boat (I love almond extract in this cake, but would use half of the amount used for vanilla). A quick note about eggs… It is easiest to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks when eggs are cold. However, the egg whites are easier whipped when at room temperature. So as soon as you decide to make the cake, separate your eggs first and let them come to room temperature.Pan Notes
- Do not use a non-stick pan. The cake ‘climbs’ up the side of the pan and a nonstick interior will prohibit the cake’s rise.
- Make sure you DO NOT grease your pan. Same note as above, it will inhibit the cake from rising properly and you won’t have that light, cloud-like texture.
- The cake has to cool upside down otherwise it will collapse as it cools and again, you’ll lose that awesome, light texture that is so signature to a chiffon cake.
Flour Tips
Don’t substitute all-purpose flour for the cake flour in this recipe. It’s a very delicate cake and the cake flour really lends to its cloud like texture. Conversely, be gently when mixing in the flour. Lastly, strongly consider using a scale when measuring ingredients to get the cake texture perfect.Storage
Store your baked chiffon cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.Can I freeze my cake?
Yes! Let the chiffon cake cool completely, set on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set in the freezer until frozen through, about three hours. Once frozen, wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and then foil. To defrost, set the frozen, wrapped cake in the fridge to defrost overnight. The next day set on the counter until the cake has come to room temperature. If you’d like more cake tips, check out Favorite Easy Baking Tips for Perfect Cakes! Enjoy your fluffy cake!The post How to Make the Perfect, Fluffy & Foolproof Chiffon Cake appeared first on DisplacedHousewife.
