A chiffon cake is sort of like a sponge cake but airier. Like its cousin, angel food cake, it is also baked in a tube pan and is quite tall. It comes in a variety of flavors and in this article, we bring you the orange chiffon cake recipe. What’s more, this cake, like the sponge cake goes forth with egg separation, whites, and yolks, and also contains baking powder and oil.
Orange chiffon cake recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 10 pods cardamom (for ½ tsp ground cardamom)
- 3 oranges (for the zest and 4 tbsp juice)
- 85 gm sugar (1 tbsp set aside, plus divided into thirds)
- 40 ml neutral oil
- 75 g cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
For Serving
- 1 tbsp orange zest (long curly strips)
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar (for dusting; optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°C; for convection ovens, reduce temperature by 15°C. Ensure you have a 7-inch aluminum chiffon cake pan with a removable base ready.
- Carefully separate three large eggs, placing yolks in a medium bowl and whites in a larger bowl.
- Refrigerate or freeze the egg whites for 15 minutes until cold. It's fine if whites become partially frozen.
- Meanwhile, crush 10 cardamom pods and discard the cardamom shells, keeping only the seeds inside. Grind them to a fine powder until you have ½ teaspoon. Set aside.
- Next, zest the oranges, avoiding the bitter white pith inside, to measure two to three tablespoons. Make sure you get some long curly strips of orange zest.
- Reserve one tablespoon of the long curly strips specifically for decorating the finished cake.
- Cut one to two oranges in half and squeeze to obtain exactly four tablespoons (60ml) of fresh juice.
- In a large bowl, combine egg yolks with one-third of the 85 gm sugar. Whisk vigorously until it becomes creamy and turns pale.
- Pour the oil into the bowl and mix. Then add the ground cardamom and orange zest to the yolk mixture. Whisk until well combined. Pour in orange juice and whisk again to mix.
- In a separate bowl, sift cake flour and baking powder. Then add ⅓ of the flour into the egg bowl. Repeat in two more parts and mix until just blended in.
- Take out the chilled egg whites from refrigerator/freezer and using an electric mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-low speed until bubbly and foamy.
- Add one-third of the remaining sugar, and continue whisking for 30 seconds. Increase the mixer to high speed and gradually add the remaining sugar in small amounts while beating, until stiff peaks form, about two minutes on high speed.
- Test for stiff peaks by lifting the beater – peaks should stand upright with minimal tip bend.
- Add one-third of the meringue to the yolk batter, mixing just enough to incorporate, then fold in half of the remaining meringue, being careful not to deflate.
- Transfer the batter into the bowl with the remaining meringue and fold gently until just combined, maintaining as much air as possible. The batter should fall in ribbons when lifted.
- Pour the batter into an ungreased pan from six to eight inches in height, pouring in one spot. Insert a wooden skewer through the batter several times to remove any air pockets.
- Hold the removable base in place while gently tapping the pan on the counter several times.
- Transfer the pan to the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Check the cake by gently pressing the top – it should spring back when done. Remove from oven and immediately drop pan gently on the counter to prevent shrinking.
- Invert the pan onto a tall bottleneck and let it cool, while suspended upside down. Once cooled, run a long offset spatula around the outer edge of the cake.
- Use a small offset spatula around the inner tube and carefully remove the cake and base from the outer pan. Then run the offset spatula along the bottom to release from the base.
- Invert the cake onto a serving plate or stand and dust top with the powdered sugar you had set aside. Then sprinkle with reserved orange zest curls.
Note: This can also be frosted with whipped cream and taste even more delicious.