With This Guide, Your Chiffon Dessert Cake Is Going To Be Light, Fluffy And Airy

The chiffon cake is a type of sponge cake that gets its name because of how light and airy it is, much like the delicate fabric. Since it's made with vegetable oil instead of a fat like butter, it ends up being lighter and fluffier. It's traditionally topped with powdered sugar and served in generous slices. The cake is often enjoyed with afternoon tea or coffee and is not too sweet, but solid and filling. It's the perfect dessert to serve up when you're enjoying an intimate afternoon with close family and friends. So here’s everything you need to know to make this unique, delicious dessert cake.

Ingredients:

• 210 gm cake flour
• 250 gm granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 7 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 80 ml cold water
• 120 ml vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 7 large eggs whites, room temperature
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 177°C.

Grease a cake pan with butter. Set aside.

In a bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Set aside.

In another bowl, add the egg yolks, water, oil and vanilla and whisk thoroughly.

Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, a little bit at a time. Add some, mix it well until it's fully incorporated, then add a little more. Continue until the wet ingredients are fully mixed in with the dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a bowl, add the egg whites and cream of tartar and beat with a hand mixer or with a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Keep beating until stiff peaks form.

Then add the egg whites into the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Don't mix too vigorously. You just have to fold in the egg whites until they are combined.

Add the batter to the greased pan. Tap the pan against the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.

Bake for an hour. The time will vary depending on the machine you're using. You know it's done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Or, if you gently poke the cake with your finger and it bounces back, that means it's done.

Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.

Then use a butter knife to loosen the cake and invert it on a serving plate or cake stand.

Garnish however you like and serve cool.

Notes, tips and tricks:

When you're bringing together the dry ingredients, remember to sift them before adding them to the bowl. This gets rid of any clumps and ensures that the ingredients will mix together evenly. It also leads to a fluffier cake.

If you over mix the batter, there’s a good chance that the gluten will over develop, which will lead to a tough, dry and dense cake. So mix only until everything is well incorporated, and no more.

If you have the time, it's best to separate the eggs in advance and then use for baking later. This is recommended because eggs are easier to separate when they are cold. So separate them straight out of the fridge. But then let the separated eggs sit out at room temperature because egg whites whip up more easily when they are slightly warm. So separate them cold and then whisk them in once they are room temperature.

After adding the egg whites to the mixture, don’t stir. Instead, fold them in with a cutting motion, placing a section onto the middle and so on. This way the egg whites will not deflate and the cake will be soft and fluffy.

You can garnish the cake with chopped nuts like almonds, pistachios, walnuts, dates, raisins or others, either to the batter itself or sprinkled on top. You can top with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, jam or a fruit compote. Add a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. You can also add fresh fruit, like slices of apples, strawberries, bananas or any other fruit that is in season. You can also add fancier toppings like marshmallows, brownie bits, cookie crumbs or anything else that you can think up.