Baking partners, the group of baking enthusiasts who came together and started baking together completed its one year this month. I have been a part of this group started by Swathi Iyer of Zesty South Indian Kitchen since the beginning of this year and I have thoroughly enjoyed baking with these amazing bakers. I have learned several new techniques and recipes with this group which I would have never attempted otherwise. I am very happy to say that this month’s baking challenge; the Lemon Glow Chiffon Cake would also be my 200th post. Thank you one and all for all your support and encouragement. Coming to the cake, I have always been awed seeing the texture of this cake. Making this cake does require some mind-blowing steps which were fun to do, but it is not a hard recipe. If followed correctly, the cake could be made within a couple of hours. This recipe was suggested by Saraswathi of Sara’s kitchen and she adapted this recipe from the book The Cake Bible written by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
What is Chiffon Cake
Chiffon cakes are foam cakes that have a soft and spongy texture. This cake is very similar in appearance to angel food cake and is usually baked in the same type of tube pan. Chiffon cakes, unlike angel food cakes, contain both egg yolks and vegetable oil. These two ingredients keep the cake moist, soft and tender which tastes great and keeps it well. Even when refrigerated this cake remains soft. The reason is that this cake contains oil instead of butter which remains soft even in the refrigerator unlike butter which hardens when refrigerated. . Because of the lower fat level than butter cake and less cholesterol and saturated fat, this could very well be the guilt-free cake that you could indulge in. The chiffon cake was created by Harry Baker, a Los Angeles insurance agent, in 1927. Baker carefully guarded his secret technique for almost two decades, only selling his cakes to celebrities and the famous Brown Derby restaurant. The popularity of his cakes grew quickly, and he eventually sold the recipe to General Mills in 1947. Now, Mr. Baker had two big secrets with his chiffon cake recipe. The first is that chiffon cakes use oil instead of butter, which aids in the airy quality of the cake. It is also nice because the cake can be refrigerated without firming up. The second secret of the chiffon cake is to whip the egg whites separately from the yolks and to fold them ever so gently into the batter. If done correctly, the results are divine. If not, you can end up with an oozy-gooey mess in your pans. Preparation time – 30 minsCooking time – 50 – 55 minsDifficulty level – medium
Ingredients to make Lemon Glow Chiffon Cake – Makes 1 – 10 inch tube pan
Dry Ingredients –
Cake flour – 2 ¼ cup/ 8 oz/ 225 gms Sugar (caster) – 1 ½ cups/300 gms Salt – ½ tsp Baking soda – ½ tsp Lemon zest – 1 ½ tbsp
Wet ingredients –
Egg yolk – from 3 large eggs Water (room temp) – ⅔ cup/ 156 gms Oil (vegetable or canola) – ½ cup / 108gms Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) – 2 tbsp/ 30 gms Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
For Meringue –
Procedure to make Lemon Glow Chiffon Cake –
Separate the eggs and leave them outside at room temperature for at least half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Keep the 10-inch tube pan with a detachable base ready. Do not grease the pan. It is essential to leave the pan ungreased to enable the cake to rise. In a large bowl, measure the sugar. Add the lemon zest and work it with the sugar until the sugar becomes grainy and very aromatic.
Add the cake flour, salt, and baking soda to the bowl and mix them well. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add all the wet ingredients to the well. Using a whisk, mix all the ingredients well together until there are no lumps and the batter becomes smooth.
To make the meringue - In a clean large mixing bowl, add the egg whites and start beating them until they are grainy and foamy. Now add the cream of tartar and beat it on medium speed until soft peaks form. The soft peak is a stage where the beater whisk makes a mark, but the peaks fall off the whisk. At this stage start adding the 2 tablespoon of sugar gradually and beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. This is the stage when the peaks stand in an upright position without falling off the whisk. Slowly add about ⅓rd of the egg white to the prepared batter and gently stir it until well incorporated. Use a folding motion to mix the egg whites rather than quick mixing. Take care not to deflate the egg whites when mixing.
Add the remaining egg whites in 2 more batches and incorporate it well until no trace of egg white can be found in the batter.
Transfer the batter to an ungreased tube pan. Run a knife or spatula through the batter a few times to remove any air pockets from the batter.
Bake for 50 – 55 mins until the cake bounces back when gently pressed in the center. Try to bake close to its actual baking time, since the cake would be a gooey mess when undercooked. If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover the pan with foil and continue baking to its actual baking time.
Halfway into the baking time Fresh out of the oven
Once cooked, please remove it from the oven and immediately invert it over a bottle or anything similar that could hold the pan safely upside down. Also, ensure that there is space between the counter and the pan so there is enough airflow to cool the cake.
Let the cake remain in this position until completely cool, about 2 hrs. Now run a blunt knife or a spatula against the wall of the pan to loosen the cake.
Remove the cake from the pan with its base intact. Now run a knife under the base of the pan and remove the cake carefully.
Eager hands ready to grab the cake!
Place it on the serving tray with the bottom side on top and dust it with confectionery sugar!
This cake remains fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature, 10 days in the refrigerator, and for up to a month in the freezer.
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