Chiffon Cake: the effortless recipe for a beautiful, fluffy, rich dessert

If you're craving a gorgeous dessert with a tender crumb, ultra-light texture, and perfectly sweet flavor, you'll love this easy chiffon cake recipe. It's the ideal dessert for any occasion.

Thanks to ingredients like oil and egg yolks, chiffon cake is deliciously rich, while whipped egg whites help lend a cloud-like, airy texture that makes each bite melt in your mouth.To make the perfect chiffon cake, you'll need a tube pan – it's a must for achieving a tall, light cake.

You can mix up this easy cake recipe by adding other ingredients to make tasty chiffon cake variations like lemon, chocolate, or coconut. No matter how you choose to flavor your chiffon cake, be sure to serve it with a generous dusting of powdered sugar and a helping of whipped cream.

What is Chiffon Cake?

Chiffon cake is an exceptionally fluffy, tender, moist cake with a wonderfully airy texture and a rich flavor. It's a similar dessert to both sponge cake and angel food cake, but with a couple of differences. Chiffon cake is lighter and less dense than sponge cake.

Angel food cake is even lighter than chiffon cake and doesn't contain egg yolks or fat. So if you're in the mood for a light dessert that has a richer flavor than angel food cake, chiffon cake is perfect for you.

Chiffon Cake Origins

The story of Chiffon Cake is full of mystery but it is known that it was invented by Harry Baker, an insurer with an obsession with sweets looking for a very fluffy and tall cake. Baker arrived at the Brown Derby in Los Angeles and served it there as a sweet. There it was born its success, also because of the particular secret recipe.

Vanilla Chiffon Cake Ingredients

Oil and water give chiffon cake its incredibly moist, tender crumb, while egg whites, cream of tartar, and baking powder help the cake to rise and give it that lighter-than-air texture.

To give the cake its characteristic richness, you'll need egg yolks, and a dash of vanilla extract gives it a subtle sweet vanilla flavor.

Cake flour is the only way to go when it comes to making chiffon cake, and of course, you'll need some sugar to give the cake its satisfying sweetness.

How to Make Fluffy Chiffon Cake

To make the best chiffon cake at home, start by sifting your dry ingredients into a large bowl. This step is essential for helping to make your cake light and airy, so don't be tempted to skip it! Grab a second bowl and combine the egg yolks, oil, water, and vanilla. Beat the wet ingredients until they're frothy.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and beat to combine. Put the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl of your stand mixer and beat them until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the cake batter, then transfer the batter to your tube pan.

Bake the cake for 1 hour at 325. Take the pan out of the oven and flip the cake onto a rack to cool. Once cooled, loosen the cake from the pan by running a knife around the edges. Serve your chiffon cake with ice cream, whipped cream, and a side of berries.

Can You Make Chiffon Cake Without a Tube Pan?

Of course! However, there's one important thing to note. If you bake your chiffon cake in a regular cake pan, it won't be as light and fluffy as it would be if made in a tube pan. The good news? It'll still be delicious!

Expert Tips for Cloud-like Chiffon Cake

To prevent your chiffon cake from collapsing, be sure to beat the egg whites really well. Using fresh baking powder also helps stop the cake from collapsing, as does baking the cake in a tube pan.

Make sure to use room-temperature ingredients when making your chiffon cake. This is especially important for the eggs.

Sifting the dry ingredients will help you achieve the fluffiest chiffon cake with the lightest texture Don't skip this step!

Don't over mix the cake batter.

You can easily add other ingredients to make flavored chiffon cakes. Lemon, chocolate, coffee, and orange are all popular options.

Make sure the bowl of your stand mixer is perfectly clean. If there is any oil or grease, the egg whites won't form into stiff peaks as well.

You know your cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly crumb-free.

Jazz up your chiffon cake by garnishing it with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or icing.

How to Store Chiffon Cake

Wrap your chiffon cake in cling film or place it in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Can You Freeze Chiffon Cake?

You can definitely freeze your chiffon cake! Let it cool down, then wrap it tightly in cling film, followed by a layer of foil.

It'll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it out in the fridge overnight before you plan on serving the cake.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325°F.

Sift the cake flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl.

In a second bowl, add the egg yolks, water, oil, and vanilla extract.

Mix until well-combined and frothy.

Beat the egg mixture into the flour mixture.

Pour the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until stiff peaks form.

Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the batter.

Once just combined, fold the rest of the egg whites in.

Mix well.

Gently transfer the batter to a tube pan.

Gently run a butter knife through the batter to release any air pockets.

Bake for 1 hour.

Remove the pan from the oven and flip the cake onto a rack to cool.

Once cooled, loosen the cake from the pan by running a knife around the edges.

Decorate with powdered sugar.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Use a 10-inch tube pan to make your chiffon cake for an ultra-light, fluffy, taller cake.