Lemon Chiffon Cake: the light, zesty dessert for any occasion

Lemon chiffon cake is a classic, popular cake that you can serve for any occasion. With its lighter-than-air texture, moist, tender crumb, it's a zesty lemon variation of classic chiffon cake.

It's a staple sweet treat made with a tube pan you can enjoy with afternoon tea, and also makes a fantastic dessert for potlucks, picnics, and summer barbecues. You can even serve it up with a cup of coffee for breakfast! Perfectly sweet with just the right amount of tangy lemon flavor, lemon chiffon cake is a surefire hit you can serve the next time you have friends around.

Lemon Chiffon Cake Ingredients

Use room-temperature ingredients to make your lemon chiffon cake. The ingredients will come together easier and prevent you from overmixing the batter.

Lemon chiffon cake gets its moist, tender texture thanks to vegetable oil, egg, and water. Lemon juice and lemon zest give the cake its irresistible flavor – be sure to use fresh lemons for the best taste. Baking powder leavens the cake. You'll also need flour plus sugar for sweetness.

To make the glaze, you'll need butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a dash of vanilla. Salted butter is preferable to unsalted butter as that tiny bit of salt helps balance out the sweetness of the powdered sugar.

How to Make Lemon Chiffon Cake

Making this gorgeous, airy homemade lemon chiffon cake couldn't be easier. Start by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Grab a second bowl and beat the egg whites to form stiff peaks. You can use a handheld electric mixer to make the job easier. Carefully fold one-third of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites. Don't overmix the batter! If you do, the cake will deflate.

Pour the batter into a tube cake pan and bake it at 325F for 50 to 60 minutes. When you take it out of the oven, immediately turn the cake out onto a plate. Leave it to cool completely. To make the glaze, whisk the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Pour the glaze over the cooled chiffon cake. Leave for half an hour to harden, then serve.

Tips for Making the Best Lemon Chiffon Cake

For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Use any citrus for a tasty spin on this airy, delicious lemon chiffon cake. Meyer lemon, key lime, clementines, blood orange, and Cara Cara oranges would all be wonderful in this recipe.

How to Store Lemon Chiffon Cake

Place the cake in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Can you freeze Lemon Chiffon Cake?

Yes, you can! Wrap individual slices of chiffon cake in plastic wrap, and cover with another layer of aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325F.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.

Beat in egg yolks,

Pour oil.

Add lemon zest.

Add lemon juice.

In a second bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Make sure the bowl is completely clean and grease-free. Otherwise, the stiff peaks won't form.

Gently fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter.

Once added, fold in the remaining egg whites.

Transfer the batter to a tube pan that's not greased.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Because the cake gets most of its height from the whipped egg whites, it’s very delicate. It’s therefore important to invert the chiffon cake pan and allow it to cool upside down so that it doesn’t collapse. It also prevents trapped steam which would otherwise make the cake soggy.

For the glaze, whisk the butter, lemon zest and juice, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl. If the glaze is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more lemon juice.

Pour the glaze over the cooled chiffon cake. Leave for 30 minutes to harden.

Garnish with lemon slices, zest and mint leaves.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Use a round tube pan to bake your lemon chiffon cake.