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Classic Foam Cakes
Recipe
4 hr 15 min

Chiffon Cake

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Chiffon Cake
Author: America's Test Kitchen

Recipe By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 15, 2024

It was billed as the "cake discovery of the century" in the late 1940's. Can chiffon cake still stand up to the hype?

Time

4 hr 15 min

Yield

Serves 10 to 12

Why This Recipe Works

Chiffon cake has the airy height of angel food cake with the richness of pound cake, but the original recipe is full of complicated, time-consuming steps. We eliminated the unnecessary step of sifting the dry ingredients to make our recipe more accessible. We also perfected the method for beating our eggs to avoid the little pockets of cooked egg whites we encountered in the original recipe.

Ingredients

5 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 ½ cups (10½ ounces/298 grams) sugar
1 ⅓ cups (5⅓ ounces/151 grams) cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. With electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium- high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. With mixer running, slowly add 2 tablespoons sugar and whip until just stiff and glossy, about 1 minute; set aside.
  2. Combine flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Whisk water, oil, egg yolks, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Whisk wet mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Whisk one-third whipped egg whites into batter, then gently fold in remaining whites, 1 scoop at a time, until well combined. Scrape mixture into 16-cup ungreased tube pan.
  3. Bake until tooth- pick inserted into center comes out clean and cracks in cake appear dry, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool, inverted, to room temperature, about 3 hours. To unmold, follow photos below. Serve.

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Chiffon Cake

Recipe By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 15, 2024

Time

4 hr 15 min

Yield

Serves 10 to 12

Chiffon Cake

Ingredients

5 large eggs, separated1 teaspoon cream of tartar1 ½ cups (10½ ounces/298 grams) sugar1 ⅓ cups (5⅓ ounces/151 grams) cake flour2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon salt¾ cup water½ cup vegetable oil1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. With electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium- high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. With mixer running, slowly add 2 tablespoons sugar and whip until just stiff and glossy, about 1 minute; set aside.
  2. Combine flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Whisk water, oil, egg yolks, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Whisk wet mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Whisk one-third whipped egg whites into batter, then gently fold in remaining whites, 1 scoop at a time, until well combined. Scrape mixture into 16-cup ungreased tube pan.
  3. Bake until tooth- pick inserted into center comes out clean and cracks in cake appear dry, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool, inverted, to room temperature, about 3 hours. To unmold, follow photos below. Serve.
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