Chiffon cake is a classic cake recipe that’s perfect for any occasion. Light and airy with a cloud-like, fluffy texture, I know your friends and family will love this moist, delicious cake.
Serve it with a dusting of powdered sugar or homemade whipped cream and fresh berries. For an extra special treat, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
But anyway, you serve our fluffy chiffon cake; I know it’s going to bring smiles to your table.
Don’t be intimidated by this recipe. Making a light and fluffy chiffon cake is easier than you think. Just follow my step-by-step instructions to make this classic dessert.
If you love light and fluffy cakes, make sure to try our sponge cake and Italian lemon ricotta cake recipes.
Ingredients to make a Chiffon Cake
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our chiffon cake recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
What makes a chiffon cake so light and airy?
The ingredients used to make this delicious baked creation are what gives this cake its unique characteristics.
Cake flour is a must to achieve a lighter crumb while keeping the cake soft and tender. All-purpose flour just won’t yield the same results.
Make sure to look at the expiration date on the eggs and find the freshest eggs available. Separating the eggs makes all the difference. Whipping the egg whites into a meringue helps keep the cake light and delicate and lifts it as it bakes.
Cream of tartar helps stabilize the egg whites, adding substance to the cake’s structure. Don’t leave out the cream of tartar!
Vegetable oil adds moisture and improves the cake’s overall texture. Using vegetable oil instead of butter is the secret to getting that melt-in-your-mouth texture. Oil doesn’t solidify when refrigerated, so the cake will be moist whether it’s kept at room temperature or in the fridge.
Last but not least, make sure the baking powder is fresh. Old baking powder will not yield good results.
How to make a Chiffon Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and place an oven rack on the lowest rack of the oven.
- Separate the cold eggs.
- Add the cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and table salt to a large bowl.
- Whisk to combine the dry ingredients, then sift the mixture.
- Add the vegetable oil, whole milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and room-temperature egg yolks to a large bowl.
- Whisk until foamy.
- Add the room-temperature egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl with an electric hand mixer).
- Whip at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (5 – 7 minutes).
Chef Tip:
To make the perfect chiffon cake, sift the dry ingredients. Sifting will aerate them, helping to create a light and fluffy cake. Don’t skip this step!!
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the flour mixture.
- Mix just enough to combine.
- Gently fold in the remainder of the whipped egg whites.
- Mix just enough to combine. Use the spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Chef Tip:
Overmixing after adding the flour will over-develop the gluten, which can lead to a tough, dense, and dry cake.
Cold eggs will separate more easily, but egg whites whip better at room temperature. Make sure the inside of the mixing bowl is completely dry before adding the egg whites.
- Spoon the cake batter into an ungreased tube pan. Gently run a butter knife through the batter to release any air pockets that may have formed.
- Place the pan on the lowest rack of the preheated oven and bake for 55 -60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
*The cake should spring back to a light touch.
Place the cake in the pan upside down on a wire rack to cool. When it has cooled, gently run a knife around the edges of the pan to release it from the pan.
Place the chiffon cake on a serving platter and dust it with confectioners’ sugar.
After one taste of our classic chiffon cake, you’re going to be hooked. There are so many ways to enjoy this delicious dessert!
Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days, refrigerated for 5-6 days. To freeze the chiffon cake, tightly wrap it with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let it come to room temperature before serving.
Recipe FAQ’s
A sponge cake typically contains flour, sugar, eggs, and baking powder. Chiffon cake includes vegetable oil, which gives it a moist texture. It also uses a combination of baking powder and whipped egg whites to create its distinctly fluffy texture.
Under-whipping the egg whites will weaken the cake structure and cause it to collapse. Also, make sure the baking powder and the eggs are fresh. Using older ingredients will often cause the cake to collapse.
No, you don’t, but a tube pan will allow the cake to climb, creating a tall and fluffy cake. You can use a bundt pan or springform pan, but the results won’t be as good.
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Chiffon Cake
Equipment
- 10 inch tube pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 7 large eggs – separated room temperature
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- powdered sugar for dusting optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and place an oven rack on the lowest rack of the oven.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then sift the mixture.
- Add the vegetable oil, milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and room-temperature egg yolks to a large bowl and whisk until foamy.
- Add the room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes.
- Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Fold one-third of the egg whites into the flour mixture, mixing just enough to combine.
- Gently fold in the remainder of the whipped egg whites. Mixing just enough to combine.
- Spoon the batter into an ungreased tube pan. Run a butter knife gently through the batter to release any air pockets that may have formed.
- Place the pan on the lowest rack of the preheated oven and bake for 55 -60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. *The cake should spring back to a light touch.
- Place the cake in the pan upside down on a wire rack to cool.
- When the cake has cooled, gently run a knife around the edges of the pan to release the cake from the pan.
- Place the cake on a serving platter and dust it with confectioners’ sugar.Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
- Notes
- For the fluffiest cake, do not skip sifting your dry ingredients. Sifting will aerate them and remove any possible lumps in the dry ingredients.
- Cool UPSIDE DOWN. Angel food cake pans have little metal “feet” on the top of the pan for standing the cake upside down. You can also invert the pan onto the neck of a wine bottle. Cool for at least 30 minutes upside down. You can cool it completely.
- I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour. However, if you don’t have a scale, be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup.
- Avoid over-mixing as you risk over-developing the gluten in the batter leading to a tough, dry, and dense cake.
- Eggs are easier to separate when cold. Egg whites whip up easier when closer to room temperature. I recommend separating them in advance if you have the time.
- If you don’t want to garnish with powdered sugar, add dollops of whipped cream and berries.
- When folding in the egg whites, turn the mixture in on itself with a cutting motion, not stirring. This way, you do not deflate the egg whites.
- When whipping the egg whites, make sure there’s no water or liquid in the mixer as it’ll prevent the egg whites from forming peaks.
Notes
- Sift the dry ingredients before using them.
- Overmixing after adding the flour will over-develop the gluten, which can lead to a tough, dense, and dry cake.
- Cold eggs will separate more easily, but egg whites whip better at room temperature. Make sure the inside of the mixing bowl is completely dry before adding the egg whites.
- Cooling the chiffon cake upside down allows it to cool while keeping all the bubbles and air in it rather than becoming condensed by gravity during cooling.
- Don’t grease the pan – the batter will grab onto the sides and center tube of the pan and “climb” to gain a lot of height in the oven. Not greasing helps the cake maintain its cling so that it can cool upside down.
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