This is my mother's classic, a recipe that is guaranteed NOT to fail, and it rises each time. I have baked this several times now, without a fail, and always excellent to be devoured with a cuppa tea. I saw some blog posts recently about Chiffon cake, and although I was keen to try out different versions out there, sometimes it's better to be on the safe side, hence here I am sharing this classic with you.
The secret of a beautifully risen chiffon lies in the freshness of the eggs, which should also be kept at room temperature. I must also add that cream of tartar is a must for a stiff meringue that does not fall flat in the oven whilst being baked. There are some theories out there on substituting cream of tartar with vinegar. Honestly I have not tried it, and I am not sure how it might change the taste. Another tip from my mom is using a stainless steel bundt pan, instead of a non-stick pan as the cake needs to 'climb' up and steel is better than non stick for this.
Back home, we also have a different flavour called 'Pandan', which is actually my preferred flavour than orange. I don't think we can get the Pandan leaves (whereby you get the juice extract by squeezing the blended leaves through a sieve), so voila, we shall be contented with an orange chiffon instead, eh?
Note: You can also use different flavouring such as coffee by substituting orange rinds and juice with espresso powder instead.
Ingredients
- pan size: 23 inch bundt pan
- 1 cup self raising flour
- a pinch of salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar-divided into 2 portions
- 6 eggs-separate the yolks
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 6 tablespoons corn oil
- 1 orange-take the juice and the grate the rinds
- 1 tbsp orange extract (optional for stronger flavour)
Method
1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, orange rinds, salt and 1 portion (1/2 cup) of the sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks lightly, add the orange juice,oil and mix this into the flour. Mix until the ingredients are well blended.
2. Whisk the egg whites on high speed. When the egg whites are fluffy, add in the cream of tartar and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar gradually. Whisk until it forms stiff peaks and when the bowl is turned upside down, the meringue does not fall.
3. Fold the meringue into the well blended ingredients using metal spoon. Prepare a bundt pan. Do not grease the pan, but only sprinkle plain flour throughout. Fold the mix into bundt pan.
4. Bake the chiffon at 175c for 30 minutes. DO NOT open the oven during the baking. Once skewer comes out clean, turn the bundt pan upside down and let the cake cool in the pan. This takes about an hour.
5. Once completely cool, serve the chiffon with optional icing sugar dusting on top.
Post by JEHANNE
Food
