Here’s a classic chiffon cake—light, airy, and moist like a cross between sponge cake and angel food cake.
🍰 Chiffon Cake (Vanilla Base)
Ingredients
Dry:
- 1¾ cups cake flour
- 1½ cups sugar (divided)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Wet:
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 6 egg yolks
- ¾ cup water (or milk for richer taste)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Egg whites:
- 6 egg whites
- ½ tsp cream of tartar (or 1 tsp lemon juice)
Instructions
1. Preheat & prep
- Heat oven to 325°F (160°C)
- Use an ungreased tube pan (important for chiffon cakes to climb)
2. Make yolk batter
- In a bowl, whisk:
- egg yolks
- oil
- water/milk
- vanilla
- Sift in flour, baking powder, salt, and half the sugar
- Mix until smooth and lump-free
3. Whip egg whites
- Beat egg whites + cream of tartar until foamy
- Slowly add remaining sugar
- Whip to stiff peaks (glossy, not dry)
4. Fold gently
- Add 1/3 of egg whites into batter to lighten it
- Gently fold in remaining whites (don’t deflate air)
5. Bake
- Pour into tube pan
- Bake 50–60 minutes, until top springs back and skewer comes out clean
6. Cool upside down (key step)
- Immediately invert pan (flip upside down)
- Let cool completely before removing
- This prevents collapse
Tips for perfect chiffon cake
- Do NOT grease the pan
- Fold gently—air is your structure
- Room-temperature eggs whip better
- Cool upside down for maximum height
Flavor variations
- Lemon zest + juice for citrus chiffon
- Cocoa powder for chocolate chiffon
- Matcha powder for green tea version
If you want, I can also give you a foolproof chocolate chiffon cake or a cream-filled chiffon roll (Swiss roll style).
