Do you know the lightness of a cloud? Chiffon cake will give you just this sensation: a soft dough, extremely soft and delicate to melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
- 3 large (65g each) eggs – yolks and whites separated (use 4 if your eggs are 55 or 60 g each)
- 70 g cream cheese – softened at room temperature
- 30 g caster sugar (for cream cheese)
- 60 g caster sugar (for whites)
- 40 ml vegetable oil
- Zest from 2 large lemons
- 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml milk
- 75 g cake flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 345°F/175°C.
- Whisk cream cheese and sugar together until combined.
- Add in egg yolks and continue to mix for another 1 min.
- Combine the oil, milk, lemon zest and lemon juice to the mixture and give it a final mix.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the egg mixture.
- Whisk until all the dry ingredients disappear and lump-free. Set aside.
- In another large clean bowl, add in egg whites. Using an electric beater, whisk the egg whites over low speed until foamy.
- Add in 1 batch of the sugar and whisk over medium speed for about 30 seconds before adding in the 2nd batch of sugar.
- Continue to whisk over medium speed for another 30 seconds.
- Add in the last batch of the sugar and turn up the speed. Cream the egg whites until stiff peaks just formed. You should to be able to see streaks forming in the egg whites and when you lift the beaters, the meringue should be able to hold up by itself.
- Mix one generous portion of the meringue into the egg mixture with a whisk in gently but swift motion.
- Pour the yolk mixture into the rest of meringue. Fold gently until everything is well combined.
- The texture should be light and fluffy.
- Pour into a 7-inch / 17 cm chiffon tin and bake for 30 – 35 mins.
- Remove the cake from the oven and immediately drop the cake tin on the counter twice. This will prevent the cake from deflating.
- Turn the tin upside down and allow to cool completely before removing from the cake.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
- The cake keeps well at room temperature for up to 5 days.
