Basic Chiffon Cake

Ingredients

• 1.2 cup plain flour, sifted
• 2.1.5 cup sugar
• 3.3 teaspoon baking powder
• 4.1 teaspoon salt
• 5.0.5 cup vegetable oil, neutral salad oil
• 6.7 egg yolks, unbeaten
• 7.0.75 cup water, cold
• 8.2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 9.2 teaspoon lemon rind, grated
• 10.egg whites, 1 cup; approximately 7–8 whites; beaten to very stiff peaks
• 11.0.5 teaspoon cream of tartar, for beating egg whites

Method

1. 1.Set out but do not grease a 10" tube pan, 4" deep.
2. 2.Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
3. 3.Make a well in the centre and add in order: oil, egg yolks, cold water, vanilla and lemon rind. Beat with a spoon until satin smooth.
4. 4.In a separate large bowl, whip egg whites with cream of tartar until they form very stiff peaks.
5. 5.Pour the egg yolk batter in a thin stream over the entire surface of the egg whites, gently folding with a rubber scraper just until blended.
6. 6.Pour into the ungreased tube pan. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 55 minutes, then raise to 350°F (177°C) for a further 10–15 minutes, until the surface springs back when lightly touched. Never underbake a chiffon cake.
7. 7.Immediately invert the pan over a funnel and let hang until completely cool. Loosen with a spatula, turn over and hit edge sharply on a table to loosen.

Notes

• The tube pan must be ungreased — the batter needs to cling to the sides to rise properly.
• Orange Chiffon variation: substitute orange juice for water and orange rind for lemon rind. Use only 1 tsp vanilla or none. Fill and frost with Orange Custard Filling — see orange-chiffon-cake recipe.
• Chocolate/Cocoa Chiffon variation: see chocolate-chiffon-cake recipe.
• This is the foundational recipe for a family of chiffon cake variations in this collection.