Vanilla Chiffon
Memory foam mattresses don't hold a candle to this cake.
If you're a fan of angel food cake, this is her prettier cousin.
I'm sorry, I do love you angel food cake, but chiffon is my number one.
Light, airy, and with a tender crumb. So much flavour from those yolks and even with a simple addition of vanilla, it really is the cake of my dreams.
Recipe:
Makes one 9" chiffon cake
6 yolks
47g sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
100g cake flour
20g corn starch
10g baking powder
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 egg whites
96g fine sugar
splash vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional, for whipped cream)
2 tbsp icing sugar (optional, for whipped cream)
For the egg yolks: In a medium bowl whisk the egg yolks and 47g of sugar until pale and doubled in volume.
Add the oil, milk and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
For the egg whites: Wipe a large glass or metal bowl with vinegar to remove any trace of oil. Pour in your 6 egg whites and beat until foamy. Add the 96g of sugar, little by little until medium stiff peaks form. Over whisking will lead to a dryer cake.
Fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture. Once no lumps of egg whites remain, add the folded batter back to the egg white bowl. Continue to fold everything gently together until no streaks of egg whites remain.
Preheat oven to 330 degrees. Transfer the batter to your angel food cake tin. Tap tin on the counter to remove large air bubbles. Note: This tin should NOT be greased (you want the batter to have something to cling to. If the tin is greased, the cake will collapse and not rise properly).
Bake cake at 330 degrees for 40 minutes until set. Do NOT (I repeat) open the oven while baking.
Once finished the cake should not wobble. Allow the cake to cool completely, upside down. This is best done by placing it inverted over a wine bottle neck. If using an angel food cake pan, the bottle neck will go through the center hole! This action will keep the air bubbles in your cake in tact and reduce shrinkage.
To remove from the tin: Run a knife or offset spatula along the outer and inner rim of the cake pan. Use your fingers to press the cake slightly inwards and pry it from the bottom. Don't worry, the cake should be very forgiving and spring back in to place!
To serve:
Top with fresh whipped cream, made by whipping heavy cream and icing sugar with a handheld mixer. Best enjoyed at room temperature. Keeps for up to three days at room temperature in an airtight container.
