This is a dreamy chocolate chiffon cake! With real chocolatey flavour from natural cocoa, this cake is moist and super fluffy. It tastes fabulous dusted with icing sugar, frosted with chocolate buttercream or glazed with chocolate ganache.
Hello everyone! Time for another update on one of my favourite kinds of cake, chiffon cakes! And in particular, chocolate chiffon cake is what I just can’t get enough of!
Surely, that’s because I am a chocolate lover though ironically, I don’t ever post enough recipes on chocolate.
Honestly, can I confess that I was never quite satisfied with the chocolate chiffon cake recipe I had here on the blog? It’s not because it didn’t taste good, because it does!
But because the recipe requires an ingredient, chocolate emulco, which is kind of like an intensely flavoured chocolate paste.
Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Pin For Later Click the button to save for later!I like to use it, and as long as it’s in supply, I usually don’t hesitate to add it to any chocolate cake recipe that I feel needs a bold boost of chocolate flavour.
But the thing is, chocolate emulco isn’t available to many of my readers, especially overseas. And some of you may not like to use artificial flavourings in your bakes as well.
So I felt the need to re-think my chocolate chiffon cake recipe to make this just as delicious as ever without the need for pastes or flavourings.
It took quite a few test runs, but I’m happy to say I’ve finally nailed it!
Now I’m super excited to run this recipe by you guys. And, keeping my fingers crossed, I’m feeling so hopeful and positive that you’ll love how this chocolate chiffon cake turns out!
Why this chocolate chiffon cake is amazing!
Let’s dive into why you would want to make this chocolate chiffon cake:
- Rich chocolatey flavour, of course! This isn’t one of those cakes that taste of chocolate, but fall just a little short of chocolatey. The not-so-secret secret is to add just a dash of instant coffee because we all know how coffee makes chocolate cake taste even more chocolatey! But even better, I’m going to share how to bloom your cocoa to get the most flavour out of it!
- Cotton-soft, airy, bouncy and super fluffy! I don’t know how else to say it, but you’re going to be literally eating air in a delicious, cottony cake! This chocolate chiffon cake is so light, a slice or two is not going to make a dent in your tummy.
- Ultra moist and tender crumb. Nobody likes a dry cake, and chiffon cakes in particular, can turn out dry if the recipe ratios are just a little off. Of course, other factors can dry out a cake too (over-whipped meringue, too long a baking time, etc). All these variables aside, this recipe is as good as gold, and will always give you an ultra moist and tender crumb.
Chocolate chiffon cake is simply irresistible for breakfast and tea.
It tastes delicious on its own, dusted with some confectioner’s sugar and served with sliced strawberries. Or chocolate-dipped ones, for the chocoholics out there!
If you are thinking of making a celebratory cake with a chocolate cake, look no further!
This chocolate chiffon cake is decadent with chocolate Italian meringue buttercream or this luxurious chocolate ganache!
Ingredients for chocolate chiffon cake
Chiffon cakes have two parts to making the batter.
- The meringue which is a stiffly beaten mixture of egg whites with sugar, and sometimes stabilised with cream of tartar.
- Then, there’s the rest of the ingredients that make up a thick batter made with eggs yolks, liquids (water / milk / juices / extracts), sugars, oil and flour.
For the meringue
- egg whites
- sugar
- cream of tartar
For the batter:
- cake flour (Don’t have any? You can easily make cake flour from scratch!)
- baking soda
- salt
- milk
- natural cocoa powder (eg. Hershey’s cocoa, NOT Dutch-processed cocoa)
- instant coffee granules or powder
- oil
- egg yolks
- sugar
- vanilla extract
Making the Perfect Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Part 1: Make the cocoa mixture (‘blooming’ the cocoa powder)
Because I was intent on omitting chocolate emulco, I really wanted to find ways to intensify the chocolate flavour.
I had read about ‘blooming’ cocoa powder, and how it helps release flavour trapped in cocoa particles. I just had to try this!
When cocoa powder is “bloomed” it’s mixed with a hot liquid, stirred well to break up any lumps, and then left to sit for a minute or two. The cocoa powder dissolves, which thickens the liquid and releases flavor particles within the powder. (Source: The Kitchn)
To bloom cocoa powder, heat up the milk (or water) in a small saucepan over low heat. Once the milk is hot, but before it comes to a simmer, stir in the cocoa powder to dissolve it.
The cocoa mixture will thicken a little. After blooming the cocoa, stir in instant coffee granules and oil and mix to combine well. Then set it aside to cool.
Part 2: Make the batter
- Steps 1 & 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until thick and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Steps 3 & 4: Stir in the cocoa mixture and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Steps 5 & 6: Add the sifted flour mixture in 2 additions. Stir with a whisk until all the flour is incorporated. The mixture should be thick, smooth and free of lumps.
Whipping the meringue to ideal stiffness
Okay, so next we’re going to whip up the meringue. But first, what is the ideal stiff peak stage?
The ideal stiff peak stage is somewhere between medium and firm stiffness.
If you’ve been baking chiffon cakes, you’ll know that getting the meringue at the ideal stiffness is crucial to the final texture.
And it can sometimes feel a little tricky, even challenging to get right at first. So here are some tips for how you can recognise the right stiffness for your meringue.
If the meringue is under-whipped, your chiffon cake will lack volume and not rise as much, producing a denser crumb.
If over-whipped, the whites will form clumps when you try folding into the batter.
This will also make it harder to break down. Because it takes more effort to incorporate, there’s a tendency to over fold.
The bad news is that we’ll overwork the batter, causing the meringue to lose volume. Thus, resulting in a denser cake as well.
In fact, even if you manage to fold without losing too much air, an over-whipped meringue is one of the most common reasons why chiffon cakes turn out dry.
How do we recognise that? When you lift some meringue with the whisk (flick away excess), it should hold a firm shape from the base towards the tip, and droop over just a bit. Basically, it looks a bit like a small hook at the tip.
A finger test is equally effective. Use your index finger and sweep up just a little meringue, like how you would try to pick up sauce on your finger. You’ll see the same half-curl or hook at the tip if its at the ideal stiffness.
Part 3: Step-by-step whipping of meringue and mixing
When whipping up meringue, make sure your mixer bowl is dry and grease-free.
- Step 1: In a dry and grease-free mixer bowl, add egg whites and sprinkle cream of tartar over it. Whip on medium speed (speed 4 on my Kitchen Aid) until it starts to turn frothy.
- Step 2: Add sugar, bit by bit, and continue to whip until stiff peak stage.
- Step 3: Lift the whisk. When the meringue holds its shape and curls just a bit at the tip like a little hook, it is at the ideal stiffness.
- Step 4: Fold in 1/3 of the meringue into the batter, very gently using a whisk.
- Steps 5 & 6: Fold in the next 1/3 of the meringue, again keeping it gentle and consistent in motion.
- Steps 7 & 8: Fold in the remaining meringue until well incorporated. The final batter should be light and smooth, without any visible streaks of meringue.
Part 4: Fill the pan and bake
Gently pour the batter into the tube pan from one position, letting the batter spread to fill the pan.
Level the surface with an offset spatula. Then give the pan a few taps on the counter to minimise air pockets in the batter.
Bake on the lowest rack in the preheated oven at 170°C (336°F) for anywhere between 40 to 50 minutes, or until just done.
DO NOT open the oven door, even if it’s just to take a quick peek. Only do so about 5 minutes before the end of baking, to test if done.
The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the centre emerges comes out clean.
And don’t worry if you see a bit of cracking on the surface of the cake as it bakes. It’s perfectly fine!
That cracked top is going to be on the bottom when you serve it, anyway because chiffon cakes are served ‘upside-down’.
Part 5: Inverting and cooling
Immediately invert the pan over a slim bottle neck once it is removed from the oven. Allow it to ‘hang’ until completely cooled.
To remove, run an offset spatula gently around the sides of the pan. Invert the cake to free it from the sides of the pan. Then run the spatula around the base to release the funnel.
Chiffon cake is served ‘upside-down’. Dust with confectioner’s sugar sifted over the cake, and serve with sliced strawberries for a delicious tea treat.
Tips for Getting the Perfect Chiffon Cake Texture
1. Use the right pan
Chiffon cakes are best baked in a chiffon tube pan without non-stick coating.
This is because the batter needs to cling to the sides of the pan as it rises, which is what gives the cake its height and airy crumb. The best pans are made of aluminium with a removable base.
Baking in dark-tinted pans will give you a darker cake crust, while non-tinted or light-tinted pans will yield a lighter crust, in general.
Be careful as dark-tinted pans could also be non-stick, so avoid these for chiffon cakes.
Do not grease the pan, for the same reasons that you would not bake in a non-stick cake pan.
2. Use the appropriate pan size
In order for the cake to rise straight and tall, use the appropriate sized pan. When the pan is filled with batter, it should not be more than 3/4 full.
3. Have ingredients at room temperature, including eggs
Cold egg whites do not whip up as well, so it won’t trap as much air as egg whites at room temperature.
When blooming cocoa, remember to allow it cool to room temperature before incorporating it into the rest of the batter.
4. Whip meringue to the ideal stiffness
I’ve covered this above, so you’re good to go!
5. Sift powdered ingredients together
Mix powdered ingredients like flour, baking soda or baking powder (or both) and salt. Then sift together.
This will give you a smoother and finer cake crumb and enable the cake to rise evenly and uniformly.
Remember the cream of tartar is for whipping up the meringue, so do not add it here.
6. Do all your mixing, stirring and folding with a whisk
For those of you who are married to your spatulas, it’s time to break up! Seriously, I’m not kidding.
Okay, you can probably get away with mixing and stirring with a spatula, but I strongly recommend folding with a whisk. In baking school, we were encouraged to fold all our meringues with whisks!
I’ve simply found that the meringue will incorporate more easily and thoroughly, with minimal loss of volume due to the inherent shape and structure of the whisk.
It also helps reduce or eliminate air pockets in the batter, so you won’t get those big gaping holes in your chiffon cake.
7. Invert the chiffon pan once out of the oven
Once removed from the oven, immediately invert the pan over a bottle neck once it is removed from the oven.
Or if you have tube pan with ‘feet’, invert the pan over a cooling rack. Allow it to ‘hang’ in this position until completely cooled.
How to store chocolate chiffon cake
Chocolate chiffon cake will keep well for up to 3 days at room temperature, when stored in an air-tight container placed in a cool and dry area.
If you’re planning to bake and freeze, you’ll be happy to know that this cake can be frozen for up to two months.
Once the cake is completely cool, wrap it loosely, but completely sealed, in several layers of cling wrap so as not to damage its shape.
Wrap in a final layer of aluminium foil, and place in the freezer.
Thaw out the cake at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
And that’s all there is to this delightful cake! Enjoy!
Here are more chiffon/sponge cakes to inspire your next bake:
- Hazelnut Chiffon Cake with Cinnamon and Mixed Nuts
- No-Fail Pandan Chiffon Cake
- Black Sesame Chiffon Cake – A Japanese-Inspired Treat
- Vanilla Chiffon Cake + Tips for the Perfect Chiffon Bake!
- Coffee Chiffon Cake
Tried this recipe? I’d love to see! Remember to share your pics on Instagram and tag @foodelicacy or #foodelicacy.
Save this recipe!
Cotton-Soft Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Ingredients
- 80 g cake flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 95 ml milk or water
- 25 g cocoa powder eg. Hershey’s cocoa, NOT Dutch-processed
- ½ tsp instant coffee granules
- 60 ml vegetable oil
- 5 egg yolks
- 50 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the meringue:
- 5 egg whites
- ½ tsp + ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
- 85 g caster sugar
For dusting:
- 1 tsp confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°C (338°F). Position an oven rack to the lowest in the oven.
Bloom the cocoa:
- In a small saucepan, heat milk over low heat until hot but not simmering. Stir in cocoa powder, a little at a time, with a whisk until dissolved and free of lumps. Stir in instant coffee granules.
- Add the oil, and stir to combine well. Allow the cocoa mixture to cool to room temperature.
Make the egg yolk-cocoa batter:
- Meanwhile, have a 20-cm (8-inch) chiffon tube pan ready. DO NOT GREASE.
- Sift together the cake flour, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate, large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until thick and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the cocoa mixture and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the sifted flour mixture in 2 additions. Stir with a whisk until all the flour is incorporated and no streaks of flour are visible. The mixture should be thick, smooth and free of lumps.
Make the meringue:
- Fit an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. In a dry, grease-free mixer bowl, pour in egg whites and sprinkle cream of tartar over.
- Whisk on medium speed (speed 4 on my Kitchen Aid). When the egg whites become frothy, add sugar bit by bit in a steady stream. Whip until stiff peaks form. This may take 5 to 7 minutes, depending on your mixer and speed.
Fold the meringue into the egg yolk-cocoa batter:
- Add ⅓ of meringue (whipped egg whites with sugar) to the egg yolk-cocoa mixture. Fold in gently with a whisk until well incorporated.
- Add another ⅓ of the meringue and again, fold in gently. Add the remaining meringue and fold in gently. The final batter should feel light, and have no visible streaks of meringue.
- Pour into the chiffon tube pan from one place, and let the batter spread to fill the pan. Smooth and level the surface with an offset spatula. Give the pan a few taps on the counter top to minimise air bubbles.
Baking and cooling:
- Bake on the lowest rack in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. DO NOT open the oven door. Only do so about 5 minutes before the end of baking, to test if done. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Note: A bit of cracking on the surface of the cake as it bakes is perfectly alright!
- Immediately invert the pan over a bottle neck once it is removed from the oven. Allow it to ‘hang’ until completely cooled.
- To remove, run an offset spatula gently around the sides of the pan. Invert the cake to free it from the sides of the pan. Then run the spatula around the base to release the funnel.
- Chiffon cake is served ‘upside-down’. Dust with confectioner’s sugar sifted over the cake, and serve with sliced strawberries for a delicious tea treat.
Notes
1. Use the right pan
Chiffon cakes are best baked in a chiffon tube pan without non-stick coating. Do not grease the pan.2. Use the appropriate pan size
In order for the cake to rise straight and tall, use the appropriate sized pan. When the pan is filled with batter, it should not be more than 3/4 full.3. Have ingredients at room temperature, including eggs
Cold egg whites do not whip up as well, so it won’t trap as much air as egg whites at room temperature. When blooming cocoa, remember to allow it cool to room temperature before incorporating it into the rest of the batter.4. Whip meringue to the ideal stiffness
5. Sift powdered ingredients together
This will give you a smoother and finer cake crumb and enable the cake to rise evenly and uniformly.6. Do all your mixing, stirring and folding with a whisk
The meringue will incorporate more easily and thoroughly, with minimal loss of volume due to the inherent shape and structure of the whisk. It also helps reduce or eliminate air pockets in the batter.7. Invert the chiffon pan once out of the oven
Once removed from the oven, immediately invert the pan over a bottle neck once it is removed from the oven. Or if you have tube pan with ‘feet’, invert the pan over a cooling rack. Allow it to ‘hang’ in this position until completely cooled.Nutrition
Celia Lim says
Hi Nhi, I work out recipe ratios and with ratios, there’s some leeway or range that can give us varying chiffon textures that we like. I think between 80 – 100 g cake will work. As mentioned, I haven’t fully tested this but if you are looking to make it soon, this is one I would have tried. It may require some adjustments, and I can’t be certain until I test-bake myself. I’m not sure which 4-egg chiffon cake recipe you meant but I can’t seem to locate the one you referred to.
Nhi says
Hi Celia,
Is the amount of cake flour in your 5 egg recipe correct (80g)?
How come your measurements for a 4 egg recipe has more flour (120g)?
I was trying to adapt for a 6 egg recipe but the cake flour measurements seemed a little off compared to your other chiffon cake recipes I’ve tried.
Celia Lim says
Hi Janice, thank you so much for sharing. This cake should be moist, and not just bit moist but with a moist mouth feel..lol 😃 It could be possible that if the egg whites were whipped too stiff, it will cause a chiffon cake crumb to turn out dry. You could try increasing the amount of oil and/or the amount of sugar – both add moistness.
If you bake in cake pan, the cake will deflate a bit in the centre since there’s nothing for cake to cling to, to rise. I would advise baking in 2 pans, half the batter in each, which is what I did for a frosted buttercream version, and it turned out fine! If only one pan is used for all the batter, you might have a more obvious collapsed centre. Hope this helps, and do share how it works out if you try!
Janice says
Dear Celia,
Thanks for sharing the recipe, I have been trying the pandan, coffee chiffon cake and last weekend I tried the chocolate. It turned out not bad but it could be improved in the moisture. It was a bit dry could you advise?
Also would like to check if I could follow this recipe but change to a cake pan instead? Will it turn out well, as I could do it as a cake with your recipe of chocolate buttercream frosting.
Thank you.
Celia Lim says
Hi Yvonne, I used 1 tbsp of chocolate emulco in the older recipe that uses 3½ eggs. If trying the updated recipe, which I personally feel is a much-improved recipe and I’m hoping you’ll give it a go, you can try adding 1 – 1.5 tbsp chocolate emulco as it’s a 5-eggs recipe.
Celia Lim says
Hi Pui Sung, thank you for the wonderful feedback, I appreciate it so much. Sounds like an 18-cm chiffon tube pan could fit a 4-eggs recipe. I’ve adjusted as follows. For the batter: 120 g cake flour; 1¾ tsp baking powder; ⅛ tsp (slightly heaped) baking soda; ¼ tsp salt; 4 egg yolks; 60 g sugar; 70 g oil; 1 tbsp + 2 tsps instant coffee dissolved in 2½ tsps hot water; 95 ml milk or water; 1½ – 2 tsps coffee paste (optional); 1 tsp vanilla extract. For the meringue: 4 egg whites; ½ tsp cream of tartar; 95 g sugar. Would love to know if these ratios work out okay!
Sim Pui Sung says
Hello, I’ve tried your coffee chiffon cake and totally nailed it. I love it so much. I o ly have a 18cm chiffon cake tin, may I know what’s the amount of ingredient needed for 18cm tin?
Yvonne says
Hi, I would like to use chocolate emulco but missed your earlier recipe. How much do is required? Thanks.
Celia Lim says
Hi Jasmine, I’m so happy that this cake turned out great for you and did not disappoint! Thank you so much for sharing!
Jasmine says
Thanks Celia for sharing recipe. Choc chiffon came out really great, rose well with very fine texture. Highly recommend to try.
Celia Lim says
Hi Sand, you will find that this chocolate chiffon is just right in terms of sweetness, though I’ve had readers tell me that they even increased the sugar. You can cut back a bit by 20 – 25 g from the batter, not too much otherwise the cake will not be as moist as intended.
sand says
hi Celia,
if prefer something not as sweet how much sugar can i cut?
Celia Lim says
Hi Frances, adding Bailey’s sounds delish indeed! I would probably start with 2 to 3 tablespoons in place of equal amount of milk. Mind you, I love strong liquor flavours so this would be more a personal preference. Would love to hear how it turns out!
frances says
Hi Celia, if I would like to add baileys to the chocolate chiffon, how much milk should I replace with Baileys? 🙂
Iris says
Hi Celia, I did a 3rd cake, and by far this has the best result using Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Basically i followed exactly your measurements except I added additional 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder and replaced normal cocoa powder with Dutch-processed cocoa powder. The cake is very fluffy and rose well.
Celia Lim says
Hi Iris, thank you so much for sharing! That’s wonderful to hear! Baking soda is also a tenderizer and so, will make baked goods softer. Can you kindly share how much soda you used with the Dutch-process cocoa? I’d love to try it myself and give readers the option to try it the way you did it too. Have a great weekend!
Iris says
Hi Celia, I baked 2 cakes using Dutch-process cocoa powder. One is using Baking Soda and the other twice amount for Baking Powder as u mentioned. Both turned out very nice but surprisingly the one baked with just Baking Soda is much softer. Really love yr recipe, thanks a lot for your advice and sharing. Looking forward to more easy to do cakes recipes.
Celia Lim says
Hi Iris, it’s due to the pH of Dutch-processed cocoa (alkaline) versus natural cocoa powder (acidic). Here’s a really useful post explaining the differences between the two and why it matters when using cocoa in baking recipes. However, I use both baking powder and baking soda here, as I wanted both lift and a tender, lighter crumb (i.e. not too dense/compact crumb). Hope this helps!
Iris says
Hi, Celia, you mentioned if we are using Dutch-process cocoa powder, we have to replace double amount of Baking Soda to Baking Powder. May I know why? Thanks.
Celia Lim says
Hi Vanessa, so sorry this took a while, but here are the recipe amounts for a 6-inch chocolate chiffon pan. It’s basically a 2-eggs chiffon cake recipe. For the batter: 32 g cake flour; ⅛ tsp baking soda; ¼ tsp salt; 38 g milk or water; 10 g cocoa powder; ¼ tsp instant coffee granules; 25 ml oil (1 tbsp + 2 tsp); 2 egg yolks; 25 caster sugar; ½ tsp vanilla extract. For the meringue: 2 egg whites; ¼ tsp cream of tartar; 35 g sugar. Hope this turns out great, would love to hear how these amounts work out for you! Happy baking and stay safe!
Vanessa says
Hi Celia, i tried making your orange chiffon cake and i absolutely loved it! it’s the first time I successfully baked a chiffon cake <3 Can you share the measurements for this chocolate chiffon cake recipe using a 6" chiffon tube? thank you! 🙂
Celia Lim says
Hi Sandy, for a 10-inch (25-cm) chiffon pan, you’ll need an 8-eggs recipe. For the chocolate chiffon, try these amounts. For the batter: 128 g cake flour; ¼ + ⅛ tsp baking soda; ¾ tsp salt; 150 ml milk or water; 40 g cocoa powder; ¾ tsp instant coffee granules; 95 ml oil (6 tbsp + 1 tsp); 8 egg yolks; 80 g caster sugar; 1½ tsp vanilla extract. For the meringue:8 egg whites; 1 tsp cream of tartar; 135 g caster sugar. You would need to bake for longer, given the larger amount of batter. I would check at 45 mins, then every 5 mins after, until the cake is done. Hope this works out well! Happy baking!
Sandy says
Hi Celia,
I only have a 10 inch pan. Could you please recommend an recipe? Also, do I bake for longer? Thank you.
Celia Lim says
Hi Joyce, you can double the recipe amounts for a 23-cm tube pan: 200 g cake flour (sifted); 1 tbsp baking powder; 1 tsp salt; 7 egg yolks; 100 g caster sugar; 1/2 cup corn oil; 190 ml cold coffee solution (dissolve 2 tbsp instant coffee or espresso granules in 2 tbsp hot water, then add cold water to make 190 ml, chill until cold); 1 – 2 tbsp coffee emulco or coffee paste (optional); 2 tsp vanilla extract; 7 egg whites; 1/2 tsp cream of tartar; 140 g caster sugar.
Celia Lim says
Hi Joyce! So glad to have you drop in on my blog. Here’s the recipe adjusted for a 23-cm chocolate chiffon cake: For the batter: 110 g cake flour; 1/4 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 130 ml milk or water; 35 g cocoa powder; 3/4 tsp instant coffee granules; 85 ml oil (5 tbsp + 1 tsp); 7 egg yolks; 70 g sugar; 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. For the meringue: 7 egg whites; 1/2 + 1/8 tsp cream of tartar; 120 g sugar. Baking temperature of 170°C is for a conventional oven, and not fan-forced. Happy baking!
Joyce says
If i have a 23cm tube pan, what would be the ingredients ratio please? Hope to hear bk from you soon! Keen to try out all your chiffion recipes. Thanks!
Linda says
Hi Celia – I bake Chocolate Chiffon cake – I Love it – it’s so Rich with cocoa taste but yet so Light … thank you so much for sharing your recipe and the step by step instructions…. it’s so helpful – you make my day ?
Celia Lim says
Hi Margaret, thank you for taking the time to share with me! I’m so happy to hear this turned out great! Congratulations! Hope you can give this recipe a star-rating you think it deserves, that would be so much appreciated! Have a wonderful weekend!
Margaret says
Hi Celia, I just tried your recipe today and the cake turned out great! It was fluffy, with the right amount of choc taste and sweetness. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and tips! 🙂
Celia Lim says
Hi Angela! Thank you so much for sharing! I’m thrilled you love it! What a wonderful way to turn this into a luxurious and classy cake with a delicious dressing ofchocolate ganache and choc-dipped strawberries? Love what you did! Hope you can give this recipe the star-rating you feel it deserves!
Angela says
Tried this recipe out today and it is amazing!! 🙂 SO light and fluffy and such a nice chocolate flavour. I decorated it with some dark chocolate ganache and choc dipped strawberries to make it a little more fancy. Thank you for your great recipes, tips and great photos.
Celia Lim says
Hi Ting, sorry to hear this happened. But this is a very common problem as well. This sounds like an issue with the oven temperature being too hot, or if the cake was placed close to the top heating element. In either case, the hot temperature causes the cake to rise too quickly and collapse before it could bake through evenly.I always rely on an oven thermometer to know precisely what my oven temperature is, for consistent baking results. You can trust the recipe, it is sound and tested, with the right ratios of wet to dry. Hope this helps!
Ting says
Hello, tried ur recipe and my cake didn’t turn out very sweet… and the cake rose but collapsed in the oven subsequently. Wonder what went wrong? 🙁
Christine says
Can I use two 7 inch round cake tins instead to bake the cake in as I want make a layer cake? Also I don’t have enough eggs however I spotted your coffee chiffon cake recipe and saw that it only requires 3 1/2 eggs which is what I have so how would I change that recipe to a chocolate chiffon cake instead?
Celia Lim says
Hi Ann, to bake in a 23-cm tube pan, use these amounts. For the batter: 110 g cake flour; 1/4 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 130 ml milk or water; 35 g cocoa powder; 3/4 tsp instant coffee granules; 85 ml oil (5 tbsp + 1 tsp); 7 egg yolks; 70 g sugar; 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. For the meringue: 7 egg whites; 1/2 + 1/8 tsp cream of tartar; 120 g sugar. Baking temperature of 170°C is for a conventional oven, and not fan-forced.
Ann says
Hello Celia, thanks for sharing this recipe. I have 2 questions and hope to hear your advice on…
1. How do I adjust the recipe for a 23 cm tube pan?
2. Is the temperature for a fan oven?
Thanks Celia!
Celia Lim says
Hello Neha, for 1 17-cm chiffon tube pan, reduce the ingredient amounts by 20%. So basically, for the meringue: 4 egg whites, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, 68 gm sugar. For the batter: 64 gm cake flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 + 1/8 tsp salt,76 ml milk or water, 20 gm cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp coffee granules, 48 gm oil, 4 egg yolks, 40 gm sugar, 3/4 tsp vanilla extract.
Celia Lim says
Hi Reane, Dutch-process cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder (eg. Hershey) act quite differently in certain cake recipes. So if using Dutch-process cocoa, replace the cocoa powder in the recipe with exactly the same amount of Dutch process cocoa powder, AND replace the baking powder with twice the amount of baking soda.
Reane says
Hi Celia. I only have dutched cocoa powder. Will it have a significant impact on the final product? Thanks!
Neha Dahiya says
Hi Celia:
The cake looks amazing. Will be definitely making this. I have a 6.6″ (17 cm) pan. Could you please tell me how to adjust the ingredients – flour and eggs.
Thanks much
Angie says
Hi Celia,
tq very much for yr quick reply, will try it out asap
Celia Lim says
Hi Angie, this recipe amount is baked in an 8-inch tube pan. The eggs are large, which is 56 to 60 gm weight per egg. You can bake at 170 C but on the lowest rack, and I usually start keeping an eye out for when the cake is almost done at the 40 minute mark, every 5 mins after if not quite done yet. It can vary from oven to oven.
Angie says
Hi Celia
can i know what size egg you using and can i use a 8″ or 9″ tube pan for the whole recipe? do i need to adjust the oven temp. and baking time?
Celia Lim says
Hi Bel, yes you can! My personal favourite oil to use in place of any vegetable oil just happens to be coconut oil. You could bake in 2 rounds, though the chiffon batter might will start to deflate the longer it stands. For the first round, I would suggest pouring the batter into the 7-inch pan till two thirds full, as it will rise quite a bit during baking. Then for the second round, I usually pour the remainding batter into muffin paper cups or cupcake moulds (ungreased). These will bake for a much shorter time, so you’ll want to keep an eye on them. Hope this helps, Bel, and happy baking!
Bel says
Can I use vegetable or coconut oil to substitute corn oil? For the baking of cake as I only have one 7 inch cake pan, can I bake it in 2 rounds?
Celia Lim says
Hi Nathalie, thank you for asking! You could try substituting 40 gm of cocoa powder mixed with some water (1 to 2 tbsp should do, the more concentrated, the better) to make a thick but still liquid paste, in place of 1 tbsp chocolate emulco. Hope you’ll share how this works out, I’d love to hear from you! Happy baking! Cheers, Celia
Nathalie says
Gorgeous cakes! I would love to use your recipe, but we don’t have chocolate emulco where I live. Is there anything else I can use as a substitute? Thank you! 🙂