foodelicacy - Part 14

Golden Citrus Chiffon Cake (Orange Lemon Chiffon Cake)

This was the very first chiffon cake that I learnt to bake in baking school. This cake is superbly moist and light, and the orange and lemon juices impart a wonderfully refreshing citrus flavour.

The original recipe by Chef Judy Koh calls for cake flour, but I prefer the finer, velvety texture of top flour when baking chiffon cakes. I also tend to use generous amounts of grated zest, which is reflected in this recipe, and should you choose to do the same, just be careful to grate only the coloured part of the fruit’s peel and avoid the slightly bitter pith (the white layer of the peel). As with most of the cake recipes on this site, I also reduced the amount of sugar due to the additional sweetness of the orange juice.

Recipe source (with changes): Creative Culinaire.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

Ingredients:

48 gm Egg Yolks
25 gm Castor Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt

50 gm Corn Oil
70 gm Orange Juice
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Orange Zest*
2 tsp Lemon Zest*
1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence
110 gm Cake Flour (I use Top Flour)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda)

180 gm Egg Whites
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
90 gm Castor Sugar

* Immediately after grating peel, keep zest fresh by storing in an airtight container or wrapping with cling wrap, and store in the refrigerator till ready to use.

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 165 deg Celsius.

2. In a clean bowl or jug, combine the wet ingredients as follows: corn oil, juices, zest and vanilla essence. Stir to combine thoroughly, ensuring that the mixture is well incorporated.

3. In an electric mixer bowl, add egg yolks, sugar and salt.

Whisk at high speed until the yolks become light and fluffy (the egg yolk mixture should triple in volume and turn a pale lemon colour).

Reduce mixer speed to medium, and while whisking, slowly pour in the juice mixture from (2) in a steady stream until it is just well incorporated.

4. Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together into the mixture. Using a hand whisk or spatula, fold in the flour until just well combined. If using the mixer, mix on low speed just long enough for most of the flour to blend into the mixture. Then remove the bowl from the mixer, and finish folding manually, scraping all flour off the sides of the bowl using the whisk or spatula, and folding it into the mixture until smooth. This will help prevent over-folding or over-mixing.

Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside. Wash the mixer bowl and whisk attachment and dry thoroughly. These must be absolutely dry and grease-free to work the egg whites.

Note: It is perfectly alright to have a mixture that is somewhat lumpy, as long as all the flour is well incorporated and there are no lumps or streaks of unmixed flour.

5. In the cleaned mixer bowl, pour in the egg whites. Using the whisk attachment, beat at high speed. When the egg whites start to get foamy, add the cream of tartar. About 30 seconds later, pour in the sugar in a steady continuous stream.

Continue to beat until egg whites reach the stiff peaks stage.

6. Add 1/3 beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture and mix using a spatula or hand whisk.

Using quick but light moves, gently fold in the next 1/3, and then the remaining 1/3. Ensure that the egg whites are well incorporated with no visible streaks of unmixed whites in the mixture. Be careful not to over-fold.

7. Gently tap the bowl on the counter top to eliminate air pockets. Pour the batter into an ungreased 20 cm chiffon tube pan and gently run a thin spatula in an ‘S’ motion throughout the batter as air pockets may be trapped while pouring batter into the pan. Ensure that the batter reaches the same height all around the pan, and smooth the surface evenly.

Bake at the lowest rack in the oven for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. When done, remove from the oven and immediately invert the tube pan onto a cake rack to cool for at least an hour before loosening the cake.

To loosen the cake, turn it up again so that the surface of the cake is now facing up. Insert a flat blade in between the cake and pan and run the blade around the circumference of the pan, pressing against the pan as much as possible. Then invert the pan again so that the bottom of the pan is now facing up. Gently tap or push the pan’s base to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Then run the blade between the base and the bottom of the cake to loosen it from the base of the pan.

Simply delicious when taken with a cup of fruit tea!

June 8, 2013 2 comments