Thursday 17 October 2013

Orange Chiffon Cake




I just love this cake; made 6 in 10 days, ordered new and vintage tins from the US, OMG am obsessing, love this cake! Ignoring the quibbles over frosting versus "naked" this is the only cake my entire family like. It was an almost accidental discovery. 

I was happily tasked with making a cake for Mr B's wonderful grandfather's 95th birthday lunch, yes that's 95 years! We invited Pa over for lunch, he politely ate the most awful pasta dish I have ever produced while I quizzed him on cake preferences; turns out he's not really into cake. Hmmm. His favourite dessert is lemon tart which naturally morphed into a dessert smorgasbord, any excuse to bake right? Jaffarons (choc orange macarons), marshmallows and lemon tarts, but I still needed a cake.

Mr B has a large family, and thinking back over the many family get togethers I remembered his grandmother making angel food and chiffon cakes. A quick facebook post sourced a tin, a loan from a friend that came with a warning "it was left to me from my grandmother's estate so maybe don't lose it :)"

I started researching. I experimented with flavours and recipes, had 2 cakes seemingly inexplicably fall out of the tin during the cooling phase, transforming into completely unsalvageable, eggy mounds; those bizarre instructions about not greasing or lining the tin really are important! It's definitely worth sourcing a specific angel food cake tin; a tall, not non stick tube pan with 3 feet for the cake to stand on, inverted, while it cools. This orange version is slightly adapted from the Joy of Baking and topped with a simple orange glaze. Chiffon cakes have the prettiest batter and the most amazing texture; light, moist, not too sweet and a little bit addictive...

I love that this cake it not a "fad", that it has history, was invented by an insurance salesman in the twenties, kept a closely guarded secret for 20 years then released to the public in the forties, in a Betty Crocker pamphlet; how much would l like an original copy of that! I love that people will tell you their grandmother made them and they still have her tin, and perversely I like those first few minutes when the cake is inverted and I wonder if it's going to hit the bench and deflate in a heap...


Orange Chiffon Cake

6 eggs, separated (I use jumbo eggs, weight in shell approx 65g-70g)

1 extra egg white
225g plain cake flour*
250g caster sugar
50g extra caster sugar
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
zest of one orange, grated super finely
180ml freshly juiced orange juice
120ml canola oil, or similar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

* in Australia look out for the Lighthouse brand in the blue and white box "biscuit, pastry and cake low protein plain flour" take care not to buy the pizza flour by mistake... 

preheat your oven to 170ÂșC
 combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt, sift into a large bowl (use a stand mixer, if you have one, with the paddle attachment) add the 250g caster sugar and orange zest, mix to combine
 make a well in the centre of your flour combo, add the orange juice, egg yolks, oil and vanilla extract, mix until smooth
 in another, really large bowl (!) whisk the 7 egg whites until foamy, add the cream of tartar then mix until you have soft peaks (the cream of tartar is not essential, not an issue if you can't find it, but it does stabilise the egg whites) gradually add the additional 50g caster sugar, whisking until you have firm peaks and the sugar has dissolved
 fold the egg whites into the batter in three stages, you might need to carefully tip the batter into the egg whites after the first addition if your mixer bowl is not big enough
 pour the batter into an ungreased, unlined angel food cake tin and bake for 55-60 minutes
 remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert to cool, if your tin doesn't have "feet" you'll need to rig something up to elevate your upside down cake while it cools, good luck with that...
 when completely cool, run a sharp knife between the cake and the tin, don't forget the central tube, remove the cake and the centre section of the tin, slide a length of dental floss between the base of the cake and the tin, wrapping it around the centre tube, then finally invert the cake onto your serving plate
 pour the frosting over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides
 slice giant slabs of cake with a serrated knife and enjoy!
 the cake will keep in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge, tends to only last a couple of days in my house :)

frosting

115g butter

250g icing sugar
40ml freshly juiced orange juice, you may need a little more
orange zest

 melt the butter in a small pan, remove from heat, sift in the icing sugar and enough juice to make a pouring consistency, beat until smooth and lump free




if you have any chiffon stories please share them below...

19 comments:

Annie P said...

This looks absolutely delicious and I'll have to try it. No chance mine will end up looking this good though. And look how many recipes you have on your blog now - I know where to go when I need inspiration for my next baking day :)
Annie

simmer and boyle said...

Thanks Annie! We should make one next week and have our "trip planning" session...

Aya S said...

I love orange in just about anything! Your story telling is really charming btw. Hope everyone enjoyed it.

:)

-Aya
http://healthy-appetite.blogspot.de/

Magda said...

i think this cake is just perfect :)

simmer and boyle said...

Thanks Aya, everyone loved the cake.

simmer and boyle said...

I do too, but I'm biased! Thanks Magda :)

Aimee / Wallflower Girl said...

Mmm, this looks like cake perfection!

simmer and boyle said...

Thanks so much Aimee! I made another yesterday and in a hurry I iced it while still a bit warm, not so perfect...

yoon said...

I tried your recipe without the icing and it came out perfect. Thanks for that. Can I just ask though if I should wait for the icing and cake to cool before pouring it over? I'm just not sure what are the best temperatures and times to make/pour over the icing.

Thanks for your help in advance.

simmer and boyle said...

Happy to hear the frosting worked for you Yoon. The cake should be completely cold, it's difficult to remove from the tin unless it has cooled completely. I pour the frosting over as soon as it is ready, it's usually still quite warm. Hope this helps :)

Annie P said...

Hi Sally,

Remy has requested this cake for his birthday next week so I've got my angel food cake tin (with legs!) and am going to give it a go. He wants white chocolate icing though - do you think I should leave in the orange zest and juice in the cake? Not sure if orange and white chocolate go together but I hope you think they do as white chocolate by itself is a bit blaugh..

Annie x

simmer and boyle said...

Hey Annie

Lucky Remy! I'd leave the orange in, an unusual combo, but I think it will work. Are you making a white chocolate ganache? If you are I'd add a couple of drops of orange oil, I can swing by with my bottle...
Sal x

Annie P said...

Yes please! I'm baking on Monday...

Anonymous said...

Still trying to perfect a chiffon cake. Out of curiosity, what size tin did you use? 20inch?

simmer and boyle said...

I use a 10" (25cm) tin. Good luck! I just love a chiffon cake ;)

peregrinationgourmande said...

Omg i don t Know this recipe i have to try it. It seems really smooth and spongious. Yummy xx cathy

Jonathan Kandell said...

My problem with chiffon is you eat bigger pieces. Still working to find my ideal recipe (most being just a difference in number of whites). Cake Bible's is identical to this except 3 extra whites instead of 1. I found the texture too light, so this ratio may be a better bet. The Cooks Illustrated version cuts the flour by a third (yet keeps the oil and sugar the same!) and keeps 2 of the seven eggs whole! Never seen that in a chiffon, but it tastes wonderful. In Asia they use coconut milk and pandan leaf.

Jess Joseph said...

Oh, I can't wait to try this! I made an earl grey chiffon the other day & this will be my next attempt at chiffon.

Can I ask what size cake tin should I use for this recipe?

simmer and boyle said...

thanks Jess, I love early grey chiffon too! I have lots of tins, they're either 10 or 101/2 inch, the 101/2 inch cooks slightly quicker, check at 55mins :)