Lemon Chiffon Cake
This recipe is by Flo Braker in the Baker’s Dozen Cookbook. I highly recommend the cookbook. Everything I've tried from it as worked really well. This cake is a moist and deliciously light tasting summer treat.
Cake
2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour (scoop and sweep)
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup vegetable oil
6 large eggs, separated, plus two large egg whites
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup water
grated zest of 4 lemons, about 2 tablespoons
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cream of tarter
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Have an ungreased 10 inch tube pan with a removable bottom (NOT non-stick) ready.
Sift the flour, ¾ cup sugar, the baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk the oil, egg yolks, lemon juice, water, zest and vanilla to combine. Add to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
In a large bowl of a heavy duty mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tarter and continue whipping until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining ¾ cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry, shiny peaks form. Using a long handled rubber spatula, stir about one third of the whites into the batter to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining whites. Spread evenly in the tube pan.
Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed gently, about 40 minutes.
Turn the pan upside down, positioning the edges of the pan on cans or inverted glasses of the same height to be sure the cake does not touch the work surface. Cool the cake completely in the pan at least 3 hours. [well…mine came whooshing out of the pan all on it’s own so you might want to consider having it resting on LOW cans….like maybe tuna cans.]
To remove the cake from the pan (if it didn’t remove itself), slip a flexible metal spatula carefully down the side of the pan. Slowly trace around the perimeter to release the cake. When the sides are free, push up on the removable bottom to remove the cake. Tilt the cake and gently tap the end of the pan against the counter to loosen the cake, rotating as you do so, until the cake appears free. Cover the cake with the serving plate, invert and remove the bottom of the pan.
Glaze
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
5 tsp strained fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon, about 2 tsp
To make the glaze, sift the confectioner’s sugar into a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir until smooth and spreadable. If necessary, add more lemon juice, a teaspoon at a time, to get the desired consistency.
Using an offset spatula, spread the glaze over the top of the cake, letting the excess drip down the sides. Let stand until the glaze sets, about 2 hours. To serve, slice with a serrated knife, using a sawing motion.
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