Chiffon cakes are a type of sponge cake typical of American baking. They are usually baked in an aluminum pan with a central hole that was invented precisely for this kind of cake. This is the famous pan for making Angel Food cake and that you can find here.
The difference between the Angel Food cake and Chiffon cakes is that the first is made only with egg whites while Chiffon cakes also include the yolks. Both share that they are very airy, light batters and have the peculiar characteristic that we must not grease the pan where they are baked and that they should be cooled upside down so they don't lose volume. For this reason the Angel Food cake pan has those curious little feet.
In today’s recipe I applied the chiffon cake technique to make individual little cakes that are perfect for any time of day. The result was light, soft bites with an exquisite tangy touch.
In its preparation I used my Kitchen Aid and I baked them in the Le Creuset cupcake pan. You can see the latter in the photos. Do you know the Le Creuset Pâtisserie line? I recommend you take a look at the baking section because you’ll surely love it.
Ingredients (for 12 little cakes)
- 2 eggs, whites separated from the yolks
- ¼ dessert spoon of cream of tartar
- 90 g sugar
- 75 g cake flour
- ¼ dessert spoon of salt
- 40 ml arbequina olive oil
- 1 dessert spoon of Royal baking powder
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
For the glaze:
- 125 g sugar
- 50 ml lemon juice
Note: all ingredients should be at room temperature.
Preparation
1. Put the egg whites, the cream of tartar and 45 g of sugar in the bowl of the Kitchen Aid. Beat at speed 6 with the whisks until you form a meringue with peaks. When it’s ready, reserve it in another bowl since we will need to beat the rest of the ingredients in the KA.
2. Sift the flour, 45 g of sugar, the Royal baking powder and the salt. Put them in the bowl of the Kitchen Aid along with the olive oil, the yolks, the juice and the lemon zest. Beat at speed 6 with the whisks until they double in volume.
3. Add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites to the previous batter and fold in with a spatula. Do it with folding motions so it integrates well. Add the remaining egg whites to the batter and mix gently.
4. Divide the batter into the cupcake pan without greasing and bake at 160º for about 15 minutes. You’ll know the chiffon cakes are done if when you press the center with your finger, the little cake returns to its original shape.
They will also take on a lovely golden color. Remove the tray from the oven and place it upside down on some baking rings so air can enter from the bottom and the chiffon cakes can cool properly. Leave them like that for about 20 minutes.
5. While the chiffon cakes are in the oven, you can prepare the glaze. Put the lemon juice and 100 g of sugar in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Let cool for 20 minutes. Just before glazing the chiffon cakes, add the remaining 25 g of sugar and stir a little. This will give a pleasant crunchy touch to the glaze.
6. When the chiffon cakes have cooled, unmold them using a small spatula. Place them on a rack and glaze them. Let them dry at least two hours before enjoying.
