Chiffon cakes are a type of cake typical of American baking. They are usually prepared in an aluminum mold with a hole in the center, which was invented specifically for this type of cake. This is the famous mold for preparing Angel Food cakes , which you can find here .
The difference between Angel Food cakes and Chiffon cakes is that the former is prepared only with egg whites and Chiffon cakes also incorporate egg yolks. Both have in common that they are very airy and light doughs and have the peculiarity that we do not have to grease the mold where we bake them and that they must be cooled upside down so that they do not lose volume. For this reason, the Angel Food cake mold has those curious little legs.
In today's recipe I have applied the chiffon cake technique to make individual cakes that are perfect for any time of day. The result is light, soft bites with an exquisite acidic touch.
I used my Kitchen Aid to make them and baked them in the Le Creuset cupcake mould . You can see the latter in the photos. Do you know the Pâtisserie line from Le Creuset? I recommend you take a look at the pastry section because you will surely love it.
Ingredients (for 12 cupcakes)
- 2 eggs, whites separated from yolks
- ¼ dessert spoon cream of tartar
- 90 g sugar
- 75 g baking flour
- ¼ dessert spoon of salt
- 40 ml arbequina olive oil
- 1 dessert spoon of Royal yeast
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
For the frosting:
- 125 g sugar
- 50 ml lemon juice
Note: All ingredients must be at room temperature.
Preparation
1. Place the egg whites, cream of tartar and 45 g of sugar in the Kitchen Aid mixing bowl. Beat at speed 6 with the whisk until a meringue with peaks forms. When it is ready, set it aside in another bowl as we will need to beat the rest of the ingredients in the KA.
2. Sift the flour, 45 g of sugar, baking powder and salt. Put them in the Kitchen Aid mixing bowl together with the olive oil, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest. Beat at speed 6 with the whisk until doubled in volume.
3. Add 1/3 of the beaten egg whites to the previous mixture and mix with a spatula. Use circular movements to mix well. Add the remaining egg whites to the mixture and mix gently.
4. Pour the batter into the ungreased cupcake pan and bake at 160º for about 15 minutes. You'll know the chiffon cakes are done if you press the center with your finger and the cake springs back to its original shape.
They will also acquire a nice golden colour. Remove the tray from the oven and place it upside down on some pastry rings so that air can enter through the bottom and the chiffon cakes can cool properly. Leave them like this for about 20 minutes.
5. While the chiffon cakes are baking, you can prepare the glaze. Put the lemon juice and 100 g of sugar in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Leave to cool for 20 minutes. Just before glazing the chiffon cakes, add the remaining 25 g of sugar and stir a little. This will give the glaze a nice crunchy texture.
6. When the chiffon cakes have cooled, remove them from the moulds using a small spatula. Place them on a rack and glaze them. Allow them to dry for at least two hours before serving.
