April Showers Chiffon Cake Recipes

VANILLA CHIFFON CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Make a well and add the egg yolks, vegetable oil, water, and vanilla. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add in the cream of tartar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
• Using the same beaters, beat the egg yolk batter. Scrape the bowl as needed. Beat until combined and smooth.
• Fold in 1/4 of the egg whites into the egg yolk batter to lighten it up. Then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites in two equal parts until no white streaks remain.
• Pour into an ungreased 10″ tube pan with removable bottom. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top should be golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed.
• Let cool completely upside down. Unmold and serve. Slice using a serrated knife.

LIGHT AND FLUFFY CHIFFON CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 355 degrees F. Add the egg yolks, vegetable oil, water, vanilla, salt, and half of the sugar to a large mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine. (The remaining half of the sugar will be used for the egg whites.)
• Sift the cake flour and baking powder, into the egg yolk mixture in three batches. Fold after each time until well combined. Avoid over mixing.
• Add the egg whites and cream of tarter to a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium high speed while adding the remaining half of the sugar. Add the sugar in three batches until you've reached firm peaks. See Note 1.
• Add half the beaten egg whites to the egg yolk mixture. Fold gently to combine then add the remaining half. Fold gently again to avoid deflating the batter. The batter should be light, airy, and fluffy.
• Spray the inside of your ungreased, aluminum chiffon cake pan with water including the inner tube. This helps prevent the cake from sticking too much to the pan once baked. Pour the batter into the pan and fill up to 75% full otherwise you may risk overflow.
• Bake at 355 degrees F for 25 to 35 minutes. Your baking time will depend on how shallow or deep your pan is. See Note 2. Check after 25 minutes for doneness. It's ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is a golden brown color. If your pan is tall and deep, you may have to bake it longer.
• Remove from the oven and immediately flip the chiffon pan upside down to invert it. Cool it down as soon as possible to prevent it from sinking and deflating.Drape a cold, damp towel over it to cool it down as quickly as possible. Rinse the towel under cold water and wring it dry. Drape it over the pan again and repeat this process until the pan is no longer hot. See Note 3.
• Once the cake has cooled, flip over the pan and carefully run a knife along the sides of the pan to help remove it. Then run a knife along the bottom of the pan to remove it from the base.
• Invert the cake again so the flat side is facing up and dust on powdered sugar. Slice and serve.

CITRUS BRUSHSTROKE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch and two 6-inch round cake pans with flour-based baking spray.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk together the egg whites and milk in a separate bowl.
• Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment until soft and creamy. Add the granulated sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl intermittently. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the egg white and milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until smooth on medium-low speed after each addition.
• Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes spring back when pressed in their centers, about 25 minutes for the 6-inch cakes and 35 minutes for the 8-inch cakes. Allow the cakes to cool slightly in the pans and then turn out on wire racks to cool completely.
• When cool, level the cakes using a large serrated knife or cake leveler.
• For the buttercream: Cream the butter and confectioners' sugar together on low speed in the bowl of an electric mixer. When the mixture is combined, increase the speed to high and whip until light in color. Turn the mixer off and add the vanilla extract and 1/3 cup heavy cream. Beat again until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add additional heavy cream if the mixture is too thick to spread or pipe.
• Transfer the frosting to a large piping bag with a 1/2-inch opening. Pipe a line of frosting around the top edge of one of the leveled 8-inch cakes. Spoon lemon curd in the center and spread evenly. Place the second cake layer on top of the filled cake and cover with frosting. Spread the buttercream as evenly as possible and refrigerate until the frosting is firm, about 1 hour. Repeat this process with the 6-inch cakes. Reserve the leftover buttercream for later use.
• When both cakes are well chilled and the frosting is firm, use a large spatula to transfer the smaller cake to the top center of the larger cake. Keep the cake chilled
• For the candy brushstrokes and decor: Place a sheet of parchment paper over a large baking sheet. Place the different colors of wafers in separate microwave-safe bowls and heat each in the microwave at 100 percent power until they can be stirred smooth, about 30 seconds for 6 ounces of candy. In separate bowls, combine different colors of the candy to create new colors. Make as many hues as desired.
• Use a spoon to place quarter-sized dollops of the candy on the parchment sheet. Hold the parchment sheet steady with one hand as you place a craft brush over the melted candy. Use quick motions to brush the candy upward, resulting in one long candy brushstroke. Repeat the process with the other colors of candy. Transfer the brushed candy to the refrigerator to chill, 5 to 7 minutes.
• When firm, transfer the chilled candy to a large plate. Repeat the candy brushing process until you have about 40 candy brushstrokes for decorating the cake.
• Transfer any leftover melted candy to squeeze bottles and drizzle decoratively over one side of both cake tiers.
• Use leftover buttercream to attach the firm candy brushstrokes to the opposite side of the cake; arrange them upright on both tiers. Press a few small brushstrokes into the frosting on top of the cake so they also stand upright. Use as many candy brushstrokes as possible to fill up one side of the cake.
• Before serving, arrange fresh sliced citrus on the edges of the candy-drizzled side of the cake. Tuck fresh mint between the fruit and candy brushstrokes. Present to delighted guests.
• To serve, move aside the fruit slices and cut the cake into pieces. Serve the fruit slices alongside pieces of cake, if desired.

FLUFFY CHIFFON CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a 10" springform pan with 3" sides with parchment paper cut to fit exactly. Do not grease the sides of the pan.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add 1¼ cups of the sugar and the salt and whisk to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla, and lemon zest. Make a well in the flour, add the yolk mixture, and then whisk thoroughly and quickly for about 1 minute until very smooth.
• Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar or lemon juice and beat on medium-high speed until the whites hold soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat on medium-high speed until the whites hold firm, shiny peaks. Using a rubber spatula, scoop about one third of the whites onto the yolk mixture and fold in gently to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula if necessary. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes. Let cool in the pan (the sides of the pan will help hold the structure of the cake as it cools) on a wire rack. To unmold, run a small, thin knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake and then release and lift off the pan sides. Invert the cake, peel off the parchment, and then use as directed in individual recipes. The cake will keep, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.