Orange Chiffon Cake


Orange Chiffon Cake

So happy had another successful attempt at making chiffon cakes.  After baking black sesame and marble cakes, I wanted to try an orange flavor.  The recipe was based on Christine Ho’s Black Sesame Chiffon Cake recipe.  I substituted/added a few ingredients and opted for fresh squeezed orange juice.   A tip — It is better to taste the oranges first as sweet oranges will make the cake taste better!  I had tried using OJ (100% pure) out of a carton but the orange flavor tasted artificial.

Ingredients:

8” Pan 10” Pan
6
105g
1 tsp
6
30g
80g
1/8 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
50g
80ml
1 Tbsp
Egg whites
Caster sugar
Cream of tartar
Egg yolks
Caster Sugar
Cake flour
Salt
Baking powder
Vanilla extract
Olive oil
Fresh orange juice
Orange zest
7
120g
1 tsp
6
35g
100g
1/8 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
58g
95ml
1 – 1.5 Tbsp

Directions (for an 8” tube pan):

  1. Preheat oven to 340 °F.
  2. Separate egg whites and egg yolks.
  3. Mix egg yolks and 30 g sugar until well combined.
  4. Squeeze fresh orange juice from oranges (about 2 oranges) (picture 1).
  5. Add orange juice, olive oil, vanilla extract, orange zest, salt into the egg yolk mixture and mix well (pictures 2 and 3).
  6. Sift in 80 g flour and baking powder into the egg yolk mixture, mix well to make sure there are no lumps (picture 4).
  7. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  It is best to begin at a slow speed and gradually move up to high when beating.  Add cream of tartar to stablize the egg whites.   After mixing well, add 105 g of sugar in three batches, about one-third at a time, and beat well between additions.  Continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.  Don’t over beat it, overbeaten whites look lumpy and watery.
  8. Gently fold-in half of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture and repeat the same with the remaining egg whites (picture 5).
  9. Pour mixture into an 8″ tube pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes.  After baking the first 15 minutes, if you find the cake surface gets browning, reduce heat to 320 °F.  The cake will rise to the top after baking (picture 6).
  10. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan immediately.  Let cake cool completely.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Chiffon Cake

  • Remove the cake by running a thin-bladed knife around the pan, angling the knife towards the pan to try to get the full crust on the cake.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Black Sesame Chiffon Cake


Black Sesame Chiffon Cake

Is there any difference between a chiffon cake and sponge cake?  They are quite similar but a chiffon cake calls for oil, its texture is more fluffy and airy while a sponge cake is oil/butter/fat free.  Most people complain that their chiffon cake sunk after cooling or did not rise.  I have made this chiffon cake many times and never encountered any problems.  I’m Christine Ho’s big fan and learned how to make this black sesame chiffon cake from her blog.  Her tip on how to prevent the cake from sinking is very helpful (i.e. never grease the pan or use a non-stick pan).  The reason I chose her recipe over many others found on the net is because her cake is so light and the sweetness is just right.

I slightly adjusted her recipe by adding more sesame powder and using 6 egg yolks.  You will love this recipe – it’s easy and the cake is even fluffier and softer than the store-made ones!

Ingredients:

6
60g
1 tsp
Egg whites
Caster sugar
Cream of tartar
80g
1/8 tsp
1 tsp
30g
6
30g
50g
80ml
Cake flour
Salt
Baking powder
Black sesame powder
Egg yolks
Caster Sugar
Olive oil
Non-fat milk

DSC_0703

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 340F.
  • To separate eggs, place 3 small bowls side by side. Crack the first egg and pull the shell halves apart. Pass the yolk back and forth, letting the white fall into the first bowl. Put the yolk in the second bowl. Transfer the white to the third bowl and repeat with the remaining eggs.  By doing it this way, if you have one bad egg, you do not need to discard all egg whites.
  • Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until bubbles form. It is best to begin at a slow speed and gradually move up to high when beating.  Add cream of tartar. After mixing well, add 60 grams of sugar in three batches, about one-third at a time, and beat well between additions.  Continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.  Don’t over beat it, overbeaten whites look lumpy and watery.

beating egg white

  • Sift the cake flour, baking powder, salt and black sesame powder. Use a spoon to press through the sift if necessary. (Picture 1)
  • Whisk the egg yolks with 30 grams of caster sugar, until the sugar completely dissolves. (Picture 2)
  • Stir in the oil, bit by bit, until completely combined. Add milk and stir well.  (Pictures 3 and 4)
  • Sift the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, in three batches. Combine well.  (Picture 5 and 6)
  • Fold-in the beaten egg whites with a spatula.  (Picture 7)
  • Pour the batter into an 8″ tube pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. After baking the first 15 minutes, if you find the cake surface gets browning, reduce heat to 320F. Continue to bake until cooked through. A needle comes out clean when inserted in the middle.  (Picture 8)
  • Remove the cake from the oven. Invert the pan immediately on a wire rack.  Let it cool completely (at least an hour).  (Picture 9)

Sesame Chiffon Cake

  • Remove the cake by running a thin-bladed knife around the pan, angling the knife towards the pan to try to get the full crust on the cake.

Black Sesame Chiffon Cake