Citrus Chiffon Cake
Separate the eggs while cold (it's easier) but let them come to room temperature before using. It's important that there is no grease whatsoever touching the egg whites and no grease in the angel cake pan. - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Makes: 16 - 20 servings
Ingredients:
- zest of one large orange & one lemon
- juice of one orange + water to equal 3/4 cup
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup egg whites (about 6) at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325° F.
- Remove zest from the orange and lemon & set aside.
- Combine orange juice and cold water to equal 3/4 cup.
- In a small bowl, combine juice/water, oil, yolks, vanilla, and zests. Set aside.
- Sift dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
- Add juice mixture to flour mixture, beating for one minute with electric mixer on medium. Set aside.
- In another large bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.
- Very gently fold egg whites into flour mixture.
- Spread batter into an UNGREASED angel cake pan. Bake for 60 minutes.
- Cool upside down in pan.
Oh my! I made this for a second time, but this time I sliced the baked cake into three sections and put homemade buttercream (flavored with vanilla and raspberry extracts) on the lower layer and raspberry filling on the upper layer. No topping, doesn’t need any more. It’s even better the next day- I stored it in the fridge. Excellent! It’s pretty when sliced also!!
That sounds delicious.😋
Thank you for this receipt
I have been looking for this. I lost when I moved about 15 years ago. This was one of my sons favorite cake. But I used pineapple instead of oranges and lemon flavor. I enjoy you on YouTube you make cooking sound simple.
Sooooo good! Because I wanted to add mini chocolate chips(2/3C), I only used 2/3C of sugar, omitted the lemon, added 1/2t almond extract(along with the vanilla), and made a strawberry compote to serve on top. Thank you for your fabulous recipes Jenny!!! You never disappoint.
Just made this today and it came out perfect! Like eating a cloud . . I used cake flour and reduced the sugar to 2/3 c. I used extra light olive oil. Followed the method exactly. It made a big cake so going to take a piece to neighbours and put a piece in the freezer for later. Thank you Jenny.
Made your citrus chiffon cake yesterday for the first time. It was such a hit I had to bake it again today. This time, I added orange, lemon & lime zests. Don’t think it will last long that I may have to bake tomorrow. Both turned out so perfect. I used cake flour (someone had ask this before). Diabetics in the family so I reduced the sugar. Awesome & such simple process. Thank you.
Thank you for your beautiful Recipes
I made today, it was too hard like bread, don’t know what go wrong ?
It’s likely that you changed something in the recipe. If you follow each step and ingredient (and use the proper pan) it will turn out.
Ms. Jones,
How come we don’t see anymore YouTube videos. I love to watch them. They’re both educational and funny.
Thank you,
Aoife
Can I replace the orange juice with lemon juice? My family doesn’t really like orange in their desserts. Thanks!
Can you use cake flour ? Have you ever or why not ?
THANK YOU
Teresa
Hi Jenny,
I’m a big fan of you and of your recipes!!!
This is the 2nd recipe I have made from your site and the results are fantastic!
This cake is so light and airy just like an angel food cake, except its so much better!.
I added 2 tbsps of Grand Marnier to the liquid to enhance the orange flavour. It sure did!
Easiest cake to make with perfect results! My new favorite 🙂
Thank you Jenny!
Mary
Was wondering if it is possible to make this in a rectangular Pyrex dish and maybe wrapping the bottom and sides with tin foil to prevent browning? I’m a total baking newbie and live in Asia where easy access to North American bakeware is a bit limited. Probably could get the pan you suggest. Just not available at the local “Wal-Mart” like stores.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Edward
PS: love love love your YouTube channel.
I’m not really sure but I know that chiffon cakes need a fairly tall pan and the sides should never be greased so the batter can stick to the sides and rise up. I think you would have better luck with a loaf pan but you would probably have to do 1/2 the recipe. However, you should still check around for chiffon cake recipes in a cake pan because you may find a different recipe that allows you to use the pan you have.
Can I make cupcakes from this formula?
I have never done it so I don’t know. You may have to research this…
I’ve tried this chiffon cake and it’s really delicious but before it cools down properly it dropped off on my working table. I followed all the steps but anyway really delicious xx
Hi Jenny,
Can I add butter into a chiffon cake? because i also want a buttery flavor chiffon cake. should i cream the butter first and add the yolks?
I think you can replace part of the oil with butter but from my research, it will not be as light and airy as the version with only oil. I can’t speak from experience but I believe the butter should be melted and cooled and added with the oil. If you try it (either way) please let us know.
The french sponge cake called Genoise takes butter and the way to add it is as follows: once you get the egg foam (in this cake this would happen after adding and folding the egg whites) ready and mixed, pick a 1/4 cup of that batter and mix it with the melted butter, than fold it back to the rest of the batter. This is a trick to use butter and still have a lighter cake than just by adding the butter to the wet ingredients and lastly fold in the egg whites.
Thank you for helping out.
can i replace cream of tartar with baking soda?
No, baking soda can not replace cream of tartar. The cream of tartar is only there to stabilize the egg whites but you can leave it out. Just make sure your egg whites are well beaten into stiff peaks.
hi alexandra,
a little bit of salt is an alternative to stabilize your egg whites if cream of tartar is not available.
hi Jenny, whats size is the angel cake pan that u used? thanks
It’s a standard angel cake pan and measures 4 inches tall. The bottom is 8 inches across and the top is almost 10 inches across.
Dear Jenny I made your citrus chiffon cake it came out delicious. I had one problem the top sunk in , when you say cool upside down do you mean invert the pan when it comes out of the oven? I also use a tube pan with the inside that comes out, does it make a difference between a angel cake pan and a tube pan? Thanks
Angel food cakes and chiffon cakes should be baked in an ungreased angel food cake pan, which is a tall pan (about 4 inches tall) with straight sides. By not greasing the pan, it makes the batter stick to the sides and rise up and not greasing also keeps the cake from falling out when you turn it over. Most angel cake pans have removable bottoms and small “feet” at the top so when you turn it upside down, it rests on the feet. It should be turned upside down immediately after baking to cool. If the pan does not have feet, place it on a bottle with the neck of the bottle in the open center of the pan.