It's been years since I last made Chiffon Cakes. I know I always say, I haven't been doing this or that for years.. and it's really for years, since I went in Uni and only until recently after I had Lydia did I cook and bake seriously again.
My first chiffon cake, a pandan chiffon cake was as a birthday cake for my Mom... way back in 1997. It was a last minute thingy.. I called up my dear fren Kah Hoe for the recipe, and the cake was done in less than 2 hours (shopping, baking, cooling, cutting)... and just in time for my mom to came back from work.. She was really happy! It was her favourite cake. It was nice and fluffy. Luckily I saw her made it few years before that, if not, I don't think I would've succeeded by first attempt.
I have to say, I do not find making chiffon cakes difficult (compared to sponge cakes.. kill me man!!!). This recipe can be found in Alex's Goh's Creative Making of Cakes. It's a rather fool proof recipe, provided, the egg whites be beaten stiff, and I mean real stiff. Not just passing the over the head test, but the egg white peaks be short and pointy. And it must be well baked.
I think I might post pics of how to make Chiffon cakes in near future (I hope hubby's there to take pics)
I did a mistake here.. I lightly greased my tube pan... which resulted in a dome shaped chiffon cake, rounded at the top. Lydia's nanny, who's an avid baker, advised me not to grease it, as it needed the grip to rise well. Ok.. I learnt my lesson here. She also taught me to use 3 in 1 coffee mixes next time, as it gives it better flavour. I will try to use Old Town 3 in 1 White Coffee next time... that's a nice coffee mix.
This is what I did this time.. you may alter it to whatever brand of coffee u have, I altered the original recipe anyway.. kekeke, using milk instead of water and adding more sugar to balance up the bitter coffee.
Ingredients:
A)
5 egg yolks
85 gm corn oil
115 ml hot milk
1 1/2 Tbsp instant Nescafe Gold
120gm sugar
150gm flour
1 tsp baking powder
B)
5 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
90gm sugar
Method:
1. Dissolve coffee powder in hot milk. Leave to cool down.
2. Preheat oven to 180C.
3. Combine milk with the rest of ingredients (A) until it becomes a smooth paste.
4. Beat egg whites until frothy. Add in cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks.
5. Add in sugar bit by bit and beat egg whites until stiff.
6. Put in 1/4 of egg whites into (3) and fold to combine.
7. Repeat step 6.
8. Pour (7) into remaining egg whites and fold to combine well.
9. Pour batter into clean ungreased tube pan. Lightly shake pan left and right to level the cake.
10. Bake at 170C for 40 minutes.
11. Immediately remove from oven and turn cake upside down on table. (cake will sink if not done fast)
12. Leave cake to cool completely before dislodging from pan using a flat knife. Cut with a sharp knife.
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I was very satisfied with the texture, springy and fluffy, but not with the aroma... **sigh**
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this lovely recipe! I've copied it down and going to try it real soon!
I think it might be better to use the instant coffee, those really strong type.. to get the fragrance of the cake, or maybe can add in some coffee emulco?
Cheerios!
U can try using coffee emulco. But it taste like Kopiko to me.. hehehe.
ReplyDeleteNescafe Gold has a very nice flavour when made into a beverage, or non baked cheesecakes.
Too bad, it didn't perform in chiffon cakes.
I might try out another version with condensed milk, see if it'll bring out the coffee in the cake.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog, love baking but very afraid to make chiffon cake. i think i should try this one since you say it's fool proof.
thanks.
Dorcas,
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by.
It's fool proof, provided you get the egg whites beaten correctly. That's the only thing.
You can check out my orange chiffon cake recipe to see step by step instructions.
thanks for this recipe .i just wanna ask what if i want to increase the measurement of the flour(all purpose and cake flour)like 250gms or 300gms what will be the measurement of the rest of the ingreidients.nami
ReplyDeleteNami,
ReplyDeleteWow, that's a huge increment.
Are you going to bake this is in a 12 cup pan?
If you increase the flour to 300gm, that'll be a 100% increment. So, just increase the rest of the ingredients by 100%. If you increase the flour to 250gm, that's a 66.67% increment, so do some simple calculations and increase everything else by 66.67% or 2/3.
Wendy,
ReplyDeleteToday i make this chiffon cake again. But it's FAIL again.Alamak!!!U know my 1st time chiffon cake is oreo chiffon & orange but it's successful but the more time i make the more worse.Whenthe cake bake in oven it's rising very good but in last minute it's going to fall a bit.When i invert it, it's fall down also.Somemore it a bit wet in medium of the cake .What should i do ?
Yvonne
Yvonne,
ReplyDeleteThis chiffon and the orange one is similiar, except for the type of liquid and flavouring used. The ratios are all similiar.
Wet in the middle?---Underbaked.
It could also fall down if it's underbaked.
If you have used the same temperature with the same amount of time, chances are, your oven's temperature is not constant.
Bake it slightly longer next time.
If it falls down slightly during the last minute, that could be due to your oven's temperature drop. Some cakes do drop a little after it is cooked (while still in oven)and that is a sign of doneness, like sponge cakes and butter cakes. But Chiffons, hmmm... I have yet heard tat it will drop when done.
I have tried the coffee chiffon 4 times and it dropped off fron the pan and sat on thge table, sigh, sigh!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was my pan, but I have used 3 different ones and they did exactly the same ....fell after about 10 sec when inverted.
Where did I go wrong?
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteEither it's underbaked or the egg whites are overbeaten
Hi
ReplyDeleteI have read on some sites for chiffon cake recipe that recommend we beat egg white till soft peak (instead of stiff) to ease folding into batter. What are ur thoughts on this please?
Quite frankly, I have not had much success with chiffon cake! They fell out when inverted 5 out of 5times that I baked them!
Tx!
JT
Devastating.
JT,
ReplyDeleteDid you ever try baking them longer?
You can try beating them to a hooked peak, but I find the height to be shorter, and the cake is softer, hence more fragile. Somehow I prefer my chiffon cakes to have a more sturdy structure.
I usually beat my whites until the peaks and fat and pointy, not thin like the ends of a fat turnip. If it's like the end of a turnip, then it's overbeaten, the whites will siege after cooling and the cake will drop
With underbaking as another reason. Is the crust stuck to the pan brown or pale?
Hihi
ReplyDeleteI suspect I would prefer sturdy structure like you too! Guess that's the challenge for novice like myself; studied your Orange Chiffon's white but still can't get it right.
The crust at the bottom... Most times they are still stuck to the pan... So I never really look at them. I don't think they are Pale though,... Possibly browny. What's the significance anyway?
Sigh, if only u conduct classes.
JT
JT,
ReplyDeletethe colour sure got significance.
The longer it bakes, the browner it gets.
If the crust is pale, then of course it's underbaked.
I conduct classes? Please take note of my location unless you are willing to come.
That being the case,... then I'm beginning to doubt... suspect,... think... believe,... convinced... that SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY OVEN!!!
ReplyDeletePerhaps, just perhaps,... other than the insufficient beating of the whites, is the need to calibrate my oven's temperature!
Uphill task... Tx a zil!!!... U have been nothing but a true inspiration! I shall keep at it...
Wendy,if I want to use Old town 3-1 coffee mix,how many sticks should I use?
ReplyDelete1 or 2 sticks? And the sugar in the recipe must reduced by how much, pls?
Thanks.
AnnLi,
ReplyDelete3 sticks, use water instead of milk and probably use 50-60gm sugar for part A.
But then again, for baking, I still find Nescafe to taste the best.
Noted, Wendy. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy. Ive successfully bake half recipe of this cake today using Chek Hup 2 in 1 coffee. It was soft and nice altho the top abit slightly burnt and dome shape. But I failed the orange flavour 1. The cake rise then fall back halfway baking in the oven. No idea y. Maybe egg white not stiff enough.
ReplyDeleteNicole,
ReplyDeletehehe, u also domed. Nvm, sama macam saya.
Remember dun put it too high up in the oven :)
Ya Wendy. I remember your advice. I put it on the lowest level of 3 levels. The side and bottom look nice. Only the top burnt. Maybe I will try to cover the top with foil next time.
ReplyDelete