Orange Chiffon Cake

Chiffon cakes are a very popular sweet in Japan. Not only it’s cleverly designed to feed a
crowd on many occasions, it also keeps so well that you could serve it for breakfast or afternoon tea for the whole week.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Airy, bouncy, and lightly sweet, Orange Chiffon Cake is an elegant pastry with a warm, citrusy aroma from orange zest and a hint of cardamom. This soft and moist chiffon cake is served with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and topped with ribbons of orange peel.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs (separated)
• 10 pods cardamom (you’ll need ½ tsp ground cardamom)
• 3-4 oranges (I used navel oranges)
• 85 g granulated sugar (85 g = 3 oz or measure ½ cup and remove 1 Tbsp) (separated)
• 3 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (3 Tbsp = 40 ml)
• 75 g cake flour (75 g = 2.6 oz = 2/3 cup) (See Notes for homemade cake flour recipe)
• 1 tsp baking powder (1 tsp = 4g)
• 1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar/powder sugar (for dusting) (optional)

Instructions

1. Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 340 ºF (170 ºC).
2. Separate 3 eggs to yolks and whites. Keep the egg yolks in a medium bowl, and egg whites in a large bowl. Freeze the large bowl with egg whites for 15 minutes so that the bowl and egg whites are very cold (it's okay that they are partially frozen when you beat the egg whites). NOTE: In Japan, cream of tartar is not typically used to whip egg whites. We always use cold egg whites to make smooth, fine-texture meringue.
3. Crush the cardamom pods and remove the shell. Grind the seeds till fine powder. You will need ½ tsp finely ground cardamom.
4. Zest the oranges (I use 3-4 navel oranges). As I mentioned in the blog post, I use 2 types of zesters for more texture and flavors. Reserve some of the zest strips for cake decoration.
5. Cut the oranges in half and juice until you get 4 Tbsp (60 ml) of fresh orange juice.
6. In the bowl with egg yolks, add roughly 1/3 of granulated sugar and whisk until creamy pale yellow.
7. Add 3 Tbsp (40 ml) vegetable/canola oil, ½ tsp ground cardamom, and orange zest from 3-4 oranges and whisk well.
8. Add 4 Tbsp (60 ml) juice from oranges to the egg mixture and whisk well.
9. Sift 75 g (2.6 oz) cake flour and 1 tsp baking powder into the egg mixture. Whisk until incorporated and make sure there are no lumps.
10. Take out the bowl with egg whites from the freezer. Whip the egg whites until opaque, foamy, and bubbly.
11. Gradually add the rest of sugar in small increments while whisking.
12. Continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
13. To check on stiff peaks, pull up your whisk and see if the egg whites go straight up (stiff peak) and just the tip is soft enough that it folds over, like taking a bow.
14. Using a whisk, whisk in 1/3 of the egg whites in the batter until the mixture is homogeneous.
15. Fold in another 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter. This time, fold in gently without breaking the air bubbles.
16. Now transfer the batter into the egg whites. Gently fold in egg whites into the batter. Make sure thoroughly mix WITHOUT breaking the air bubbles.
17. Pour the batter into the ungreased 17 cm (7”) chiffon cake pan in the same location to prevent more bubbles from forming. 
18. To remove or prevent air pockets, run a skewer through the batter and then drop the pan gently on a counter holding the center tube and wall of cake pan together (so air won’t go into the bottom of the batter).
19. Bake at 340 ºF (170 ºC) for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed. If the top gets burn too quickly (maybe heat source is too close), cover the top loosely with aluminum foil.
20. As soon as you take out the cake pan from the oven, drop it on the counter to shock the cake so it stops shrinking. The cake must be cooled upside down in its pan so that it stretches downward instead of collapsing. Stick the cake pan on a tall heavy bottle. If you use an angel food cake pan, invert the cake pan on a cooling rack.
21. To remove the cake pan, run a thin sharp knife or thin offset spatula around both the inner and outer edges of the cake.
22. Remove the cake from the pan and run the knife on the bottom. Move onto a serving plate or cake stand. Dust confectioners’ sugar/powder sugar on top, if you like. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

All-Purpose Flour vs. Cake Flour:

All-purpose flour and cake flour do not perform the same. Cake flour is more delicate, and if you use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, the texture will be dense and tough. 

Homemade Cake Flour:

To make 1 cup cake flour, take one level cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 Tbsp, and then add 2 Tbsp of corn starch back in. Be sure to sift the flour 3-4 times to distribute the cornstarch well.

Tips for beating egg whites:

1. Make sure your beaters and mixing bowl are clean and dry. A speck of oil or egg yolk on either one can minimize the volume of the beaten egg whites.
2. Avoid plastic bowls as even clean ones may hold oily residue that can affect the beating quality of the egg whites.
3. Use a bowl that's wide enough to keep the beaters from being buried in the egg whites.
4. Do not over-beat or under-beat egg whites - your cake may fall. Egg whites should be stiff but not dry.

Equipment you will need: 17 cm (7") chiffon cake pan

Make sure you use the right chiffon cake pan. The best types are the aluminum pan with a removable base. Make sure it is NOT non-stick. Do not grease the mold because the cake needs to cling to the sides and center of the pan for support as it rises or it will collapse.  You can buy a 7-inch round angel cake pan with a removable base on Amazon or a 17-cm aluminum Japanese chiffon cake pan on Nihon Ichiban or Amazon.

https://www.justonecookbook.com/orange-chiffon-cake/