Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Happy Friday! Chinese New Year (CNY) is next week and I am feeling kinda bluesy. I have to say this is the time when I miss my family the most. Anyway, still no CNY treats in sight and at this rate, it’s looking highly unlikely I would be having a CNY baking marathon especially since my classes will be starting next week. I did have a hankering for cake though yesterday and I made this delicious, chocolaty, light as air chiffon cake. Great for an any day treat or that special dessert for the upcoming Valentine’s Day. Enjoy.

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
1-1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate sprinkles (I use the Guittard bittersweet chocolate sprinkles from King Arthur Flour), optional
7 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use extra light olive oil)
3/4 cup chocolate milk (you can use plant-based chocolate milk to make it dairy free)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Whisk flour, cocoa, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and chocolate sprinkles together in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, oil, milk, and vanilla extract together.
4. With an electric mixer, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy. Then increase mixer speed to medium-high and whip the whites until soft mounds form. Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
5. Whisk egg yolk mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the batter with a large rubber spatula until combined. Then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites.
6. Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick/skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Invert cake pan and let cake cool completely. To remove the cake, run a small, thin-blade knife around the edge (including around the tube) and bottom of the cake and gently tap to loosen it. Serve.

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6 Replies to “Chocolate Chiffon Cake”

  1. Thank you for the recipe. This is such a delicious treat. So light and flavorful. Great idea with the soy milk. You are so talented!

    1. You are very welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake. :)

  2. Hi Chris, thank you so much for sharing your chiffon cake recipes. I tried so many versions of chiffon cake recipes & yours is the best so far . It never fail to rise nice and tall and never collapse on cooling.
    Can I use this recipes to make a birthday sponge cake filled with fruits & cream like those bought from Chinese bakeries. Can I use a round pan instead of a tube pan?
    Will appreciate your advice, thanks.

    1. Hi! Thank you so much for stopping by. Glad you like the chiffon cakes – they are my favorites! I would say that you can bake the chiffon cakes in a round pan instead of a tube pan but without the ability to cool them upside down, it is likely that they would collapse somewhat as they cool. They will still be nice and soft, and delicious! :) As to using them in place of a sponge cake to make the fruit and cream cake that you are talking about, I don’t see why you can’t do that…..maybe refrain from using too much cream and drain your fruit well because the chiffon tend to be more moist than a sponge cake and you don’t want the end result to be too wet. Hope it works out well for you. Keep me posted. :)

      1. Thank u for your advice, do you have a good recipe for Sponge cake ? Others that I tried doesn’ seems to work. They all sink on cooling & the top always feels damp when I fill it the next day. Some say to drop cake from a height after it’s baked to avoid shrinkage but it doesn’t work for me. Would appreciate your advice on this.
        Also , do u have a coffee flavour Chiffon cake?

        1. Hi again,

          There are a couple of sponge cake recipes that I’ve seen and think they have potential. Let me try them sometime next week (hopefully) and I’ll let you know if they work. :) I will actually be posting a coffee chiffon cake recipe in the next day or two. Check back in when you get a chance. :)

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