LEMON CHIFFON CAKE

OF CALIFORNIAN ORIGIN, THE CHIFFON CAKE’S DELICIOUSLY LIGHT TEXTURE HAS MADE IT A FAVOURITE AMONGST CAKE LOVERS WORLDWIDE. PHOTOGRAPHS & TEXT: NATASHA LIVIERO / UNSPLASH

Chiffon Cake

MAKES 1 CAKE

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

320g cake flour

325g caster sugar

15g baking powder

5g salt

110g neutral oil, i.e.Canola oil

7 XL egg yolks

7 XL egg whites

70g lemon juice

METHOD:

1. Set oven to 1600C.

Zest of 2 large lemons

120g cold water

5g vanilla/lemon extract

2g cream of tartar

LEMON WATER ICING INGREDIENTS:

Icing sugar, sifted

Warm water

Lemon juice

2. Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.

3. With a wooden spoon, make a well in the centre of the flour mixture.

4. Mix the oil, egg yolks, lemon juice, zest, cold water and vanilla extract.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and gently mix with a wooden spoon until a smooth batter forms.

6. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks. Add the cream of tartar and then continue to whisk until firm.

7. Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk batter in three parts until well combined. Be careful of over-folding the batter, or it will deflate.

8. Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon tin and bake for 60 minutes or until golden brown and the top springs back when gently touched.

9. Remove the cake from the oven, immediately invert the chiffon tin and leave the cake to cool completely.

10. To remove the cake from the tin, gently run a palette knife around the sides, bottom and centre tube of the tin.

11. Place the cake on a wire rack with the level side facing upwards.

12. Prepare the water icing by sifting 400g icing sugar into a bowl. Gently add warm water and lemon juice to taste and mix until you have your desired pouring consistency. If the icing becomes too liquid, simply add more icing sugar.

13. Place a pan or disposable paper under the wire rack and pour the water icing over the top of the chiffon cake, allowing the icing to fall down the sides.

14. Leave the icing to firm up a little before decorating with edible flowers.

15. It lasts up to three days in an airtight container.

NATASHA LIVIERO - PASTRY CHEF

Notes: natashaliviero

* For a more intense lemon flavour, substitute some of the 120g cold water with lemon juice.

* Replace the lemon juice and zest with oranges for an orange chiffon cake.

Natasha is a recently qualified pastry chef who is South African by birth and Croatian by blood. She spent many years working for a wellness publication but did an about-turn at the beginning of 2020 when she joined a culinary school to fulfil a lifelong dream to study patisserie. She’s passionate about European patisserie and loves spending time in the kitchen experimenting with recipes (while quibbling with her feline friends), and is always on the hunt for interesting new cookbooks.