Orange Chiffon Cake

Oranges are my family’s staples. Chiffon cakes are my favourite snacks. Both of them come together to make a delightful dessert for my family.

To make chiffon cakes successfully, it’s not that difficult than I thought. All I need is to make sure the egg whites are properly beaten and folded in well into the batter. I’m particularly fond of its light-as-cotton texture. The chiffon cake is not too sweet, yet very fragrant and delicious.

When it comes to making an orange cake, as fresh orange juice is to be added, it’s a good idea to taste the orange you’re going to use first and feel how sweet it is, as the sweetness of every orange is quite different. Then adjust the sugar yielded in the recipe accordingly.

You might want to produce every cake with the same sweetness level every time. I recommend to use fresh orange juice with no sugar added, from supermarkets instead.

Orange Chiffon Cake Recipe

(Printable recipe)
By Christine’s Recipes
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Yield: One 20cm / 8 inch round removable based angle cake mould, not greased.

Ingredients of batter:

• 100 gm cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 5 egg yolks
• 30 gm caster sugar
• 100 ml fresh orange juice, room temperature
• 80 ml oil
• 1 tsp orange zest (only grate the orange part)
• orange segments, for serving, optional
• vanilla ice cream, for serving, optional

Ingredients of egg whites:

• 5 egg whites
• ⅓ tsp cream of tartar
• 60 gm caster sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C / 350F.
2. Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together and combine well. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bow, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Stir in the oil, orange juice and orange zest. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches.
4. Use a large clean mixing bowl, without any trace of oil or water, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until bubbles form. Add the cream of tartar and mix well. Add the 60 grams of sugar in 3 batches, about one-third at a time, and beat well between additions. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. (Note: please refer to this video “How To Beat Egg Whites”.)
5. With a spatula, fold-in the beaten egg whites into the batter in 3 batches. (Note: please refer to this video "How To Fold-in Egg Whites.) Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 15 mins. Reduce heat to 160C / 320F. Continue to bake for 20 to 25 mins, or until cooked through. A needle comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
6. Remove the cake from the oven. Invert the pan immediately on a wire rack. Let it cool completely. Garnish with orange segments and ice-cream if desired

Notes：

• Remember to taste your oranges and feel how sweet they are before making this cake. Adjust the amount of sugar accordingly.
• You can use fresh orange juice with no sugar added from supermarkets instead in order to control the sweetness of your cakes about the same every time.
• For making 10-inch cake
  Ingredients of batter:
  150 gm cake flour
  1½ tsp baking powder
  ¼ tsp salt
  8 egg yolks
  45 gm caster sugar
  150 ml fresh orange juice, room temperature
  120 ml oil
  1½ tsp orange zest (only grate the orange part)
  orange segments, for serving, optional
  vanilla ice cream, for serving, optional
  
  Ingredients of egg whites:
  8 egg whites
  ½ tsp cream of tartar
  90 gm caster sugar