Orange Chiffon Cake 鮮橙戚風蛋糕

A friend of mine who just started baking cakes asked me why some cakes require egg whites and yolks to be separated before being whisked while others do not.

The quick answer: when egg whites are separately beaten before being incorporated into the egg yolk mixture, cakes turn out lighter and fluffier. This is because egg white contains both water and protein, and a chemical reaction takes place when they are beaten. Bubbles and bonds form, resulting in an airy yet stable structure in the cake.

Some cakes are made without separating egg whites and yolks - the whole egg is whisked together - these cakes tend to have a denser texture. Which method you use depends on your personal taste as well as the purpose of cake (e.g. any icing or decorations?).

I think chiffon cakes fall into the 'some things in life are best kept simple' category - they are made with just a few common ingredients and are best eaten plain. Simply savor the aromatic eggy flavor of the cake, and enjoy every bite of the light and cottony texture.

One of the key factors for a successful chiffon cake is ensuring the egg whites are beaten correctly and used promptly. I have never been brave enough to whisk egg whites to stiff peaks by hand. When using a mixer, with more experience, it becomes easier to gauge when stiff glossy peaks form and to stop whisking. DO NOT OVERWHISK - if you do, the foam will become lumpy and collapse....and there goes your cake. See this video on how to beat egg whites. Adding sugar helps to stabilize the egg white foam. I found no significant difference when I used cream of tartar so I omitted it here. Finally, use the beaten egg whites quickly, or they start losing water and deflating.

For chiffon pan, I prefer the type with a removable base as unmolding the cake is much easier. It also comes with "3 legs" which allows the pan to stand inverted and elevated when cooling the cake.

ORANGE CHIFFON CAKE RECIPE
Makes one 10 inch (25 cm) cake
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Ingredients
6 egg yolks
50g (1/4 cup) castor sugar
90g (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
80g (1/3 cup) orange juice
130g (1 cup) cake flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder, sifted
1/4 tsp salt

7 egg whites
70g (1/3 cup) castor sugar


Preheat the oven at 355 deg F (180 deg C).

Separate the egg whites and yolks, making sure the egg yolks do not get into the whites.

Hand-whisk egg yolks and 50g sugar in a very large bowl till thick and pale. Add vegetable oil and whisk till well-integrated. Add orange juice and mix well. Add sifted cake flour, sifted baking powder and salt into the bowl and mix evenly.

Ensure the container and whisk for egg whites are clean and dry. Whip the egg whites till foamy and add the sugar gradually in 3 batches. Whip till stiff peaks form - when you turn the whisk upside down, the peaks should point upwards without folding or collapsing.

Incorporate whipped egg white - over 3 batches - into the egg yolk mixture. Using your hand whisk to gently stir and mix evenly - I find using hand whisk much easier and faster than folding in with spatula. Use the spatula to scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Once everything is well-mixed and smooth, pour the mixture into the chiffon pan. (Note: DO NOT GREASE THE PAN) Smoothen the surface with a spatula and lightly "drop" the chiffon pan against the work counter a few times to break any large bubbles.

Bake cake in preheated oven at 355 deg F (180 deg C) for 50-55 minutes. About 20 minutes into baking, the top of the cake will turn lightly brown.
- If your chiffon pan has "legs" like mine, place a piece of aluminum foil over the chiffon pan (do not remove pan from oven but be very careful)
- If your chiffon pan does not have 'legs", place a baking tray on another rack above the cake
This is to prevent the top of the cake from over-browning while some air/heat circulation is still required to properly bake the cake.

After 50-55 minutes, remove cake from oven, invert and cool on a rack. It is extremely important to invert the cake to prevent it from collapsing. Leave some space between pan and counter-top, otherwise steam will form inside the pan. Unmold and slice only when cake has completely cooled down.