Orange Chiffon Cake

I'm gonna blog about how to bake a perfect chiffon. I have failed twice on this cake before and now, I'm sure to tell that it will never happen again. The secret to make a chiffon cake is simply easy. You just need to follow step-by-step and I'm sure you can get a delicious tall and fluffy chiffon cake like I do. The best thing about chiffon is that it is light and fluffy unlike butter cake and it can be modified into many types of different chiffon cakes. Amazing - uh? XD

In this post, I'm gonna share how I bake chiffon cake and also a super-good tips that I saw from a video made by a Hong Kong housewife. Her method is simply simple and most importantly, it makes your cake never to have volcano surface again! How amazing is that! Haha - It's definitely a must-learn tips by all bakers!

Orange Chiffon Cake 

* Less sugar and less oil version

Ingredients 
A
5 egg yolks
50g fine sugar
110g fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
45g Canola cooking oil
160g low protein flour (cake flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

B
5 egg whites
100g fine sugar
1/3 teaspoon of cream of tartar

Utensils 
Clean bowls with no oil stain at all
Electric whisk
Spatula
Weighing scale
Chiffon baking tray
Sieve

Steps

1. Separate the 5 egg yolks and egg whites into 2 different bowls. Make sure the bowl for the egg whites is totally oil-less or else you will not get a high chiffon cake. 
2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until the colour of the mixture turns pale yellowish. 
3. Add in orange juice, oil and Vanilla extract into the mixture and mix well. 
4. Add in sieved flour, baking powder and baking soda into the mixture and mix well. 
5. Whisk egg whites until large bubbles are formed. Then, put in cream of tartar. Continue whisking.
6. Add in 1/3 of sugar each time while you whisk the egg whites. Stop whisking when you reach the soft peak stage.
7. Fold in 1/3 of egg whites into the egg yolks mixture. Fold the mixture well until it is well blended.
8. Add in another 1/3 of egg whites and do the same thing as in (7). 
9. Pour all the mixture into the bowl that contains egg whites and fold the mixture well. 
10. Pour into the baking tray from one spot. 
11. Use a spatula to gently push the batter at the middle to the corner of the baking tray - spreading from the middle to the sides. See illustration below.
12. Knock out some excess air in the batter mixture without lifting up the baking tray. 
13. Bake for 140 degrees Celsius for 55-60 minutes. 
14. Immediately turnover the cake once you have baked it. 
15. Chill it under the fan for about 45 minutes to 60 minutes until it is completely cool before you remove the mold. Cut the edges slowly remove the mold. You will get a perfect cake. =) 

Beat egg yolks and sugar. Add in liquid ingredients. 

Sieve in flour ingredients and mix well. 

When bubbles are formed in the egg whites, put in cream of tartar. 

Gradually add in sugar and whisk well. 

Ooops picture 15 is supposed to be numbered as picture 13. Take note of that - I'm lazy to edit =X

Picture 15 shows how a soft peak looks like. 

Huge difference, isn't it? 

After pouring in the batter into the mold and the final outcome of the cake. =) 

It has rose beautifully. 

You might not be able to see well - so here are some close-up photos of some important steps.

This is how soft peaks are supposed to look like.

When you touch it, it is still a little wet and foamy. 

It is unlike stiff peak whereby it's dry and air-less. 

Ta-dah - 

I gotta boast how beautiful my cake looks like =) 

Slowly getting it out from the mold. 

It's spring-gy 

It tastes healthy

It's good. XD 

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Okay here comes the tutorial that I learnt from this Hong Kong housewife. Haha - 

She didn't really emphasize on this but I just noticed it when I was watching her video on how to make sponge cake if I'm not mistaken. 

I wasn't very sure if I can look out for the video -

This is how some people pour their batter into the mold. 

This is WRONG -

It will cause your cake to either break/shattered/have these volcano prints on top.

It makes your cake UGLY 

This should be the correct way of pouring the batter mixture into the mold. 

From one direction. 

The arrow points where the batter source is flowing from (okay obviously you understand my figure though you see the actual source of batter comes from the side - I just want to show you where the source is and where the batter should hit the mold)

X is where your batter should flow on. 

To make things simple - you simply have to pour your batter from ONE DIRECTION.

Don't pour it from various spots. 

I find this method good because it decreases the chances of air bubbles trap. 

Also, it makes your batter's surface smoother - which is the trick to avoid volcano surface.

If you notice the two samples at the top which I marked as WRONG -

The batter's surface is not flat but valleys texture liked.

The green batter cake will likely get a mountain cracked surface.

The milk batter cake will likely get a center high up and cracked surface. 

The best batter spread is the chocolate one at the bottom whereby the batter mixture is flat. 

Notice that its center is not high up like the milk batter. 

The trick to avoid mountain looking surface cake prior baking: 

Always remember to use your spatula or anything flat to spread the batter from the middle to the sides like as shown in the yellow arrows. Make sure the center is not high like the milk batter. Use low fire and bake for a longer time. For chiffon cake (I'm using 8 inches), I noticed that 140 degrees Celsius and 1 hour baking time is the best. My cake never goes exploded at the top ever again once I take these precautionary steps. =) 

I believe this applies to other cakes as well. I did my chocolate cake that day. 

My cake turned out super pretty. XD 

Notice that the cake surface is totally flat and pretty?

No signs of cracked or anything. =)