Lemon Chiffon Cake

This is the best cake recipe I have ever made.
EVER.
The batter is so fluffy and surprisingly easy to work with. This recipe makes a lot of cake—I also had a vintage mini cake pan in addition to the bundt pan. Honestly, I could have made two cakes. More cake the better, right? For me, it’s a thrill to see our guests enjoy something I’ve put my heart and soul into making. We were lucky to have family visit over the weekend + we’ve recently made new friends in our apartment building; so no slice of cake was safe and that makes my heart happy. 

For the cake:
6 eggs, separated, plus 2 egg whites
Scant 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 ounce baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar (in two 3/4 cup batches)
1/2  cup light olive oil
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:
Scant 5 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup of butter, melted
Juice of 2-3 lemons (I used 3, next time I will use only 2)

1| Preheat oven 325F

2| Add 6 eggs yolks to a medium bowl. Add 8 egg whites to a large bowl for whisking. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add half of the superfine sugar and mix well. Add oil, egg yolks, lemon zest, and water to the center. Beat well with an electric mixer for one minute.

3| Whisk the egg whites until gentle peaks form. Gradually add the remaining superfine sugar, the cream of tartar, and the vanilla extract, whisking until the mixture is smooth, glossy, and softly peaking. Spoon half the whisked egg whites into the song batter and fold in gently. Add the remaining egg whites and continue to fold in until combined. *Do not grease the pan* Pour the batter into pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

4| Bake for 50-55 minutes. The cake will rise… like a lot. Carefully take the cake out, when it is ready, and invert the pan onto a wire rack. Leave the cake alone to cook on the wire rack for at least 2 hours in a draft free room.

5| Because the pan was not greased, take a small knife around the edge of the pan and gently loosen the cake out of the pan. Sponge cake is very light and fluffy, handle with care!

6| Now to make the glaze: sift the confectioners’ sugar into a mixing bowl and add melted butter and juice from 2 lemons. Mix well, gradually adding more lemon juice if needed. With a spatula, pour glaze over the sponge cake allowing it to run down the sides. The glaze with set after 30 minutes.

 

Seriously, this was the best cake I have ever made. I’m thinking about making the next cake chocolate with Nutella icing, mmm! If you have any questions, comment below :)