Lemon chiffon cake

Layers of lemony goodness

Whenever we get together with my extended family, my go-to dessert offering is typically just this: anything chocolate. Brownies, cake, whatever it is — make it chocolate. It's is a crowd pleaser. And of course I, too, adore it in most any form. 

But without a festive gathering to bake for, I decided to please myself and my need to try something new. Thus: Lemon chiffon cake. It started as a baking experiment for me, and if my immediate family happened to enjoy the results, that would be icing on the cake (pun intended). Happily for all involved, they loved it! Except Kevin — he's one of those "anything chocolate" people.

The trick with chiffon cake of any flavor is beating egg whites until stiff peaks form, then folding them into the rest of the batter. I've heard of soft peaks and stiff peaks, but I've never actually beat egg whites into frothy submission before. Newsflash: It's tricky. At least for the first try. Here are a few tips courtesy of my Google research: 

Tip 1: Bring the eggs to room temperature, either by leaving them out of the fridge for an hour before you use them or by placing them in a bowl of warm water while you go about your other cake batter preparations. 

Tip 2: Use a glass or metal bowl — not plastic.
 
Tip 3: Make sure the bowl and the beaters are clean and dry. The first time I tried beating the egg whites, I used the same beaters I'd just used to mix the rest of the cake batter. I figured it couldn't hurt to reuse them since everything would eventually be folded together. Wrong-o! It seems any residue on the beaters or in the bowl can spoil the delicate balance that make eggs whites form peaks of any kind. (Yes, after one failed attempt I had to start over with all new egg whites — bummer!)

Tip 4: First the eggs whites will foam, then they'll combine into a creamy white mixture. This is when you have to be on the look out for stiff peaks. You can also over-beat egg whites, so out of paranoia I stopped beating them when I felt the mixture was fluffy enough (about 5–7 minutes of beating). Whether or not the stiff peaks were still to come, I'm not sure. I'm no Martha. But I do hope to figure out the science of perfectly stiff peaks someday!

Once you get past any egg white blunders, this layer cake comes together really easily and is absolutely delicious. The cake itself is lovely on its own — light and uncomplicated, with just a hint of lemon. The whipped cream topping (yes, whipped cream topping!) is what really takes it to Lemon Town. So fresh and tangy-sweet. If there's a cake that's more suited to summer, I've yet to find it.

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LEMON CHIFFON CAKE

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
CAKE BATTER, PT. 1
1 and 3/4 cups cake flour
1 TBS baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup water
1 TBS lemon zest

CAKE BATTER, PT. 2 (Egg whites)
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar

WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING
1 cup heavy whipping cream
jar of lemon curd (I used a 10-oz. jar of Dickinson's, which you can find in the peanut butter & jelly aisle at major grocery stores)

WHAT YOU'LL DO: 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the Cake Batter, Pt. 1 ingredients until smooth.

2. For Cake Batter, Pt. 2 (egg whites): In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating. Slowly add sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

3. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into Cake Batter, Pt. 1. Fold in the rest of the egg whites until no streaks remain. Pour batter into two 9-in. round cake pans. *Note: The original recipe called for a 10-in. tube pan. You can try that, but the baking time will increase to about 60 minutes. Also, the original recipe said not to grease the pan, but I don't see how greasing the pan could be a bad thing. 

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15–20 minutes. *Note: I took mine out at 17 minutes and they were cooked through. Next time, I would start checking the cakes at the 15-minute mark. The cakes are done when a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool.

5. For the whipped topping: In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate smaller bowl, lightly beat the lemon curd so it's smoother and easier to work with. Fold the lemon curd into the whipped cream. Chill in the fridge.

6. Frost and layer the cake just before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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We ate this cake for three nights straight, and I would say that's the max on its shelf life (it's too dry otherwise). Now that I know how to make a chiffon cake, I'm itching to try it with other, non-lemon flavors like vanilla and almond — and to get my stiff peaks down pat! So much cake, so little time.