What is your favourite kind of cake? I like mine light as a feather, fluffy, soft, not too sweet and moist. Basically, I love the texture of boxed mixes without all the funny tasting chemicals. Actually, I didn't know that boxed mixes had a funny taste until I went to a birthday party where they served my favourite (or so I thought) Betty Crocker rainbow mix with canned frosting. Many scratch cakes later, I was still not able to get that light texture. I tried creaming, reverse creaming, recipes with both whole eggs and egg whites, different quantities of milk until it hit me that maybe all this time I've just been baking the wrong cake. I've been avoiding sponges and chiffons ever since my horrible angel food cake experience where the cake was raw yet dry.. hmm.. weird, but it happened. I still wasn't sure about the folding egg white thing so off to youtube for a refresher on folding! I stumbled on an episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats and decided to give his recipe a try after many failed attempts with CI's chiffon cake recipe. The CI versions were such failures I didn't even bother to take a picture of the gooey, wet, mess (yes, I'm still talking about a cake)
Alton's recipe had the perfect texture, but needs a little more sweetness. I can't imagine how many more butter cake recipes and tweaking I would've made if I didn't give the chiffon a try! To be honest, now I kind of miss the butter flavour. I'll have to try this recipe with melted butter and more sugar next time (it better work!). The non frosting eater in me decided to go healthy with decorating this cake and found whatever surviving (nonscriveled) blueberries in my fridge..haha.
I don't have a tube pan so I halved the recipe and baked in a springform.
Chiffon Cake recipe by Alton Brown
*this is important or you'll end up with a salty cake! I used 1/2 tsp of salt. Anymore and this probably won't be something you'll want to eat. Next time I would up the sugar too!
I actually used Alton's recipe, but with CI's procedure for making this cake. This was to prevent overmixing on my part. First I mixed all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet (except for egg whites) in another bowl and then combined wet and dry. Next I whipped the egg whites + cream of tartar to stiff peaks and folded them into the mixture. I find it harder to incorporated flour into a ribboned egg + sugar mixture and also harder to fold egg whites when there's sugar beaten in them. I'm definitely making this recipe again following Alton's instructions to see if there's a difference. Alton also uses a handmixer, which I never use for cakes because they've always turned them tough and chewy. Maybe it's my Sunbeam.. I guess I do need a new kitchen aid hand mixer!
I love the same type of cake - and I love Alton's fun recipes :-)
ReplyDeletethis cake looks so light and fluffy. I like it. I have the same problem I ve got a slight phobia of sponge cakes when it comes to mixing flour. I ll try your approach.
ReplyDeleteI used to swear that my stand mixer made my cakes tough and dry. I thought my hand mixer was the only tool for the job. Then I realized it was just me! Hahaha. I definitely need to try making a chiffon cake. I'm scared too. I still don't think I've gotten the hang of whipping egg whites... I always think I over whip them because it's such a fine line!
ReplyDeleteThe blueberries are perfect for your chiffon cake, it's so light and fluffy. Icing, to me, would weigh it down.
ReplyDeleteCake-making has always given me fits. Sounds like you've been busy doing a lot of testing to find the perfect one! Your cake looks incredible -- love the blueberries!
ReplyDeleteI've never had a chiffon cake; I've been curious to try it out.
ReplyDeleteThe texture looks perfect on this one. I love making chiffon cakes.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I've had chiffon cake before. I would top mine with strawberries rather than blueberries though.
ReplyDeleteI always use my handmixer for cakes. Sometimes they do get tough, but I think it's because I used to beat in the flour. I usually beat the cake ingredients then mix in the dry by hand.
It looks so perfect! I have had TONS of problems with this kind of cake. Good to know this recipe works!
ReplyDeleteIt looks very light and airy. A lot like Japanese castella cake.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I have a couple of awards for you on my blog!
the cake looks perfect! I am an Alton fan!
ReplyDeleteI like sponge cake, particularly with lemon curd or lemon creme and berries in the summertime. But I really prefer a heavy moist cake, chocolate of course. This looks good Steph. I am not real sure about Dories book. So many misprints and disappointments. I bought 3 on sale for my sisters for birthday gifts but I decided to return them. I will give it a little more time.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
That's a good tip. I've always been a little intimidated by sponge cakes so maybe now I'll overcome that phobia.
ReplyDeleteI always use a handmixer because my stand - a 1960s Sunbeam recently inherited - rattles and shakes and moves furniture when I turn it on.
I was contemplating using your mixing method. But since I'd never made chiffon cake before, I wanted to do the traditional method first. I read in "Bakewise" that you can sift the flour over the ribboned egg yolk mixture and spread 1/3 of the egg whites over that, then fold together. It was suggested for sponge cakes, but it might work for chiffon too... ??
ReplyDelete