Perfect Chiffon Cake. Foolproof Method. Soft & Airy

chiffon's one of those foundational cakes that you need to know how to make if you ask me it's the best cake of them all light is air soft as a cloud not too sweet let me show you the essential tips and tricks for making a foolproof chiffon cake and then let's turn it into the easiest and most delicious strawberry shortcake [Music] hey there welcome to my kitchen my name is sheldon but my friends call me sheldo so why don't you do the same today we're making chiffon cake one of my all time favorites it's perfectly soft and impossibly light chiffon is the basis for all asian bakery cakes filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit these were the cakes that i ate growing up for birthdays and celebrations in my mind chiffon is just what cake all cake should be chiffon belongs to the foam cake family along with its siblings sponge cake genoise and angel food cake it's basically a hybrid cake that combines all of the best qualities of the other foam cakes into one perfect cake chiffon takes whipped egg whites from angel food cake which gives it maximum fluffiness it uses the egg yolk as well like sponge cake making for a rich texture chiffon also has added fat in the form of oil much like genoise which creates a tender melt-in-the-mouth crumb first preheat your oven to 300 fahrenheit with the rack in the center of the oven i'm making an 8-inch cake today but i'll also put the ingredient amounts for a six-inch cake in the written recipe which can be found in the description to a medium mixing bowl add 100 grams cake flour and 70 grams neutral oil i'm using corn oil but canola avocado grape seed or anything along those lines will work whisk until combined this step coats the flour and oil waterproofing the flour particles since gluten can only form when flour meets water doing so inhibits gluten development in the cake batter excess gluten makes for a dense and chewy texture so we're ensuring that our cake stays light and tender next add in 100 grams milk and two teaspoons vanilla whisk together using a side design motion until the mixture is mostly homogeneous at this point it's okay if there are still some lumps left because we'll be whisking some more later since milk is 95 water once it's introduced overworking the batter will start to develop gluten even with the oil inhibiting gluten formation it's still best to work delicately whisking side to side takes advantage of shearing forces and is actually the most efficient way to whisk meaning we're able to combine everything without overworking it separate six eggs add the whites to a large mixing bowl and the yolks directly into the batter make sure that the egg white bowl is clean free of any oil and that no egg yolks get into the egg whites otherwise the egg whites won't whip up fully [Music] again using a side to side motion whisk to combine the egg yolks into the batter just until it's lump free and a smooth runny texture when dropped from the whisk the batter should form a flowy ribbon now the foam portion of this cake we're going to make a meringue by whisking the egg whites and incorporating 100 grams or a half cup of sugar in three separate stages until we reach a glossy semi-stiff peak add a quarter teaspoon cream of tartar to the egg whites you can also substitute with a half teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar this acid will stabilize the meringue and help prevent over whipping whip the egg whites on high speed in this first stage we're incorporating as much air as possible [Music] once the large bubbles have turned into a white foam add in the first third of the sugar keep whipping on high speed until the egg whites are holding their shape but without a peak yet then add in the next third of the sugar switch to medium speed using a lower speed will refine the meringue creating smaller bubbles this will result in a more stable meringue as well as a finer crumb to the cake i know it's tempting to blast on high until stiff peaks but that makes for a weaker meringue which will actually deflate more easily as well as creating large bubbles in the cake later on keep whipping on medium until the beaters start leaving coarse marks and the meringue holds a soft and floppy peak add in the final third of the sugar switch to medium low speed whip until the meringue looks fine and glossy when the beaters are lifted out of the meringue it should have a stiff base with just a bit of flop to the tip of the peak once a meringue has been whipped to fully stiff peaks it's actually past its maximum capacity to hold air it's before that point when the meringue is holding a firm yet still flexible peak that the egg white proteins are most able to stretch and accommodate the air bubbles that expand once the cake hits the heat of the oven take a third of the egg whites and add it to the batter fold in with a spatula we're lightening up the batter which will help it incorporate better into the rest of the egg whites pour the lightened batter into the egg whites aiming for the side of the bowl so that we don't smother and deflate the rest of the egg whites use a spatula to fold gently by scraping along the bottom of the bowl and turning over the top rotate the bowl and repeat until the batter is homogenous and there are no streaks of white left occasionally cut through the middle of the batter with the spatula and fold over this may reveal some sneaky hidden streaks work quickly and only fold until the batter has just come together overworking here will deflate all of that air we work so hard to incorporate let's talk cake pans some people think that for chiffon you need a special two pad that's usually used for angel food cake this just isn't true for this recipe we'll need a round pan at least 3 inches tall either 8 inches or six inches in diameter the pan should be bare metal preferably aluminum and not non-stick chiffon needs to be cooled upside down in order to maintain its height and the cake will slide right out of a non-stick cake pan a pan with a removable bottom will work best and can be used without any prep so no grease or flour a non-removable bottom pan can be used as well but it will need a bit of help lightly brush the bottom of the pan in a thin coating of oil just a few drops add in an eighth teaspoon of flour and shake to distribute evenly discard any excess flour the goal is to still let the cake stick to the bottom of the pan but give us just enough of a barrier to help remove the cake later on pour the batter into the cake pan firmly tap the pan against the counter a few times to surface any large air bubbles careful to not tap too hard with a removable bottom pan otherwise the bottom plate will lift up and trap air inside swirl a toothpick through the cake batter to further remove any large air bubbles [Music] bake for 50 to 55 minutes at first the cake will rise rise rise until it reaches a point where the top which is set from the heat will crack relieving some of the upward pressure then the cake will begin to drop back down after it's deflated a little is the time to take it out of the oven to check for doneness insert a bamboo skewer or toothpick and it should come out clean without any crumbs immediately drop the cake twice on the counter to let out any excess steam in hot air quickly invert it onto two upside down bowls the cake will need to stay upside down until fully cooled this way we let gravity help us preserve the height of the cake while it sets up wait at least 90 minutes for the cake to cool down before turning it back over it can also be left overnight at room temperature to fully cool down to remove the cake from the pan lightly press around the top of the cake to pull it away from the sides don't worry this won't damage the cake then run a thin blade around the cake pressing the knife against the inside of the pan [Music] with a removable bottom pan it's a simple matter of then pushing up on the bottom to pop out the cake press the cake gently going all the way around the bottom edge to loosen it from the base plate [Music] with a non-removable bottom pan once you've run the knife around the outside of the cake reach in between the cake in the pan and pull the side of the cake in towards the center which will help detach it from the bottom gently do this all the way around the cake since this cake is so fluffy and springy this won't hurt it at all if the skin on top of the cake is patchy it can be removed by gently rubbing with your hands this can also be done with the sides and the bottom personally if the outside looks generally okay i usually just leave it alone you may be wondering how to have a chiffon cake without any cracks in the tongue let me show you just turn it upside down tada smooth top if anyone shows you a chiffon cake without any cracks you're looking at the bottom of the cake cracking is a normal part of chiffon and there's no real way to prevent it so soft usually when you see a cake this spongy you'd think it should be dry but this one isn't the eggs and the oil keep it perfectly tender that even cottony crumb is the signature of chiffon it melts in your mouth with every bite just look at how fluffy and springy the texture is [Music] now let's turn the plain chiffon into a perfectly casual yet show-stopping strawberry shortcake flip the sponge upside down we'll use the flat even bottom as the top of the cake cut the cake into three layers with a serrated knife no need to be super careful here to get absolutely even layers because it won't really matter when it comes to final cake just eyeball it and get as close as possible place the bottom layer which used to be the top onto a serving platter or a cake stand dollop on a third of the whipped cream i'm using a double batch of my favorite whipped cream recipe which you can find in my banana pavlova video i'll link to it in the description spread out the cream and add a third of the strawberries in an even layer i've got two pounds total of strawberries which are simply cut in half it's nice to arrange some strawberries around the edge so that they peak out through the layers of cake repeat with the next two layers of cake using a third of the whipped cream and strawberries each time remember no need to be too particular here just dollop on the cream and scatter the strawberries over haphazardly simplicity is the name of the game and there you go the most delicious casual strawberry shortcake my goodness this is a dessert for the ages there is something about the combo with chiffon whipped cream and fresh fruit chiffon is the perfect canvas for rich cream and tart yet sweet strawberries the juicy strawberries pop against the dairy and it all plays so well with the luxurious fluffy texture of the cake this isn't a neat dessert and it's not meant to be it's everything i adore about home baking inviting fun and not at all fussy so there you go the perfect chiffon and a perfectly imperfect strawberry shortcake i gotta tell you between my partner and i we devoured this entire cake in like less than half a day if you really think about it though the sponge and the whipped cream it's basically all just air so the only thing that's left is fruit so really this is a healthy cake right um seriously though this is the cake for those of you who are looking for a cake without all the heaviness and sweetness give this a try i promise you won't regret it if you do make this cake please comment below and let me know how it goes i would love to hear from you as always the full written recipe can be found in the description thank you so much for joining me on another week of sheldo's kitchen i hope to see you again very soon bye

Channel: sheldo's kitchen

Views: 245,426

Keywords: chiffon cake recipe, chiffon cake, cake recipe easy, vanilla cake, sponge cake recipe, foolproof cake recipe, basic chiffon cake, how to make chiffon cake, strawberry shortcake recipe, japanese strawberry shortcake, chinese bakery cake recipe, chinese bakery sponge cake, korean sponge cake, korean fresh cream cake, strawberry shortcake, light cake recipe, whipped cream frosting for cake, whipped cream cake, retro cake recipe, vanilla chiffon cake, sponge cake without butter

Id: YLO7A--OehA

Length: 12min 40sec (760 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 27 2021