Lemon Chiffon Cake
on May 25, 2019, Updated Apr 27, 2024
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Lemon Chiffon Cake is like a zesty combination of pound cake and angel food cake… It’s light, fluffy, and citrusy without any fussiness – an easy lemon cake recipe that you’ll definitely want to try!
You’re going to want to add this cake to your spring and summertime baking list. Even if you aren’t a big baker, this one is a piece of cake to make (get it?) and won’t leave you fretting over just-so measurements and intricate steps. I like getting the kids involved to help with cracking the eggs and making the meringue. More hands make easier work!
For a Sunday feast dessert, or really any dessert during the warm months, you’ve got to try making this Lemon Chiffon Cake using Bob’s Red Mill cake flour. This flour adds a serious richness of texture and depth of flavor. Scoop a dollop of whipped cream on top of a slice with a small handful of halved strawberries for a pretty presentation and a refreshing cap to any meal.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bright Lemon Flavor: Lemon zest and lemon juice infuse the cake with a bright and refreshing citrus flavor that is both zesty and tangy.
- Make-Ahead Option: This is a great make-ahead dessert option for parties and gatherings, as you can bake it in advance and focus on other preparations on the day of the event.
- Light and Airy Texture: Not familiar with chiffon cake? Think of it as a crazy-awesome mix of pound and angel food cake. It’s got the soft and light texture of angel food, with the richness pound cake is so well known for.
Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar
- Cake Flour: don’t skip the cake flour – it makes a huge difference! Find it in the baking aisle.
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- 5 Large Eggs, yolks separated from whites, at room temperature
- 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
- Grated Fresh Lemon Zest: Definitely use fresh
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Use fresh here too. The flavor of the bottled stuff just isn’t the same.
- Water
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Cream of Tartar
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Lemon Chiffon Cake
Step #1. Preheat and adjust the oven then prepare the cake pan as needed.
Step #3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, whole eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, water, oil, and vanilla.
Step #5. Use a mixer to whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until the mixture reaches stiff peaks. Use a rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the batter.
Step #7. Remove the cake from the oven then cool upside down for 2-3 hours.
Step #2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Step #4. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until it makes a thick batter.
Step #6. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the top springs back when touched.
Step #8. Once cool, run a knife around the edge then place the cake on a plate. Serve dusted with powdered sugar or glazed, as desired.
The use of oil or butter is the main difference between chiffon and sponge cake. Sponge cake only contains three main ingredients: eggs, sugar, and flour. Chiffon cake has a similar richness to butter cake because of the use of oil or butter, but its other ingredients achieve the springiness of a sponge cake.
Just like there are similarities between chiffon and sponge cake, there are some for angel food and chiffon, too. Angel food cake uses no yolks and no fat, while chiffon does include them. All three types of cakes (chiffon, angel food, and sponge) are very similar, with slight ingredient and baking variances. I like this lemon chiffon version because it’s unfussy and has some really nice, light, and fresh springtime flavors.
Expert Tips
- Make a great meringue: The beaten egg whites (meringue) is the most important aspect of chiffon cake. Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature, whisk them until a stiff peak with a tip that folds over, and fold the meringue into your egg yolk mixture thoroughly and carefully, so the egg whites don’t deflate. Bonus: Make sure your beaters and bowl are completely grease free so that the egg whites will whip into stiff peaks like you need them to.
- Find the right pan: You’ll want to use an aluminum pan with a removable base, and you don’t want it to be non-stick. Don’t grease it because, as the cake rises, it needs to cling to the sides of the pan for support. A greased pan will lead to a collapsed cake. An angel food pan will also work. If your pan doesn’t have a removable base, line the pan with parchment paper for the same effect.
- Let the cake cool upside down: This allows it to settle downward, rather than collapsing as it cools. It should take 2 to 3 hours to cool.
How to Serve Lemon Chiffon Cake
- This cake is typically served dusted with powdered sugar or glazed (lemon glaze is especially delicious) but you can also serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh berries. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries all pair so well with lemon!
More Cake Recipes to Consider
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Lemon Chiffon Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/3 cups cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs, yolks separated from whites, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position, and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 16-cup tube pan with parchment paper, but do NOT grease. If you are using a tube pan with a removable bottom (like an angle food cake pan), then you do not need to line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar, cake flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a medium bowl, add the 5 separated egg yolks, 2 whole eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine well.
- Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture to make a thick batter.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the separated egg whites and the cream of tartar together on medium-high speed, until the egg whites are beat stiff, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Fold the whipped eggs whites into the batter with a large rubber spatula.
- Scrape the cake batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Wipe any drips of batter from the side of the pan, and then gently tap the cake pan on the counter a few times to settle the batter.
- Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and springs back when firmly touched, about 50 to 60 minutes.
- Remove the cake from oven, and invert the cake pan over a sturdy bottle or a metal kitchen funnel (or if your cake pan has “feet” that go above the top of the pan, simply rest the cake upside down). Let the cake cool completely, upside down, for 2 to 3 hours.
- Once cool, run a small knife around the edge of the pan to loosen, and gently tap upside down to release the cake. Remove the parchment paper, and place the cake right side up on a serving platter. (If you used an angel food cake pan, run the small knife around the edge, remove the bottom, run the knife around the bottom, and then remove the cake).
- Serve plain, with a light dusting of powdered sugar or with a glaze.
Notes
- Traditionally, this cake is served dusted with powdered sugar or glazed. You can also serve this cake with a little whipped cream and some fresh berries. It’s so light and fluffy!
- When separating the yolks and whites, be so careful not to get any yolk in the whites or they will not form stiff peaks like you need them too.
- Prepare the place for your cake to cool while it is baking so it’s easy to get it inverted right away.
- When folding the egg whites into the batter, do so gently so that you don’t deflate them.
Hi Melissa! This looks delightful and I want to try it for Easter Sunday dessert, however, forgive me for asking this… but aside from having a lemon flavor to it, does this have more flavor than angel food cake? (Angel food tastes to me like I’m literally eating a tasteless sponge, or perhaps a lemon-flavored sponge if it’s a lemon angel food cake) I know lots of folks love angel food, but I’m not one of them!
I look forward to your reply!
Warmly,
Chrissy
Definitely more flavor! I think you’ll really like this one, it has some of that richness like a pound cake but the texture is nice!