Brighten your day during citrus season with this delicate Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake. Reminiscent of my favorite Japanese yuzu, Meyer lemons have an incredibly refreshing fragrance and tart sweetness that‘s perfect for desserts. It‘s a light and airy Japanese cake that‘s bursting with the sweet smell of lemons. Top it with powdered sugar or my optional Meyer Lemon Icing Glaze.
Bright, sweet, and tart. Citrus fruits are the sunshine of the cold season. Right here in California, I am so grateful to find fresh Meyer lemons at my local farmers market from the start of November all the way through May. Said to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange, Meyer Lemons remind me of my favorite Japanese Yuzu. Both citrus fruits have an incredibly refreshing aroma and fragrance that they are best used in dressings and desserts.
Whenever I scoop up some of these seasonal fruits, I can’t wait to make this Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake. A light, airy cake that is bursting with the sweet scent of lemons. It’s a perfect slice of cake to enjoy with coffee or tea!
What is Meyer Lemon?
Some of you may not have heard of Meyer lemons. I didn’t know anything about it until I came to the United States. When I Googled Meyer lemon, I found out they originated in China (that was unexpected) and were brought to the U.S. by Frank Meyer – which explains the name.
But Meyers lemons didn’t become popular until the end of the 1990s when chefs like Alice Waters at Chez Panisse started to use in “California Cuisine” and Martha Stewart featured them in her recipes (source).
Meyer lemons are moderately acidic and do not have the tangy flavor of regular lemons. They even taste slightly sweet. My favorite part of Meyer lemons is their rinds. They smell so good that if there were a pile of Meyer lemon zest I feel like I could dive right in!
Another Meyer lemon recipe: Meyer Lemon Pound Cake
Airy, Fluffy, Not-So-Sweet Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake
Chiffon cake has been one of my favorite desserts to make at home. Once you learn the trick of making a delicate, frothy meringue, the rest of it is rather straightforward.
Popular Dessert Cake In Japan
The Japanese love a good cake! As the texture is light and airy, chiffon cakes are a popular dessert cake in Japan. They are made of simple ingredients like oil, eggs, sugar, flour, and flavorings. Personally, I enjoy making chiffon cakes at home because I can balance the taste with a key flavor so it’s not overly sweet. With their intense and natural sweetness, Meyer lemons make an excellent flavoring for the cake.
Can we substitute regular lemons for Meyer Lemons?
Yes, you can, in most recipes. Just keep in mind that the Meyer lemon is less tart and slightly sweeter. You probably want to increase the amount of sugar a tiny bit and use less juice. I haven’t tested this chiffon cake recipe with regular lemons. If I tried it one day, I’ll write down the measurement in the recipe (please remind me).
How to Make The Perfect Chiffon Cake
If you are a beginner baker and wish to give this chiffon cake a try, you will want to master the technique of whisking the meringue (beaten egg whites). Just like any baking project, it takes some practice, but the result is always rewarding.
I have a comprehensive guide on How to Make The Perfect Chiffon Cake for your reference. You’ll find everything you need to know, including the right baking pan, troubleshooting, and FAQs. Have a read before you start.
And while the citrus fruit is still in season, I hope you grab a bag and make this delightful Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake!
More Amazing Dessert Cake Recipes You’ll Love:
- Matcha Green Tea Chiffon Cake
- Earl Grey Chiffon Cake
- Orange Chiffon Cake
- Chocolate Chiffon Cake
- Matcha Mille Crepe Cake
- Castella Cake (Easy Japanese Honey Sponge Cake)
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Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (yolks and whites separated)
- 85 g sugar (½ cup minus 1 Tbsp; divided into thirds)
- 40 ml neutral oil (3 Tbsp minus 1 tsp)
- 2 Meyer lemons (for the zest and ¼ cup (60 ml) of juice)
- 75 g cake flour (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp; weigh your flour or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level it off; you can make Homemade Cake Flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
For Serving
- 2 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar (for dusting on the cake; optional)
For the Meyer Lemon Icing Glaze (optional)
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ Meyer lemon (for 1 Tbsp juice)
Instructions
Before You Start…
- Gather all the ingredients. I highly encourage you to use metric measurements using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Click on the “Metric“ button at the top of the recipe to convert the ingredient measurements to metric. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need.
- You will also need a 17-cm (7-inch) chiffon cake pan. If you have a different size pan, read this post to adjust the ingredient measurements. Make sure you use an aluminum pan with a removable base (read my blog post for more details). Please see my Notes at the end of this recipe for additional details on ingredients, equipment, and techniques.
To Mix the Batter
- Preheat the oven to 340ºF (170ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Separate the egg yolks and egg whites of 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell), and keep the whites in a small bowl or a stand mixer bowl. Refrigerate or freeze the mixer bowl and the egg whites for 15 minutes until cold. (It‘s okay if the egg whites are partially frozen). Tip: In Japan, we chill the egg whites to make smooth, fine-textured meringue and do not use cream of tartar.
- Start mixing the batter. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and one-third of the 85 g sugar (½ cup minus 1 Tbsp) with a hand whisk. Whisk vigorously until it‘s a creamy, pale yellow color.
- Next, add 40 ml neutral oil (3 Tbsp minus 1 tsp) and the zest of up to 2 Meyer lemons. Tip: I love the intense fragrance and sweetness of Meyer lemons, so I use the zest of 2 lemons. You can use 1, if you‘d prefer.
- Cut the Meyer lemons in half. Juice all 4 halves into a measuring cup.
- Measure 4 Tbsp (¼ cup or 60 ml) lemon juice. If you don‘t have enough juice, add water to make up the difference.
- Add the lemon juice to the egg mixture and whisk well.
- To a flour sifter or fine-mesh sieve, add 75 g cake flour (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp) and 1 tsp baking powder. Sift one-third of this flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk by hand to incorporate the dry ingredients well. Check that there are no lumps in the batter, then sift another one-third of the flour mixture into the bowl. Mix to incorporate. Then, sift in the rest of the flour mixture and whisk until just combined; do not overmix. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter. Set aside while you beat the meringue.
To Make the Meringue
- Take out the egg whites and the mixing bowl from the refrigerator or freezer. Set the bowl on the stand mixer with a whisk attachment (I used the KitchenAid Professional Series). Start whipping the egg whites on medium-low speed (Speed 4) until the egg whites are bubbly, opaque, and foamy. Add another one-third of the remaining sugar and continue whisking.
- After 30 seconds or so, increase the mixer speed to high (Speed 10) and gradually add the remaining sugar in small increments. Beat vigorously until stiff peaks form (see the next step for how to check). It takes about 2 minutes of beating at high speed to reach stiff peaks. Tip: I usually pause beating when the egg whites are almost done. Take off the whisk attachment from the mixer and use it to hand-mix the looser egg whites near the bowl‘s edge into the stiffer whites near the center until it‘s homogeneous in texture. Then, put the whisk back on and continue beating.
- To check for stiff peaks, pull up your whisk. The meringue in the bowl or on the whisk should be firm enough to hold a peak, pointing straight up (or maybe folding over a little bit just at the very tips). By this time, the meringue should have a glossy texture, too. Tip: If you overbeat the meringue, it will become very stiff and grainy and won't incorporate into the batter at all.
To Fold In the Meringue
- Using a spatula or hand whisk, add one-third of the meringue into the batter. Mix well by hand until it‘s homogeneous.
- Gently fold in the rest of the meringue in 2 or 3 increments. Take care not to deflate the air bubbles in the meringue and batter as you fold. Once it‘s well combined and homogeneous, fold the batter one last time and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there is no zest accumulation. The final batter should fall in ribbons when you lift the spatula or whisk.
To Bake
- Prepare an ungreased 17-cm (7-inch) chiffon cake pan. From 6–8 inches high, pour the batter into the pan at just one spot to prevent air pockets from forming.
- Run a wooden skewer through the batter to release any remaining air pockets. While holding the removable base in place, gently tap the pan a few times on the work surface to release any air pockets in the batter.
- Put the cake pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake at 340ºF (170ºC) for 30 minutes. To check if it‘s finished baking, insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed, it‘s done. Tip: If the top of the cake gets dark too quickly, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning. (The cake may be too close to the heat source.)
- Remove the cake pan from the oven and gently drop the pan onto the work surface to shock the cake. This stops the cake from shrinking. To cool the cake, prepare a tall, heavy bottle with a long neck, such as a glass wine bottle. Invert the center tube of the cake pan onto the bottle‘s neck and let the cake cool completely in its pan. Cooling the cake upside down helps it stretch downward and maintain its loft.
- Once the cake is completely cool, run a long offset spatula around the outer edge of the pan and a small offset spatula around the inner tube. Tip: I used to use a knife for this step, but the tip of the knife tends to poke the cake while moving around, so I now recommend using offset spatulas.
- Gently take out the removable base and cake from the outer pan. Then, run the offset spatula along the bottom of the cake to release it from the base. Invert the cake with the removable base onto a plate or cake stand. The cake will slide off the inner tube. Chiffon cake is served “upside down” with the flat bottom on top.
To Serve
- Dust the top of the cake with 2 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar (optional), if you‘d like. Alternatively, you can top the cake with Meyer Lemon Icing Glaze (optional). To make the glaze, place ½ cup confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and stir in the juice of ½ Meyer lemon. The glaze should be thick, but pourable. Add more sugar or Meyer lemon juice as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. Drizzle over the cake using a spoon. Slice and enjoy!
To Store
- I strongly recommend consuming the cake sooner for the best freshness. However, you can keep the cake covered on a plate or stand at room temperature in a cooler place for 1–2 days. To keep it longer, wrap individual slices in plastic wrap or put in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.
Notes
- Make sure your beaters and mixing bowl are clean and dry. A speck of oil or egg yolk on either one can minimize the volume of the beaten egg whites.
- Avoid plastic bowls, as even clean ones may hold oily residue that can affect the beaten quality of the egg whites.
- Use a bowl that’s wide enough to keep the beaters from being buried in the egg whites.
- Do not overbeat or underbeat the egg whites or your cake may fall. Egg whites should have a stiff peak, pointing straight up (or maybe a little bit folding over just at the very tips).
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on Mar 2, 2016. It has been edited and republished in February 2020.
HI Naomi,
i have tried your receipt this afternoon and the cake is so great. it’s delicious, fluffy and pretty chiffon cake( i had failed 3 times before >_<). The receipt is so good so as the cake, thank you Naomi.
I have the other question is if i want to bake an original flavor chiffon cake, should i just replace the lemon juice into milk with the same ml (1/4 cup)? have you ever tried to make the original flavor chiffon cake? would you please share your opinion?
thank you so much 😀
Hi Erumo! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and I’m glad yours came out well!
I’d probably do that and add vanilla (1 tsp). 🙂
This is such an easy and tasty recipe. I really loved the texture!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you Ana!
love your lemon chiffon cake, wish you can show me how to make mocha chiffon cake my favorite of all chiffon. Thank you Namiko.
Thank you Jazmin! I’ll add to my list. 🙂
Hi Nami! We just got a bunch of Meyer Lemons and am dying to try your recipe. Just wondering if I have to use vegetable oil? We only have olive oil and coconut oil. I really dont want to have to buy vegetable oil as we wouldnt be using it anything other than this recipe. Look forward to your comment! Thanks.
Hi Jenn! I truly believe you will need vegetable or canola oil – neutral flavor oil, and saturated oil like coconut oil won’t work. Olive oil has taste to it and not only that I think it’s too heavy. You can see the texture of the oil is very different too. Buy a small vegetable oil. I am sure you’ll want to make this cake often. 🙂 Plus, if you cook Japanese food (I’m not sure if you read my blog but just in case), we use neutral flavor oil for cooking. 🙂
Hello!
Will this recipe work using self rising flour? I’m very excited to try this recipe!
~Janice
Hi Janice! I’m a little bit scared to use it. Self-rising flour can be made of combining 1 cup (120 g) all purpose flour with 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Now, this recipe requires 75 grams cake flour and 1 tsp. baking powder, but no salt is necessary. It’ll be very difficult to prepare the correct ingredients if you use self-rising flour in this recipe… You can make cake flour by yourself, using corn starch. I hope this makes sense… baking is chemistry, so you really want to make sure ingredients are correct. 🙂
Thank you so much for replying back so quickly! I made this chiffon cake last week using cake flour and it turned out very well! The cake tasted very good, but it wasnt as fluffy as yours looked. Is there something I should improve on to make the cake more fluffy and airy?
Hi Janice! The fluffiness depends on how well you beat egg whites as well as using the right equipment (cake pan). Egg whites should be beaten correctly to get the air bubbles into the batter, which will give the fluffiness in the cake. Also, if you don’t use the good cake pan, it won’t climb up as high (and it’s important to make it upside down). Hope this helps?
Hi!
I love so many of your recipes! Really want to try this one, but just wondering – my angel food cake tin is way larger (23cm) which is almost twice the volume, do you think this recipe would still work if i doubled it? Or should i just have a much shorter cake?
Thank you!
Hi Yumeniai! Thank you so much! I recommend doubling it, and whatever you have left should be poured into another small ramekin or baking pan. It looks nicer when it’s tall. 🙂
Hi …..I have already tried the recipe and it was delicious, I was wondering if I can double the recipe….thanks
Hi Huda! I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂 You can double the recipe, but you’ll need another chiffon cake pan. 🙂
Hi Nami
Thank you for another delicious chiffon!
Can I know the size of the eggs u used here, as in the weight of each egg?
The reason I asked is because I tried making your matcha chiffon cake but the cake did not rise much compared to yours. And the texture is also quite dense, unlike yours.
Hope u can clarify as soon as possible as I would really love to give your recipe another try. Thank u!
Note: I used a 17cm aluminum tube pan to bake that matcha chiffon.
Hi Grace! American large egg is 2 ounce (56.7 g). When I measure after I crack an egg, it’s usually around 50 grams. Hope that helps!
Hi Nami
I baked my first chiffon cake using your recipe. It was yummmmmmy! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Quite a few other recipes I’ve read use an extra egg white. Does that make much of a difference?
Nha
Hi Nha! Thank you for trying this recipe! Probably to add more volume to the cake. I really like the base of this recipe, so personally I wouldn’t change. 🙂
Hi Nami, your cake looks pretty! My cake is fluffy & soft and taste nice but it doesn’t look as tall as your cake. The top of the cake is also not as flat as yours but a dome shape instead, only the centre rise as high as your cake but not the side. Could it be the oven temperature causing this?
Thank you Iva! Do you use the same size chiffon cake pan? It might be caused by the oven temp, or how you mix the batter. Test a few times to see how you can improve/fix. I’ll be happy to help. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Tried your recipe twice and both times came out great. Thank you!!!
Only thing is the cake flour measurement seemed to be incorrect. 75g should be about 1/3 cup instead of 2/3 cup.
I used a 9 inch nonstick angel cake bakeware. I put parchment paper on the bottom and side of the pan so the cake can climb up. 1st time I used the same ingredient amount, which came out great but thin. 2nd time I doubled the amount and it was perfect height. Both times I did the same temperature and baking time.
I used regular lemons. The cake came out light, fluffy and not too sweet. My husband absolutely loved it. Thank you!
Hi Ariel! I’m so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this cake! Thank you for your kind feedback and your tip on non-stick angel food cake pan! 🙂
As for the cake flour amount, 75 g = 2/3 cup, and it’s not a mistake. If you check online, 2/3 cup cake flour is usually 65 g. I do “fluff, scoop with spoon into a measuring cup, level off” method and it’s always 75 g, so I do with my measurement instead of typical 65 g here. Hope this helps!
Thank you for clarifying the measurement! I forgot g doesn’t equal to ml and went for less flour. Good news is they still came out good! ???? I’m gonna try other flavors! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
This is the best cake that I ever made! I followed your recipe and it came out great! I ate 1/3 of it by myself :-P. I forced myself to put it away so that I’d not eat the whole thing in one sitting.
I am making the Earl Grey one next!
Hi Amy! I’m so happy to hear your chiffon cake came out well! See, I really think I can eat half of the cake in ONE SITTING! I pretend to behave and eat a good portion slice… but in reality I can totally eat the entire cake!!! You’ll love earl grey one. So delicious!!! Thank you for your kind feedback! xo
Hi Nami,, thank you so much for sharing the Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake recipe. It is oishii!!! 🙂 I had so much fun baking it. I could not find Meyer lemons so I used regular lemons. I followed your advice and used less lemon juice. It came out perfect – tangy, fluffy and not too sweet. I could eat a few slices at once. :p I have a question – if I want to change the flavor to orange, does it mean I can just use the same amount of zest and juice for orange instead? Please advise. Thank you.
I enjoy your videos very much. Ganbatte!
Sincerely,
Cindy
Hi Cindy! I’m so happy to hear your chiffon cake came out well! Orange juice is naturally sweeter, so you may not need as much sugar as lemon. You might want to test and see how much sugar you would like to reduce, but pretty much same method, including zest etc. 🙂 Thank you for your support, Cindy! xo
Hi Nami,
I love your blog and your videos. Do you have a recipe for Japanese Cheesecake? I would much appreciated if your post one with a video! (^_^)
Winnie
Hi Winnie! Thank you so much for your kind words! I have Japanese cheesecake recipe but haven’t added a video yet. Here’s the recipe:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/japanese-cheesecake/
Hi Nami,
What is the recipe for 21cm (8”) Chiffon Pan? Would like to try out to bake Meyer lemon chiffon! Thank you!
Hi Evon! Please use this basic chiffon cake chart to see 21 cm: https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
This looks delicious!! Thanks for sharing this with us:-) I will try to make this for my sister’s birthday and hope that it turns out like yours!
Hi Claudine! Happy Birthday to your sister! Hope it will come out well. Good luck! 🙂
I made this the other day, the only problem is I could eat the entire cake by myself, it’s that good. It’s extremely light and fluffy with the perfect amount of sweetness. I baked mine approx 7 mins longer until cake bounces back when I press on it. Thank you for another excellent easy to follow recipe!! If you have a honey chiffon recipe please post it? 🙏
Hi Tiff, Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! We are glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
We currently don’t have the Honey Chiffon Cake recipe on the site. We’ll make sure to add the recipe to Nami’s list. Thanks for your request! 😊