Airy, bouncy, and lightly sweet, Orange Chiffon Cake is an elegant pastry with a warm, citrusy aroma from orange zest and a hint of cardamom. This soft and moist chiffon cake is served with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and topped with ribbons of orange peel.
With abundant navel oranges in the kitchen, I knew exactly what I wanted to make — Orange Chiffon Cake (オレンジシフォンケーキ). My daughter loves chiffon cake, and many JOC readers have specifically requested this recipe for a long time. To make it extra special and wow-worthy, I sneaked in a pinch of cardamom for a charming flavor.
Navel Oranges + Cardamom Flavor
I fell in love with cardamom when my Indian neighbor, who became my very good friend, made Chai every time our kids had a playdate at her house (I shared her recipe here). The cardamom pods smelled so inviting and delicious. It was a new spice that I had never seen or tasted in Japan.
When I was looking for a unique flavor that would complement orange, cardamom came to mind. I don’t remember exactly what dish I had tried, but it must have been a dessert that immediately caught my tastebuds off guard with the combination. Like clove, but more subtle, cardamom pairs beautifully with citrus flavors, adding warmth and depth that makes this chiffon cake so memorable.
Ingredients for Orange Chiffon Cake
I love making chiffon cakes as the ingredients are so simple. Eggs, sugar, and flour, these are the ingredients we usually have in the pantry, right? For the flavoring, you can literally work with anything you can think of – black teas, coffee, spices, seasonal fruits, or a more unique Japanese flavors like matcha or black sesame. It is probably one of the most versatile cakes to make at home.
Another reason I like chiffon cake is it’s never too sweet. If you’re familiar with Japanese (or Asian) sweets, they are in general not overly sweet or laden with sugar, so you can enjoy the baked treats and not feel bogged down.
Navel Oranges: What’s your favorite kind of orange? I love navel oranges as they are sweet and juicy, which I used to make this chiffon cake. You can also use Cara Cara Oranges since they are in season right now.
Cardamom: This highly aromatic spice adds a hint of pine-like fragrance and delicate yet spicy flavor to the chiffon cake. Although you can do without cardamom for the recipe, I’d recommend giving it a try. You should be able to find cardamom in the spice aisle at any major grocery stores or specialty spice shops. If you’re not sure what else to do with it after baking the chiffon cake, use cardamom just like you would with cinnamon. Try a pinch of the spice with your cold brew coffee, baked goods, curries or roast meats. It can be a game-changer.
Neutral Oil: Use canola or vegetable oil; please do not use olive oil or other kinds of oil.
Cake Flour: I’ll talk more about it in detail below. If you are making a chiffon cake, use cake flour, not all-purpose flour. At least you can make homemade cake flour with all-purpose flour and cornstarch (See Notes in the recipe below).
Eggs: I use large eggs for all my recipes on the blog as they are the standard size in American recipes.
My Favorite: Super-Fine Unbleached Cake Flour from Bob’s Red Mill®
This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill®. I couldn’t be any more thrilled when I get to work with Bob’s Red Mill® to develop this Orange Chiffon Cake recipe. When comes to baking and breakfast products, I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill®. Have you tried any of their flours or other products before? What I genuinely admire about the company is that they use honest ingredients and methods for all their wide range of products, which I think it’s important for the consumers.
As an employee-owned company, Bob’s Red Mill® uses high-quality whole grains to satisfy all vegan, paleo, and gluten-free friendly cooking and baking needs. From almond flour, cake mixes, coconut flour to various grains, it offers the largest lines of organic, whole grain foods in the country. You can be assured that all of its products are certified Kosher and made with ingredients grown from non-GMO seeds. If you’re curious, you can go to the website and learn more about the founder, Bob Moore and his mission too.
To achieve the perfect light texture for the chiffon cake, I used Super-Fine Unbleached Cake Flour from Bob’s Red Mill®. Because it is sifted to a very fine texture, the cake flour is fantastic for all sorts of cakes – especially delicate ones like chiffon cakes. You should be able to find the cake flour at any major grocery store. Alternatively, you can also buy it on Amazon.
First Time Making Chiffon Cake?
I’ve shared some helpful tips on How to Make the Perfect Chiffon Cake – Tips & Troubleshoot. Take a look before you start making your first chiffon cake.
I also want to go over some kitchen tools that I use in this recipe. I know some of you have never baked or rarely bake, but I would love to try making this Orange Chiffon Cake.
Chiffon Cake Pan: It’s important to get a chiffon cake pan to make a chiffon cake to maintain the height structure and airiness. Aluminum material works best, and make sure it doesn’t come with non-stick coating. Why? Because the batter needs to cling to the wall of the cake pan and climb up tall with the help of beaten egg whites. A nonstick pan is slippery and the batter will slide down and flop. You can get this 7-inch angel food cake pan on Amazon or Japanese chiffon cake pan on Nihon Ichiban (ship internationally).
Zester 1: This zester features several sharp holes at the tip of the tool which works brilliantly in zesting off any citrus fruits. There is also another larger hole that allows you to peel off long curly strips for garnishes. With the two different features, you can create zest in different textures.
Zester 2: Microplane is a versatile tool to have in every kitchen. You can get very fine zest and triple amount from any citrus fruits. It is particularly useful for baking when you need the citrus flavors to be dispersed into the batter. Aside from zesting, you can also use it to grate cheese and ginger.
Hand Mixer: I still use a stand mixer (even though it doesn’t show up in my recipe videos/photos), but this hand mixer has been pretty handy and helpful for our filming (easy to show you the process). It takes a little longer than a more powerful stand mixer, but it still does a great job. So if you don’t want to spend too much money on the equipment you don’t use often and don’t want to lose your arm from whipping egg whites with a whisk, I strongly recommend this hand mixer.
Other Delicious Chiffon Cake Flavors
Chiffon cakes are very popular sweet in Japan. Not only it’s cleverly designed to feed a crowd on many occasions, it also keeps so well that you could serve it for breakfast or afternoon tea for the whole week. So far I have the following flavors of chiffon cakes:
Have you tried any other interesting chiffons cake you’d like to make at home? Let me know in the comments below. Maybe I’ll be able to share the recipe next time.
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Airy, bouncy, and lightly sweet, Orange Chiffon Cake is an elegant pastry with a warm, citrusy aroma from orange zest and a hint of cardamom. This soft and moist chiffon cake is served with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and topped with ribbons of orange peel.
- 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (separated)
- 10 pods cardamom (you’ll need ½ tsp ground cardamom)
- 3-4 oranges (I used navel oranges)
- 85 g sugar (3 oz or measure ½ cup and remove 1 Tbsp) (separated)
- 3 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (40 ml)
- 75 g cake flour (⅔ cup and remove 2 tsp; If you're using a cup measurement, please follow this method to measure. Otherwise, the amount of flour tends to be more than you need. You can make your Homemade Cake Flour.)
- 1 tsp baking powder (4g)
- 1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar/powder sugar (for dusting; optional)
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Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 340 ºF (170 ºC). You will also need a 17cm (7") chiffon cake pan. Make sure you use the correct chiffon cake pan. The best types are the aluminum ones with a removable base (Do not use non-stick bakeware for chiffon cake – it will not work). Do not grease the mold because the cake needs to cling on the sides and center of the pan for support as it rises or it will collapse.
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Separate 3 eggs to yolks and whites. Keep the egg yolks in a medium bowl, and egg whites in a large bowl. Freeze the large bowl with egg whites for 15 minutes so that the bowl and egg whites are very cold (it's okay that they are partially frozen when you beat the egg whites). NOTE: In Japan, cream of tartar is not typically used to whip egg whites. We always use cold egg whites to make smooth, fine-texture meringue.
- Crush the cardamom pods and remove the shell. Grind the seeds till fine powder. You will need ½ tsp finely ground cardamom.
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Zest the oranges (I use 3-4 navel oranges). As I mentioned in the blog post, I use 2 types of zesters for more texture and flavors. Reserve some of the zest strips for cake decoration.
- Cut the oranges in half and juice until you get 4 Tbsp (60 ml) of fresh orange juice.
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In the bowl with egg yolks, add roughly ⅓ of granulated sugar and whisk until creamy pale yellow.
- Add 3 Tbsp (40 ml) vegetable/canola oil, ½ tsp ground cardamom, and orange zest from 3-4 oranges and whisk well.
- Add 4 Tbsp (60 ml) juice from oranges to the egg mixture and whisk well.
- Sift 75 g (2.6 oz) cake flour and 1 tsp baking powder into the egg mixture. Whisk until incorporated and make sure there are no lumps.
- Take out the bowl with egg whites from the freezer. Whip the egg whites until opaque, foamy, and bubbly.
- Gradually add the rest of sugar in small increments while whisking.
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Continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
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To check on stiff peaks, pull up your whisk and see if the egg whites go straight up (stiff peak) and just the tip is soft enough that it folds over, like taking a bow.
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Using a whisk, whisk in ⅓ of the egg whites in the batter until the mixture is homogeneous.
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Fold in another ⅓ of the egg whites into the batter. This time, fold in gently without breaking the air bubbles.
- Now transfer the batter into the egg whites. Gently fold in egg whites into the batter. Make sure thoroughly mix WITHOUT breaking the air bubbles.
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Pour the batter into the ungreased 17 cm (7”) chiffon cake pan in the same location to prevent more bubbles from forming.
- To remove or prevent air pockets, run a skewer through the batter and then drop the pan gently on a counter holding the center tube and wall of cake pan together (so air won’t go into the bottom of the batter).
- Bake at 340 ºF (170 ºC) for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed. If the top gets burn too quickly (maybe heat source is too close), cover the top loosely with aluminum foil.
- As soon as you take out the cake pan from the oven, drop it on the counter to shock the cake so it stops shrinking. The cake must be cooled upside down in its pan so that it stretches downward instead of collapsing. Stick the cake pan on a tall heavy bottle. If you use an angel food cake pan, invert the cake pan on a cooling rack.
- To remove the cake pan, run a thin sharp knife or thin offset spatula around both the inner and outer edges of the cake.
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Remove the cake from the pan and run the knife on the bottom. Move onto a serving plate or cake stand. Dust confectioners’ sugar/powder sugar on top, if you like. Enjoy!
Tips for beating egg whites:
- 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 -- even clean ones may hold oily residue that can affect the beating 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 egg whites -- your cake may fall. Egg whites should be stiff but not dry.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. Please do not copy this recipe and images without my permission. If you want to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source.
Hi, Nami san!
Since i tried your soufflè pancakes w/ great success, i decide to try your chiffon recipes (earl grey & lemon). Instead of baking them in tube pan, i chose to copy our local japanese bakery that bake their chiffon cakes in paper cups. I use my trusty silicone cups for portion size as well. They are so good your chiffon recipes. I will try this recipe too as soon as we finish the sweet potato chiffon i just baked. So curious how orange would pair with cardamom.
Thank you for sharing your awesome recipes with the rest of the world.
Hi Ima! Thank you so much for trying my chiffon cake recipes! You are too kind, Ima. I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying my recipes. xoxo
Hmmm…I just tried this recipe, but how to describe the feeling: The taste is here despite that the orange flavor is stronger than the cardamome (maybe a little too sweet compared to the matcha one), the fluffiness is here too. But something definetly went wrong (｡╯︵╰｡) . 10min before the end of the cooking time, the cake risen too much in the mold, and inevitably it overflowed at the bottom off my oven rack. I didn’t put the “black steel pan” (sorry I’m french and don’t know how do they say “lèchefrite” in english (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) ) so the fallen dough burnt . I had to open the door 5min before the end, to clean as quick as possible the bottom of the oven because the burnt dough at the bottom began being smoky/smelly. At this state of cooking, the dough didn’t seem to be baked enough (that was the worst mistake ever! (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ ). The cake deflated, I replaced it in the oven and continue the cooking till it was enough. The cake is cooked, I have the chiffon texture but it shrinked in diameter (the cake could only hold to the pan at its bottom), the edges seem humid (as if a caramel appeared while cooking). Checking back your recipe’s steps I probably found my mistake: the meringue ! Σ(°△°|||)︴The peaks weren’t strong enough (the whites were glossy, but the peaks bended too quickly). I will definetly try this recipe once again to be fully satisfied.
Hi Kelly! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m sorry it didn’t come out well.
I’m not sure if you made any adjustment to the recipe, but it’s science, so small changes such as adding a bit more liquid than specified amount could potentially cause the failure.
Overflowing seems like it’s due to 1) your cake pan is smaller than mine, 2) it wasn’t mixed throughly, 3) amount of liquid was too much. Do you think any of this could be the reason? Oh also maybe oven temperature was too high? Sometimes, what oven displays is different from the actual temperature.
Also I hope this tip page will be helpful: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/perfect-chiffon-cake/
Making a chiffon cake involves a few important steps, and meringue plays a huge part in making this cake. I’ve made enough mistakes and failure and I think most of my problem was not being able to make good meringue. Hope your next cake will be successful. 🙂
Hi Nami. First, thank you for reading my huge previous comment ^^ and then, thank you for your reply. I made previously the matcha recipe with the good sized pan and everything went well. This time, I followed your instructions and the proportions, with the good sized pan, the only thing maybe I made wrong was the meringue step. And perhaps, the orange zest could have changed the dough too (but I used only 3 oranges). It was my first “failure” (and probably not the only one), so I will try again. =)
Hi Kelly! Please keep me posted! And good luck with next one. 🙂
Hi Nami!
Thx r sharing yr recipe! I would like to know what weight is a large egg. My egg wears 56gm with egg whites at 32gm n egg yolk at 16gm. Is this the right egg I should use?
Thx in advance.
Hi MN! The average of American large egg is 50 grams. Sometimes 47 g sometimes 53 grams… so I keep it 50 grams. 🙂
This recipe is wonderful ! My chiffon cake turned out amazingly light and fluffy ! Substituted the cardamom (couldn’t find any in my local store! ) for cinnamon and it was still very fragrant 🙂 This cake isn’t very sweet but I prefer my cakes even less sweet ! Would the recipe still work if I were to reduce the amount of sugar ? Many Thanks for all your help !
Hi Yan! Thanks so much for trying this recipe! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it. 🙂 As for the sugar… Sugar keeps baked goods soft and moist. I recommend reducing the sugar little by little (after each success), so you can keep track of the changes by reducing the sugar. 🙂
Thanks so much for your reply! Some other recipes I’ve seen use caster sugar instead of granulated sugar. In your experience, will this make a difference? Your thoughts are much appreciated!
Hi Yan! I have caster sugar too, but most household doesn’t have it. It’s just easier to dissolve, but I don’t see any difference in the final product. So I’d say you can use it if you have it but you don’t need to buy it just for this recipe. 🙂
Have made this cake twice now – it is lovely! Beautiful texture and wonderful flavour. Thank you for another great recipe – it’s a keeper!
Hi Andrea! How wonderful!!! I’m so happy to hear you made this cake TWICE! Thank you for your kind feedback, and I’m glad you enjoy this recipe. 🙂
Hi u mentioned that you used large eggs. May I know what is the weight of egg without shell. Is 55g consider big?
Thanks
Hi Selina! I believe 55 is more like extra large. An American large egg is about 50 grams without shell (56.7 g with shell). 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. My friend and I made this at home the other day and it was a hit! Will definitely make one again. This time, I want a plain chiffon cake with just a tiny, teeny hint of lemon. Read your Meyer Lemon Recipe and Classic Recipe yet I’m not sure how to alter them to get the taste. I’ll truly appreciate your help and am excited to bake the next one.
Hi Kata! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and I’m glad you liked this recipe! 🙂
For the plain version, replace the lemon juice with milk. You need the same amount of liquid for the recipe. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thank you for the help. I will bake one tonight. ????
Btw, I tried your Japanese Cheesecake recipe at least twice already. I love the flavor!!! Those who tasted it enjoyed the cheesecake as well. I love that it’s not overly sweet (just the right amount), and that hint of lemon. I’m not happy with the texture yet. More to learn on beating egg whites, and I still need to understand my oven more ????.
I’ve read your Matcha Swiss Roll as well and been itching to try the recipe out, but I don’t have the powder yet. Hopefully in the future you can make other variations too. ????????????
Keep the recipes coming Nami! You’re always welcome in our kitchen. ????
Hi Nami. May I know what do you mean by dropping the cake pan when it comes out from the oven ?
My chiffon cake often shrinks when it’s cooled down (even when it’s upside down). So, I hope this tip can really help with the shrinking problem.
Thanks.
Hi Rosi! It looks like this: https://youtu.be/gjAZ3TkyRQo?t=196 Just drop the pan gently on to the working surface. But your situation seems like your meringue wasn’t properly beaten or do you use a non-stick pan?
Hi,
Would like to try out Orange Chiffon Cake recipe. Can you share 6 inch chiffon cake pan recipe. Thanks.
Hi Elaine! I’m sorry I don’t own 6″ cake pan… try making it with this recipe and make a small cake (in a ramekin) with leftover batter?
Hi Nami,
My chiffon pan is 25 cm, how to adjust this recipe? I really want to try this recipe.
Thank you.
Hi Mirah! Please use this cake pan size for your 25 cm pan.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Dear, I did your orange chiffon cake last night . I didn’t put the egg white in the freezer and didn’t add the cardimon spice, does it contribute to my chiffon cake baked w a hole at the side ?? Pls advise ASAP coz I m planning to try again tonight .
Hi Augustina! I don’t think that could be the cause in your failure. Please refer to this post:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/perfect-chiffon-cake/
Hello again Nami,
As promised here I am again, 2 months later.
And now I can proudly say that my new try went well ٩(◕‿◕)۶.
I made the meringue with strong “peak” as your directions, that was the only difference with my first try and the cake baked well. This time it seems to be less sweet than my first trial (with no changes in the sugar proportion), but the orange flavor is still stronger than the cardamome.
By the way, on your page “How to make the perfect chiffon cake”, in your tips about the meringue part, you suggest to “Whisk until egg whites fold over”… But isn’t this, the opposite of the strong “peak” mentioned in all your chiffon cake recipes ?
Thank you again for your share, and your advice.
Hi Kelly! So happy to hear from you again! I’m really glad to hear yours came out well. Congratulations! Don’t forget the orange juice has sweetness too, so even though your sugar amount is the same, the total sweetness may vary based on the orange.
Now about the stiffness of the meringue. Sorry about the confusion. The meringue should be STIFF peak but the TIP (not entire egg whites) folds over. It’s still strong peak you and I mentioned but only the tip folds over because the tip is soft. When you beat more, the STIFF peak will stand up straight and the tip will not fold over (this stage is good for macarons and other recipes, but not for chiffon cake).
To write this recipe, I’ve researched how people call “stiff peak” and surprisingly everyone (even chefs) called it “stiff peak” as different stages (I’ve seen videos too, and they all look different visually!).
So… in my chiffon cake recipes, I stick to “whisk until stiff peak with just a tip that folds over”. See my step by step pic 13 in this recipe.
Hello nami, I would like to make Chiffon Cake soon but where I live I do not get cake flour so I will have to import it. But I have a doubt: which flour do you recommend more? King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill? Which of the two would work best for all recipes where you use cake flour (for example roll cake, fluffy pancakes, cheesecake)?
Hi Ruth! Are you sure there is no cake flour? Maybe it’s called differently? In Japan, we call all flour types differently but we have similar types. I’ve used both, and they are actually both good quality cake flour so I’d say either is a great choice. I still use both, depending on which flour I have. Don’t buy other brands, that’s for sure. 🙂
Thanks for this recipe Nami
A few days ago I received my mold for chiffon and the cake flour, since I did not want to use baking powder I made the meringue with four egg whites.
Very delicious and fluffy.
By the way, the country where I live cakes are usually made with flour for all uses, only in the luxury bakeries low protein flour is used so it is not possible to get it in supermarkets.
Hi Ruth! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! I’m happy to hear your cake came out well. Thanks also for sharing the information about cake flour (low protein flour) in your country (which country are you in?).
Hello nami, I live in Colombia
Although recently I was searching the Internet and yes, it is possible to get this flour, but it definitely requires some time to find it, it is special because until recently I started to get interested in the pastry
Hi Ruth! Thank you! It’ll be helpful when I receive similar questions from other readers. Thanks so much for letting me know. 🙂
Hello Nami, i hope you are well.
I made a chiffon cake last week and the bottom caved in. I turned the cake upside down as soon as out of the oven. After about 30 mins, I found that the cake had slipped out if you see what I mean. The bottom of the cake (which is now the top) has sunk deeply. I used a 2 piece tube pan. I wonder why. The cake tasted nice and soft but not as soft as a chiffon cake.
Hi Sofia! I’m good, thank you for asking!
Yes, I understood what you mean. When there is some holes at the bottom of the pan, it means that air was there.
Possible reasons:
1) Egg whites were not beaten enough – not stable enough to hold the structure, and small air bubbles ended up at the bottom.
2) Low oven temperature (true oven temp could be different from what oven says)
3) Didn’t bake enough
4) You pour the batter too high and air got trapped in.
Hope this helps!
I looked up some failure chiffon cake cases on internet. Is your chiffon cake similar to any of these failure types?
https://macaro-ni.jp/37458
HI Nami, can you please provide the weight/measurement of the orange juice? I have 2 kinds of very different sized oranges. Thanks.
Hi SueZ! It’s written at Step 5; 60 ml. But you will need zest from roughly 3 oranges depending on your liking. Hope you enjoy!
Hi,
I tried your orange chiffon cake 22cm recipe. I must say it was tasty and texture was very good. I added cardamom powder too and it really elevated the flavour of orange cake.
My only concern is when I kept the pan upside down, the cake fell off the pan and broke in pieces 🙁
Earlier,I tried another recipe using self raising flour and the cake texture was good but certain areas on the crust was wet inspite of being properly cooked. I inverted the cake and it fell off. I just got it right only 1 time. I’m using the aluminium removable base. No greasing was done. But don’t know why the cake falls once I invert ! I hope you know the best solution.. Eagerly waiting for your reply..Thank you so much!
Hi Limy! Thank you so much for trying my recipe with your 22 cm cake pan! This never happened to me before but I’ve read about it online before. The first reason is that it wasn’t properly baked. Most advice I see online is to bake longer time (5-10 mins more, if already brown, tent it with aluminum foil) when this issue happens. The next is improper meringue. Maybe your meringue wasn’t perfectly made, and it didn’t give the right structure. Or possibly, you didn’t thoroughly blend it with the rest of batter, so it wasn’t evenly distributed. It’s hard to tell sometimes, but make sure to check one thing at a time. Also double check your oven temperature with the thermometer. Maybe your oven temperature inside is not correct. Best wishes to your chiffon cake making!
Hi Nami, the cake looks beautiful. For the oven temperature, is 170 degrees for fan forced oven or conventional oven? Thanks!
Hi Stephanie! My oven has a fan, but I do not use it for my recipes since not every JOC reader has a convection oven with a fan. 🙂
Nami San,
Can i double up your ingredient for this orange chiffon cake for 9 inch pan?
Thank you for your advise.
Hi May! I have 8.5 inch recipe here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/ Close enough for increase a little bit?
Will it be ok if I leave out the cardamom?
Hi Cindy! Sure! That’s okay. 🙂
Hello!
Is there a 10″ pan conversion available?
Hi Jasmine! I have the size up till 8.5″…
https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
Hi Nami, I just made this orange chiffon cake this afternoon. This is my first time to make chiffon cake, it turned out so good. Just like you described airy, bouncy and moist. I wish I could send you the picture of the cake, so pretty! I will try lemon flavor next time. Thank you so much!
Hi Wendy! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for giving it a try and for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi,
If I am using a convection oven, do I still keep to 170 degrees?
Thank you.
Hi Nicole! Although I do have a convection oven, I use conventional temperature for my recipes (Noted in my FAQs). Therefore your oven temp should be: 157 ºC (315 ºF). I apologize about my delayed in response. 🙂
Hello Nami! Happy new year!!
I’d like to know if I can replace the water and orange juice contents with milk?
I’ve Sold a lot of orange chiffon cake using your recipe but I have a client who requested me a taisan chiffon cake.
Thanks In advance for your reply
Mg
Hi Mg! Happy New Year! Please know that the orange flavor will be less. If that’s okay, then sure, you can use milk. 🙂
Thanks Nami! I tried it with all milk (I’m waiting for client’s feedback).
I prefer the orange flavor. It’s the taste I grew up with.
Cheers, MG
Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Hi Nami,
I am very new to baking and just tried out making your Matcha Chiffon cake. It is a great well explained recipe (thanks) and I am really happy that the cake has turned out pretty well taste-wise. Only thing is that that top of the cake domed quite a lot with the centre near the tube a bit sunk in and got cracks on top. I baked using the fan bake setting for 24 mins and not sure where it went wrong. Your cake looks so perfect and I would dearly love to get the optics right too.
Hi Debi! The oven temp may be too high – My oven has a convection oven mode (fan) but a lot of people don’t. So I use bake (no fan, conventional) mode to bake my recipes. I mention that in FAQs page but I understand it’s a bit too hard to navigate to find out that info. So use reduce the oven temp by 25 ºF, or use bake option (non fan) if your oven has that option.
Hope that helps!
Hello Nami from Zürich,
Thanks a lot for your quick response and the helpful suggestion. Though my cake isn‘t that pretty but tastes really delicate which reminds me of my trips to Japan and the cakes I tried out there.
Your recipe is really great and so well detailed that a novice like me ( this was literally my second cake type and third cake ) could also do it with reasonable success. Will be trying out more of your recipes :-D.
Hi Debi! You’re so sweet. Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you enjoy other recipes too! 🙂
Dear Nami,
I made the Chiffon cake again and this time with orange flavour. I baked it at a lower temperature as per your suggestion. I am happy to share that there was no doming, no cracks on surface and the cake turned out to be very moist and super fluffy!
One thing that happened though is that while loosening the cake from the cake tin using a regular eating knife, the sides of cake tin got scratched. Is some scratching of the cake tin normal for Chiffon cake and is it ok to continue using the cake tin? Also next I would like to try out your strawberry shortcake. Can one bake it in a non-stick springform cake tin? Thanks a lot.
Hi Debi! I’m glad to hear your orange chiffon cake came out perfectly! Yay! And here’s my answers:
1) How bad is it? These days I use offset spatula to run around the cake pan to remove the cake so the tip is rounded and not pointy. I do have some scratches (but mine is not bad as I was very careful not to scratch the pan). It’s an aluminum chiffon cake pan, right? It should be okay to use it but I wouldn’t continue using the same knife.
2) DO NOT use a non-stick pan. Chiffon cake should not be baked in non-stick because it has to climb up and non-stick pan doesn’t help that. And you will need a tube in the middle so the cake climbs up and after the cake is baked, you can place it upside down. 🙂
Thanks very much Nami. I am now equipped with an offset spatula and can‘t wait to try again. Wish you a great vacation.
Hi Debi! Wonderful! Thank you for your kind words. We’re back, but got sick… We’re finally recovering now. 🙂
The cake turned out just as described – light and fluffy. Thank you for sharing it. I made some adjustments- Didn’t use cream of tartar, used 5 spice powder instead of cardamom and used a 20cm tube pan.
Hi Su Yen! Yay!! I’m so happy to hear your cake came out well! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
I didn’t have a 7″ pan so I used a 9.5″ instead. I didn’t increase the measurements, so my cake did not get the same height, but the texture was still absolutely perfect! And the flavor was spot on, too — fragrant and not too sweet. This was one of the most beautiful, fluffiest cakes that I have ever baked, and I’m definitely planning on trying the other chiffon cake recipes soon!
Hi Yu-Chen! I have this post which provides different pan size measurement:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
I hope that’s helpful! Thank you for trying my recipe!
Hey!
I’ve only tried making a chiffon cake once before, and when I tried that one, due to dietary requirements I had to make it eggless. And unfortunately, it did not provide a fluffy cake, even though it tasted good. I really wanted to make a light cake that was not dense and so I tried a proper recipe with eggs this time.
So I made this cake the other night and I must say, I did a lot of wrong things. I read quite a bit on how to make a chiffon cake and tried my best but things did go wrong. Firstly, I used self-raising flour instead of cake flour, but I left out the baking powder to make up for it. I also used a bundt pan to make the cake. Most tragically, my egg whites would not form peaks at all when I was mixing them (I think it’s cause there were some tiny bits of yolk in there that I didn’t notice). When my batter was ‘complete’ it was very liquidy, so I added more flour.
However, in the end, turns out my cake was actually really satisfying. It was fluffy and it has stayed that way one day later. It is the right texture, not too moist or dry and it tastes absolutely heavenly. Honestly, I was really surprised that the cake actually did rise and stayed that way. I was expecting it to be really dense as I messed up on the egg whites and flour ratio.
Anyhow, I also think the cardamom makes this cake so much better, giving it an extra kick. I really love the taste.
So thank you so much for this recipe, even though I couldn’t follow it properly, it still delivered a very delicious result.
I think I’m going to stick with this recipe any time I make a chiffon cake in the future, hopefully with the proper pan, flour and egg white result.
Thank you!
Hi Shreya! Thank you for trying this recipe! Next time, try to use cake flour (because the BP in self-rising flour could be too much for what we need in this recipe) next time. Beating egg whites in this recipe is THE MOST crucial part of the whole process. Are you using a stand mixer or electric mixer? It would help you because hand whisking will take a long time (and your arm will fall off haha, but you can do it). If you can achieve the correct meringue (beaten egg whites), you can get an amazing chiffon cake. A bundt cake pan is unfortunately not the best pan for chiffon cake because they are non-stick and the batter will have a hard time rising high to be a tall and airly cake (it’s like too slippery). I’m glad you liked the cardamom! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Hi Nami, it’s my first time making an orange chiffon cake. My brother and I tasted it. I followed the recipe and it’s perfect. But… both of us think it didn’t pack a punch unlike the normal chiffon cake that I made. I don’t have cardamome so I only put oranges. What do you think is left out?
Hi Yuen! Thanks so much for trying this recipe! Hmm I can only advise using good orange for this recipe and increasing the amount of zest. Cardamom is a nice addition but that’s not what you feel missing. Do check if orange is good, too. It is simple (and silly) advice, but using a really delicious orange is important when it comes to the main flavoring in the recipe.
Hi Nami! I tried your lemon chiffon cake recipe last week and while it tasted like a dream, it completely sunk. While checking out your other recipes, I realised that I didn’t follow step 15 on this page. Does it mean that the mixture should have some foamy texture from the meringue? Step 14, in contrast, calls for the mixture to be more well mixed? Pls advise. Thank u!!
Hi SJ! Are you talking about
Orange Chiffon – Step 15: Fold in another ⅓ of the egg whites into the batter. This time, fold in gently without breaking the air bubbles.
vs.
Meyer Lemon Chiffon – Step 14: Fold in the rest of egg whites in 2-3 increments and mix gently until the mixture is homogeneous.
These two steps are the same thing. I do exactly same – Add 1/3 of meringue and fold in with a whisk until homogeneous color, then add next 1/3 in.
Could you explain when your cake has “sunk”? Did it happen inside the oven, or while cooling down? It helps me to understand the situation better. 🙂
Hi! Thank u for getting back. When u mix the meringue into the batter (steps 15-16), how do u it successfully without removing the air bubbles? When you say homogeneous, does it refer to the consistency in colour or texture? I thought it was the latter and possibly mixed the batter a bit too enthusiastically, causing the batter to be slightly watery.
I didn’t turn the tin upside down so the cake sunk : (
Hi SJ! I meant homogeneous as in the same consistency in color, so you understood it correctly. You HAVE TO make the chiffon cake upside down while cooling down. 🙂
Hi I tried this but can you tell me why does my cake have a line of dense at the top (when it’s in the tin) or bottom when u invert it ready to eat it looks dense and definitely not fluffy at the bottom like the top is. If my cake is very soft does it meant its under baked? I put on the lowest rack in the oven as I tried 2ne lowest and the top turn brown very quickly and then harden. Help I tried so many times but don’t know what’s wrong! I did stiff peaks, fold with whisk, and make sure not to over fold. Choc chiffon cake was a success though. Not sure why!!! Appreciate some troubleshoot!! Thanks!
Hi Jo! Thanks for trying this recipe! Have you had a chance to peek the cake while it’s in the oven? Was the cake top seemed to rise too high? When it goes up too fast/too much, when the cake gets deflated a bit when you take out the oven, that deflated section/part becomes denser (which you called it a line of dense at the top). It didn’t sustain the structure which is why it deflated (just the top). Maybe beat the egg whites slightly less next time to see if this improves?
Thank you for your reply! I tried it again, it was much better when i try to mix the meringue in much gentler . one question, whilst im worried that i will overmix the mixture with egg white but it does seem to take time to get the whites blended in otherwise, leaving some pockets of white. roughly how long does it take to mix it in, im worried about not mixing enough vs mixing it homogenously but then losing the egg white
thank you once again for the recipe i am going to try using the basic recipe and add in other flavours like pandan paste / extract! 🙂
Hi Jo! Glad to hear that. Probably 2 minutes from the first egg whites to completing the folding, without any break. Hope you enjoy making many chiffon cake recipes!
Hi Namiko, I really want to try your orange chiffon cake recipe but my chiffon cake pan is 9. 5 inches (24 cm). Would you please advice how to adjust all the ingredients? Thank you so much!
Hi Jinny! Probably try with 10-inch pan measurement and don’t fill up the pan with all the batter. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
May I know why other oil cannot be used for chiffon except for vegetable or canola oil? Can I use coconut oil?
Hi VK! Coconut oil is typically not recommended because it doesn’t rise well.
https://www.cotta.jp/special/article/?p=1414
https://www.cotta.jp/special/article/?p=1475
Hope this article explains well (Use google chrome to translate).
Hi Nami! I tried this recipe & I love it! It’s very refreshing & zesty. I replaced Cardamom with cinnamon powder & it turned out great! I have also tried your Earl Grey Chiffon cake recipe & it’s wonderful!
Just 1 quick question on pre-heating the oven. Do you pre-heat to a higher temp than 170°C ? Cause when I open the oven to put the cake in, the temp dropped & took awhile to go back to 170 °C. Thank u! 🙂
Hi Honey! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe and Earl Grey Chiffon Cake! Thanks for trying both of them! In general, when you open the oven, you really have to put the cake pan right away (this is kind of like a basic rule for ALL baking recipes). You should be ready to pop it in and close right away, and you should never let the door down etc. You lose the heat so much. I preheat my oven to 170 ºC WHEN I START preparing (Step 1). You need to preheat the oven for a long time so the oven is really hot. Hope this helps!
Hi Nami! Thank you for your reply & advice. I will try it next time, to be as quick as possible when putting the cake pan in. Lucky my bakes turned out fine. 😂 It’s just that I find it difficult to maintain the same temp after opening the oven door. Thank u once again! 🙂
Hi Honey! No problem, it depends on the oven but everyone has similar issues too. The temperature won’t magically go up quickly, so preheating is VERY important so the oven inside is THOROUGHLY hot when you open and put the cake pan inside.