Airy, bouncy, and lightly sweet, Orange Chiffon Cake pairs the citrusy fragrance of orange zest with the warm aroma and delicate spice of cardamom. This soft and moist dessert is served with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and topped with curly ribbons of orange peel. Enjoy this delicious Japanese pastry with a cup of coffee or Earl Grey tea.
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 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 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 store or specialty spice shop. 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 their wide range of products, which I think it’s important for 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, and 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 a 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 a Japanese chiffon cake pan on Nihon Ichiban (ships 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 the 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 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 sweets 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 chiffon 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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Orange Chiffon Cake
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (yolks and whites separated)
- 10 pods cardamom (for ½ tsp ground cardamom)
- 3–4 oranges (for the zest and 4 Tbsp (60 ml) of juice; I used navel oranges)
- 85 g sugar (½ cup minus 1 Tbsp; divided into thirds)
- 40 ml neutral oil (3 Tbsp minus 1 tsp)
- 75 g cake flour (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp; weigh your flour or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level it off; see Notes below for how to make Homemade Cake Flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
For Serving
- 1–2 Tbsp orange zest (long curly strips; see blog post for more information)
- 1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar (for dusting; optional)
Instructions
- Before You Start: 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.
- Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 340ºF (170ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). You will 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.
- Crack and separate 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell). Keep the egg yolks in a medium bowl and the egg whites in a large bowl. If you plan to use a stand mixer, keep the egg whites in the stand mixer bowl. Refrigerate or freeze the stand mixer bowl and 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.
- Crush 10 pods cardamom and remove the shells. Grind the seeds to a fine powder. You will need ½ tsp finely ground cardamom. Set aside.
- Next, zest 3–4 oranges. As I mentioned in the blog post, I use two types of testers for more texture and flavor—a microplane for fine zest and a citrus zester for long curly strips. For the cake batter, reserve 2–3 Tbsp of fine zest and some of the strips. Reserve another 1–2 Tbsp orange zest of long curly strips for decorating the cake. Set aside.
- Cut 1–2 oranges in half and juice them until you get 4 Tbsp (60 ml) of fresh orange juice. Set aside.
To Mix the Batter
- 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.
- Then, add 40 ml neutral oil (3 Tbsp minus 1 tsp), ½ tsp finely ground cardamom, and 2–3 Tbsp fine orange zest for the cake batter and whisk well.
- Add 4 Tbsp (60 ml) orange 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 bowl of egg whites from the refrigerator or freezer. Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, start whipping the egg whites on medium-low speed (or Speed 4 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) until the egg whites are bubbly, opaque, and foamy.
- Add another one-third of the sugar and continue whisking for 30 seconds. Then, increase the mixer speed to high (or Speed 10 on a stand mixer) 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: When using a stand mixer, I usually pause beating when the egg whites are almost done. I 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 all homogenous in texture. Then, put the whisk back on and continue beating.
- To check for stiff peaks, pull up your beaters or 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 another one-third of the meringue. Take care not to deflate the air bubbles in the meringue and batter as you fold.
- Finally, transfer the batter into the bowl with the remaining egg whites. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter without breaking the air bubbles. Once it‘s well combined and homogenous, 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. 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. 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.
To Serve
- 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. Dust the top with 1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar (optional) and sprinkle it with 1–2 Tbsp orange zest of long curly strips. 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).
Also adding on to my question, I do find the cake turn out to b a little sticky too, why? Btw, loved your recipes for everything that I have tried! Amazing job Nami!
Hello, Audrey. What type of sugar do you use? The stickiness might be from the sugar.
Thank you for your kind words about Nami. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed Nami’s recipes and everything else we shared with you! Thank you!🥰
Hi there, I have bake the earl grey chiffon cake thrice and it tasted amazing. Tried the orange one too using cara cara perhaps I put in a little too much zest I find it a little too zesty. I do faced the same prob each time when I bake the earl grey, the cake always slides down when cooling upside down. Why is that so??
Hi Audrey, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your experience with us.
When you add too much zest or tea leaves, it adds extra moisture to the cake and causes it to slip down when turned upside down. Use no more than 3 tablespoons of fine zest and only the orange skin section (not the white part).
We hope this helps you on your next try.
Hi Nami, thank you for sharing the recipe. I tried it with my 6” chiffon pan. Everything was looking good in the oven (it was rising to the edge beautifully). just as it was reaching the 25th minute mark, the cake just collapse from the wall and shrunk. Not sure what have gone wrong 🙈
Hi yuna, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe.
If you did not reduce the sugar and followed the recipe exactly, it’s possible that your Meringue was not at stiff peaks or that the air bubble was deflated when you held the Meringue into the batter.
We hope this helps you on your next try.
I did step by step according to the recipe and I have a nice orange cake. Not Chiffon.
It is delicious but not what I went for.
Thanks
Hi Farah, Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe. We’re sorry to hear that your cake did not turn out well this time.
We recommend reading this post for many helpful hints: https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
We hope this helps you on your next attempt!
Hello, for the recipe above ita 60ml of juice for all sizes? The 4 tbsp does not change even though i selected different sizes!
Hi Vern! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
The instructions are for making one 17-cm (7″) cake. So if you are doubling the recipe, please follow the amount in the ingredient list.
We hope this helps!
do you have measurements and bake time for a 10 inch aluminum angel cake pan?
Hi Linda! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Check out this post for 10″ Chiffon Cake:https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
We hope this helps!
Just cooked this tonight. Soooo delicious and fluffy. Oldest daughter loves it. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Rebecca! We are so happy to hear your daughter loves this Chiffon Cake!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.🙂
Hi Naomi:) So glad I came upon your page after trying some chiffon cake recipes which turned out fluffy n light but not moist! Tried your orange chiffon first without the cardamom n the result was amazing! Just like the chiffon cakes of old instead of many at the stores which are dry inside. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe so generously! Can’t wait to try out your other recipes!
Hi, Guek shoo! Awesome! We are glad to hear Nami’s recipe and tips worked well for you!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.🥰
Hi Nami, Wan Yun here from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! I love your chiffon cake recipe! This was my third attempt on your chiffon recipe within a week! I first tried the chocolate and followed by orange flavor, today I decided to combine this orange with chocolate. XP
At first I was a bit hesitate to follow all the “rules” e.g. use the cake flour instead of all-purpose flour, freeze the egg whites, and whisk the egg yolks till pale yellow (other recipe just whisk together the sugar and egg yolks). But, the result was amazing, the texture of the cake was airy, fluffy yet moist! No compromise to the “rules”, you will surely get the most perfect chiffon cake ever. Thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us!
Hi Wan Yun! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear Nami’s tips helped well to achieve the fantastic result!😊
Hi Nami San! I tried baking this and followed the steps closely. But the cake turned out crumbly and damp. The sides stuck to the sides of the tin and the top cracked. Am wondering if I put too much orange zest. Couldn’t figure out what else could be the cause of the crumbly and moist texture. Appreciate your advice as I intend to bake this again cos my husband loves orange chiffon. Thank you!
Hi Iris! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We are sorry to hear that your cake turned out crumbly and damp.😔 It’s possibly from the Orange zest.
As Nami mentioned in her post, she used two types of zesters for more texture and flavors (fine zest and strip). For the cake batter, recommend using roughly 2-3 Tbsp. Make sure to use only the orange thin skin part.
We hope this helps and your next cake will be successful.🙂
The recipe works prefectly! Thanks Nami-San
Hi Chen! Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear the recipe worked perfectly for you.🥰
Good Evening Nami san,
is this Cardamon powder same as Cardomom seed ?
Hi Lesley Ann, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes. The Cardamom powder is from the Cardamom seed. However, freshly ground Cardamom will have more fragrance. We hope this helps!
thankyou for the reply😊
im planning to bake this for my husband’s Birthday 😊
last year i baked the earl grey chiffon cake for my father in-law and he likes it 😊
hope this one will turn out good too😊
by the way, thankyou for your recipes they really help me alot after moving here in Japan😊
Hi, leslyann! It’s our pleasure! We hope your husband enjoys this Chiffon Cake!
Thank you for your kind feedback. Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear our website is helping your cooking in Japan!🥰
Good afternoon Nami-san,
finally made this today and its really good 😊
your right the store bought cardamom powder don’t really have fragrance so i will try it again next time using freshly ground cardamom .
Thankyou 😊
Hi, leslyann! Nami and JOC team are glad to hear you made this cake and enjoyed it!
Yes! Next time, please try with freshly ground cardamom! You will love the fragrance.😊
Hi Nami,
Thank you for sharing your awesome chiffon cake recipes. I have made your matcha chiffon cake a couple times, it turned out great both times and everyone loved it. So I tried the orange chiffon cake next, but, while cooling upside down it just collapsed. Needless to say, the perfect fluffy texture of the cake was ruined. I was wondering if you have any idea why that could be? I did everything you had pointed out just like with the matcha cake, so i can’t really think of a reason myself.
Hi Zori! Thank you very much for trying many of Nami’s recipes!
We are sorry to hear that your Orange Chiffon Cake didn’t come out great.😔 We think it was the difference in the moisture content.
How much did you add the Orange zest in the batter? We recommend using roughly 2-3 Tbsp fine zest, just the orange skin parts (no white).
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami,
I made your orange chiffon cake this afternoon and it’s all gone. Since I had a ripe banana, I made a banana chiffon cake using your basic recipe for chiffon cakes + 1 ripe banana with 2 Tbsp milk (blitzed with a nutribullet). It tastes so good. I make osmanthus jelly in the summer. I think similar to your earl grey chiffon cake, osmanthus tea would make an interesting tasting chiffon cake. That is on my list of variations to try plus your green tea and lemon chiffon cake. Thanks for the recipe and all the tips for making chiffon cakes.
Hi Dar! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your baking experience and tip with us!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed different variations of Chiffon Cakes from our site!
The Banana and Osmanthus variations sound so yummy! We shall try it. Happy Baking!
Great recipe. I use this method but ingredients for your general chiffon cake. My go-to recipe for chiffon I’ve made it around 5 times now. Very fluffy and soft. It’s almost too soft when I try to make a layer cake the bottom layer is weighed down by the other layers that it condenses a little. But as long as you serve it soon after assembly its not a problem. Thank you!
Hi Marion, Thank you very much for trying this recipe and sharing your baking experience with us!
We are glad to hear the cake was fluffy and soft. Happy Baking!
Hi Nami,
Thank you very much for the recipe. I have done it twice and both tasted good! If I want to bake it in a 9 inch pan, would you suggest to double the recipe and how long do you I should bake it for? Thank you in advance!
Hi Doris, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed her Orange Chiffon Cake recipe.
Yes, you can double this recipe to fit your 9-inch pan and bake it for 40~45 minutes. You may also use the ratio for 7 eggs and bake it for 45~50 minutes. You can refer to the recipe for 7 eggs in this link: https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
We hope this helps!