Light and airy chiffon cakes are one of my favorite desserts to make. Baking a chiffon cake may seem daunting to some, but it’s totally worth it once you master the basics of this favorite Japanese pastry. Here are some tips and techniques for making the perfect chiffon cake. Troubleshooting included!
What’s Chiffon Cake?
It is pronounced as SHE-fon cake. Made with simple ingredients such as oil, eggs, sugar, flour, and flavorings, a chiffon cake is a light cake with a spongy texture. Unlike other types of sponge cakes that use chemical/artificial leavener such as baking soda and baking powder, chiffon cakes are leavened mostly from the meringue (stiffly beaten egg whites). They are baked in a tall pan with at least four inches deep and must be cooled upside down to retain their height.
Is Chiffon Cake The Same as Angel Food Cake?
You might be more familiar with Angel Food Cake as they are commonly sold in grocery stores. The only difference between these two cakes is that Angel Food Cake uses no egg yolks and no fat, but chiffon cake includes them.
What Makes a Perfect Chiffon Cake and How to Achieve It?
Here are the characteristics of a perfect chiffon cake:
- It rises tall and straight to the top of the chiffon cake pan without caving into itself.
- No big holes or air pockets all around
- The texture of the sponge is light, fine, airy, fluffy, and bouncy.
- The sponge is very moist, and usually not overly sweet (especially if you are making a Japanese chiffon cake recipe).
In order to make a perfect chiffon cake, there are a few important factors. So let’s go over them.
1. Make the perfect meringue (beaten egg whites)
This is the most important factor, so I’ll cover this topic in a separate section below.
2. Use the right chiffon cake pan.
Make sure you use the right chiffon cake pan. The best types are the aluminum pan with a removable base. Make sure the pan is NOT non-stick. Do not grease the mold because the cake needs to cling to the sides and center of the pan for support as it rises. Otherwise, it will collapse. You can buy a 7-inch round angel cake pan with a removable base on Amazon or a 17-cm aluminum Japanese chiffon cake pan on Nihon Ichiban or Amazon.
3. Let cool upside down.
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 and let cool for 3-4 hours before removing the cake pan. If you use an angel food cake pan, invert the cake pan on a cooling rack.
3 Tips to Make Perfect Meringue (Beaten Egg Whites)
The key to the successful chiffon cake is the meringue – beaten egg whites. There is no clear and easy way to show how much beating is enough, except for your own trials and errors. I could only give you a few tips that may help you succeed.
1. Chill egg whites (What?!)
I know, it’s a total opposite of what you learned in American recipes. I’ve seen most of the American recipes use room temperature egg whites to make the meringue. However, almost all (99%) Japanese chiffon cake recipes require cold, well-refrigerated, or sometimes half-frozen egg whites, to make meringue without cream of tartar. Chilled egg whites will make very fine and smooth meringue with small and strong air bubbles inside. They remain strong even in the oven and help the batter rise higher and fluffier. If you are not from the US, which method do you use?
2. Whisk until stiff peak with a tip that folds over
There is always discussion on how much you should beat the egg whites. From my experience, it’s best to stop when you lift the whisk, the egg whites go straight up (stiff peak) and just the tip is soft enough that it folds over, like taking a bow.
Then switch from the hand-held electric mixer (or stand mixer) to a balloon whisk, and thoroughly mix the sides and center of egg whites a few times to get to the same consistency throughout.
3. Mix in thoroughly with the whisk
I used to use a silicone spatula to fold beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture so that you won’t deflate the egg whites, which would result in a dry and dense cake. However, I have read several instructions and youtube videos that a balloon whisk is actually a better choice to incorporate egg whites into the batter. After a few trials, I am convinced that the whisk is the best way to fold in egg whites.
When you fold in egg whites, you might be afraid of breaking the air bubbles and may not mix the batter thoroughly. I felt the same way and always thought I mixed enough. However, when the egg whites are not mixed in with the mixture thoroughly, they would end up separated in the oven. As a result, it creates big air pockets/holes inside the batter while being baked.
Fold carefully and slowly so you would not deflate the egg whites. Fold in one-third of the egg whites first to lighten the batter, and then fold in another 1/3. Then transfer the mixed batter into the egg whites to fold the rest of egg whites.
Adjust Ingredients for a Different Size Chiffon Cake Pan
Since 17-cm chiffon cake pan is the most common size for chiffon cakes in Japan, I usually bake with a 17-cm Japanese chiffon cake pan. It’s a decent-size cake for Japanese standards, but it looks “tiny” next to typical American cakes.
*Most of my chiffon cake recipes on Just One Cookbook use a 17-cm chiffon cake pan.
15-cm (6-inch) chiffon cake pan
- 2 large eggs (100 g without shell)
- 60 g (5 Tbsp) granulated sugar
- 30 ml (2 Tbsp) vegetable oil
- 40 ml (2 Tbsp and ¾ tsp) water/milk/citrus juice
- 50 g (¼ cup and add 4 tsp) cake flour (Make sure to measure correctly; See my tutorial video.)
- 3 g (¾ tsp) baking powder
- vanilla extract
Bake at 340 ºF (170 ºC) for 25-30 minutes.
17-cm (7-inch) chiffon cake pan (BASIC)
- 3 large eggs (150 g without shell)
- 85 g (measure ½ cup and remove 1 Tbsp) granulated sugar
- 40 ml (3 Tbsp) vegetable oil
- 60 ml (¼ cup) water/milk/citrus juice
- 75 g (⅔ cup and remove 2 tsp) cake flour (Make sure to measure correctly; See my tutorial video.)
- 4 g (1 tsp) baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Bake at 340 ºF (170 ºC) for 30-35 minutes.
20-cm (8-inch) chiffon cake pan
- 5 large eggs (250 g without shell)
- 130 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
- 95 ml (measure ⅓ cup and add 1 ½ Tbsp) water/milk/citrus juice
- 120 g (1 cup) cake flour (Make sure to measure correctly; See my tutorial video.)
- 6 g (1 ¼ tsp) baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Bake at 340 ºF (170 ºC) for 35-40 minutes.
22-cm (8.5-inch) chiffon cake pan
- 6 large eggs (300 g without shell)
- 170 g (measure 1 cup and remove 2 Tbsp) granulated sugar
- 80 ml (6 Tbsp) vegetable oil
- 120 ml (½ cup) water/milk/citrus juice
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) cake flour (Make sure to measure correctly; See my tutorial video.)
- 8 g (2 tsp) baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Bake at 340 ºF (170 ºC) for 40-45 minutes.
23-cm (9-inch) chiffon cake pan
- 7 large eggs (350 g without shell)
- 190 g (measure 1 cup and remove 1 Tbsp) granulated sugar
- 90 ml (measure ⅓ cup and add 1 Tbsp) vegetable oil
- 135 ml (measure ½ cup and add 1 Tbsp) water/milk/citrus juice
- 170 g (measure 1 ⅓ cup and add 1 Tbsp) cake flour (Make sure to measure correctly; See my tutorial video.)
- 9 g (2 ¼ tsp) baking powder
- 2 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Bake at 340 ºF (170 ºC) for 45-50 minutes.
25-cm (10-inch) chiffon cake pan
- 8 large eggs (400 g without shell)
- 230 g (measure 1 cup and add 2 Tbsp) granulated sugar
- 110 ml (measure ½ cup and remove 2 tsp) vegetable oil
- 170 ml (measure ⅔ cup and add 2 tsp) water/milk/citrus juice
- 210 g (1 ¾ cup) cake flour (Make sure to measure correctly; See my tutorial video.)
- 11 g (2 ⅔ tsp) baking powder
- 2 ¾ tsp vanilla extract
Bake at 340 ºF (170 ºC) for 50-55 minutes.
What Went Wrong? Troubleshooting Chiffon Cakes
1. My chiffon cake did not rise properly. My chiffon cake sank/deflated after I took it out of the oven.
- Get chiffon cake pan: Please use an aluminum, 2-piece tube chiffon cake pan. You cannot use a non-stick pan to make chiffon cake as the wall is too slippery for the batter to cling to the sides and center of the chiffon cake pan in order to rise higher.
- Do not grease: For the same reason, you do not need to grease the cake pan.
- Invert the cake pan to let cool: If you didn’t use the chiffon cake pan, you can’t do this step. It’s very important to invert the chiffon cake pan while letting it cool so the cake will not collapse and it will continue to stay tall with the help of gravity.
- Beat egg whites correctly: Under-beating egg whites will cause the cake structure to collapse, while over-beating can cause the mixture to break down when you fold it into the batter, creating a heavy batter. Therefore, always keep an eye out for the egg whites as they thicken. A safe way to do is whip your egg whites on medium speed. And it’s ok to stop frequently to check as you get close to the stiff peak stage.
- Check oven temperature: When the oven temperature is too low, the cake will not rise to its optimum height. It’s also possible that your oven setting doesn’t display the actual oven temperature. Get an oven thermometer to place it in the oven and test the actual oven temperature at 4 corners and center. My oven has some hot spot in one corner so I know I need to avoid placing my cake there.
- Increase baking time: If you did everything right, maybe the baking time was not enough.
2. My cake got burnt on the top.
- Use aluminum foil: Your oven may be a bit too small for this cake pan. You need at least some space between the cake pan top and the oven. To fix this problem, you can cover the cake with an aluminum foil over the top to prevent further browning once the cake reaches a nice golden color.
3. My cake has big holes (air pockets).
- Mix thoroughly: When you don’t fold the egg whites and batter thoroughly, the cake batter is not consistent. The meringue parts have too much air bubbles than the other parts, which results in large pockets and other parts of the batter cannot sustain the structure. Make sure you mix everything thoroughly without destroying the bubbles.
- Beat egg whites correctly: When egg whites are under beaten, the small air bubbles cannot sustain as the temperature goes up. As a result, small air bubbles turn into one bigger hole.
- Prevent air pockets: The air pockets may be created when you pour the batter into the chiffon cake pan. Make sure to pour the cake batter all at once in one location. Also, run the wooden skewer in the batter a few times and gently tap the chiffon cake pan against the kitchen counter to get rid of large air bubbles that are trapped in the cake batter.
4. My cake has white streaks.
- Mix thoroughly: Those white streaks are meringue (egg whites). It happened when you didn’t incorporate meringue into the batter thoroughly, so the egg whites appeared as white streaks.
FAQs
Q: Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?
A: If you have enjoyed chiffon cakes in Japan and know how airy, fluffy and soft the chiffon cakes are, you have to bake yours with cake flour to achieve the same texture. You would know the difference immediately if you make it with all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour has a higher protein content, which develops more gluten and results in a tougher cake.
The substitution or the easiest workaround for cake flour is to mix all-purpose flour with cornstarch. To make 1 cup cake flour, simply take out 2 Tbsp from 1 cup all-purpose flour and replace it with 2 Tbsp cornstarch. However, in my opinion, store-bought cake flour would give a better result as it has been sifted finely with the machine.
Q: Do we need to add baking powder?
A: In general, baking powder is not necessary as chiffon cake relies on the egg whites to rise. Baking powder is just a backup. However, a chiffon cake recipe includes oil and egg yolks (fats) and baking powder to counteract and helps the cake rise.
Q: Can I use melted butter instead of vegetable oil?
A: No, to get a light, airy, soft texture, it has to be vegetable oil or canola oil. Please don’t substitute with butter.
Q: Can I bake in a regular cake pan or bundt pan?
A: I highly recommend getting an aluminum tubed pan that allows the cake to rise taller. Avoid non-stick pan and never grease the pan because the cake will not be able to cling and rise as high. If your chiffon cake pan is not the same size as mine, I always recommend doubling the recipe (instead of trying to divide an egg by weight). Use the leftover batter to make a small cake in a regular ramekin or smaller cake pan (it won’t be a proper chiffon cake though).
Q: When does the cake taste best?
A: It’s best half-day to a whole day after baking.
Q: How long does the cake last?
A: Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and keep at a cool, dark place for about 2-3 days. Depends on the ingredients or climate you live in, it might be better to keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Be sure to let the cake come to room temperature before serving, or it may seem dry and dense. You can also wrap the individual piece or whole cake and store in the freezer, but some flavors will be lost. Defrost naturally and enjoy.
JOC Chiffon Cake Recipes
- Chocolate Chiffon Cake
- Earl Grey Chiffon Cake
- Matcha Green Tea Chiffon Cake
- Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake
- Orange Chiffon Cake
- Have you tried any fun flavors you would like me to share next? I’d love to hear from you!
I hope this tutorial guide will help you with your chiffon cake adventures. If you baked a chiffon cake and you’re still having trouble, please ask in the comments below. I’ll be happy to help.
Sign up for the free Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Do you bake using fan mode or TOP and bottom heat mode?
What is the weight of large eggs with shell?
Hi Christina! I do have a convection oven, but not everyone owns it, so I use bake mode for all my recipes (mentioned in my FAQ). My baking mode has top and bottom heat. An American large egg without shell is 50-54 grams (sorry I don’t know with shell). I measured the weight myself several times and I get that range.
whats the measurement of the sugar to the egg white and egg yolks?
Hi Nami, I would like to clarify regarding the meringue in your recipe. You’ve mentioned that egg whites should beat to stiff peak with the tip just foldover. Does this actually mean beat to medium stiff peak?
Hope you may help. Thank you very much
Hi Manda! I looked into the stage of “stiff peak” on youtube and websites and every one slightly mentioned differently. So you can call “medium stiff peak” if that’s what you refer to, but it has to be stiff peak that it not pointing up straight but the “tip just foldover” to be precise. I don’t want to rely on the word because people call the “stiff peak” stage differently. Hope that’s clear. 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
My problem is removing the cake from the pan… always gets jagged edges around. Can you please advise?
Hi Elaine! I usually use a very sharp knife or offset spatula and go very slow, but I am thinking of buying this chiffon cake knife (https://amzn.to/2rEBQzA) when I go back to Japan (it’s about $6 there). I am not sure if this helps, but it has a good review on Amazon Japan. 🙂
Hi.. May i know if sunflower oil can be used for chiffon cake?
And which heat-top or bottom is used for baking chiffon cake?
Hi Nafee! I’ve never used it so I can’t tell, but I think it’s okay… I just checked online and for my oven, heat element for bake is 90% bottom and 10% top.
hi nami! i am struggling with my chiffon 🙁
i am using top and bottom heat with no fan, with the 20cm chiffon recipe. results – rises nicely and top starts to brown at 25-30mins. cake flattens in oven at 40 mins, with top browning much. cake still not fully cooked inside at 60mins. after another 15 mins, it is cooked but outside burnt.
using an oven thermometer, i have preheat my oven at 170 for abt 30 mins or so, but the moment when i put the tin in, it drops til 140 and temp did not rise to 170 again. it maintains at about 150 or so for the rest of the bake time.
should i try to use fan on, and increase my temp after the bake tin goes in? the oven temp fluctuate too much that i do not want to open and tent the cake even if it is burnt on the outside. i am not sure whether is the oven too hot or too low because it still browns the outside but inside not thoroughly cooked. i read that oven low temp can also cause cake to rise properly and flatten while still in oven. need your advice! 🙁
Hi Michelle! It’s hard to predict the oven (especially when it’s someone’s too). Since the cake actually turns brown, I wonder what’s happening in the batter. What type of cake pan are you using? How about turning the oven temperature higher to start (so even though you open the door, it won’t go down to 140)? At one point, maybe it’s worth turning on the fan to see if circulating the hot air may help…
hi nami! i am using the aluminium tube pan. i have tried with increasing the temp during preheat, and it is dry and slightly burnt on the exterior round surface on top. i have tried with fan on too, same issue. at which point should i turn the fan on?
Hi Michelle! Thank you so much for your answer! I’m curious how burnt is it? Is it golden color or really dark brown “burnt” color? I don’t use a fan for my recipes, so it’s hard to say… I want to take a look. If you can send me pictures, it would be helpful and I really wish I can help, but it’s possible that your oven temperature needs to be adjusted.
Hi Nami! My earl grey chiffon cake falls out of the pan when I overturn it, though I didn’t grease the pan! Any idea why? Thanks!
Hi Ann! Thank you for trying this recipe! 1) Did you use an aluminum chiffon cake pan? You cannot use a non-stick pan. 2) If you use the right pan, the next thing to check is if your cake was cooked through. Maybe underbake? Each oven is slightly different, and you have to check doneness. If the cake is not fully baked, it will drop when you make it upside down (or not) because the structure is not built properly inside.
Rice flour or gluten free baking flour are also great substitutions for cake flour. They don’t have the density (gluten content) that wheat flour does, so the cake comes out super light and fluffy!
Hi Tama! Thank you for your input! A lot of people make Chiffon Cake with rice flour… I really need to try it one of these days! Thank you for inspiring me!
Interesting to use rice flour for chiffon cake. Would you mind sharing your recipe.
Thank you.
Thank you for all your precious tips Nami. I tried the matcha flavoured one first and it went quite well, not too sweet, and its fluffiness was awesome!
Do you think that a pistachio flavour would be affordable ? I thought about using a pistachio paste but maybe that would change too much the density of the batter (like using butter maybe?)
And do you think that fruit juice (like apple or pear) can be used to get fruity chiffon cakes?
Thank you for reading me.
Hi Kelly! Thank you for reading my post/tips! And I’m so happy to hear your matcha version went well too! Japanese chiffon cake recipes are all “not so sweet” compared to American (western) recipes. I was in shock before how much sugar is used for those recipes. So…compared to them, all my chiffon cake recipes will be not so sweet, whether matcha or not. 😀
I think pistachio sounds wonderful!!! Pistachio paste must include some oil right? If so… I would be very careful… anything with oil, the consistency will change and there is chemical reaction. I’ve read somewhere that if it’s for chocolate, use cacao powder and try not to use (or limit) chocolate itself for the chiffon… it’s the oil that can be tricky. You probably have to play with the oil amount used in the original recipe.
Yes for the fruity chiffon cake – you can replace with other fruit juice. 🙂
Hi, I am very excited to try your recipes, I just ordered the chiffon cake pan on amazon! I was wondering if I were to make chiffon cupcakes, what would the bake time and temperature be? I am planning on using parchment cupcake liners.
Hi Katherine! I hope you enjoy this recipe. I’ve only tried making this cake in the chiffon cake pan, so I’m not sure how long it takes to make the mini cupcake size…. But readers have made this recipe in cupcakes and came out successfully so I think it’ll work. Same temperature but reduce the cooking time until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Where I come from we also use chilled egg whites and no cream of tartar – just egg whites and sugar (or sometimes confectionary sugar), sometimes with a drop of lemon juice in it.
I whisk meringue until it is glossy and thick – thick enough to feel the resistance. I find I get this result the best if I whisk over a bath of 70 degrees Celsius.
Hi Ida! Ohhh really! Knowing that most of western sweets are from Europe, I believe that this Japanese technique (cold egg whites) come from somewhere in Europe. Are you from an European country?
Thank you for your additional tip!
Hi Nani! No need for cream of tartar?
Hi there! Nope, Japanese don’t use it. 🙂 I mentioned under “3 tips” above in the blog post.
Thanks Nami. It came out perfect. Only one thing happened, when I inverted my pan, after a while, the cake fell on its own. hahaha. So funny. Also, why is it for my tube pan- the center is not so baked enough? But for the rest (fat dido tall pan, and 6in pans from Wilton) they came out nicely.
Thanks so much for your recipe.,
Will do it again this weekend. 🙂
Oh no! First thing I want to ask/confirm is that your tube pan was NOT non-stick pan, right? This is very important.
If the “collapse” happens AFTER taking out from the oven, it’s usually due to
Not mixing the batter thoroughly. Air bubbles were not even and didn’t keep the structure and collapse.
But then you mentioned that the cake around the tube was not baked enough. That tells me that the oven temperature was probably low or you need to bake a longer time than my recipe says. Each oven is different… even though the oven says the correct temperature, inside oven may not reach to that temperature. It’s really good to check your oven temperature once by putting the thermometer in 4 corners and center. That way you can check if there is any hot spot. It’ll be very helpful to know when you bake. I think in your case, the oven temp was lower OR you simply needed to bake a longer. So the cake was not ready to take out and structure couldn’t keep well because it wasn’t cooked through. Hope that helps?
I’m so delighted to tell you that for the 3rd attempt, I’ve succeeded! I wanted to keep it as a souvenir, but I sold it! And now I’ve got 5 orders! Thanks so much, Nami! I failed before because I underbaked them.
More power to your site
Cheers
MG
Congratulations!!! I’m so happy to hear yours came out well! Super excited and happy for you! Thank you for your kind words! xo
Thank you this was very informative. Could you please convert the measurements for a 22cm tubed pan?
Hi Divya! I just added – basically doubling 17 cm pan for 22 cm. Let me know how it works if you try it. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I have made your chiffon cakes a few times and love their texture. I just have one problem, they always slip out of the tin when I am cooling them! I am not sure why as I follow the recipe exactly and use the correct chiffon tin as well. Can you think of any reason why they keep falling out of the tin before its fully cooled?
Kind Regards,
Wendy
Hi Wendy! Interesting! And when it’s fall out, does it stay the shape or it breaks into apart? I think the structure must be broken inside – either 1) Didn’t bake at the right temperature (it was too low) or you undercook. 2) You didn’t mix the batter thoroughly, so some parts didn’t have good structure. Have you checked your REAL oven temperature? Not the display temperature but the real temp inside the oven. You may want to check it. A lot of people realize it’s not actually getting the right temp and you also find hot spots inside the oven by testing the real temperature with thermometer.
It keeps it’s shape. Once its cooled completely I cut it open and everything looks, feels and tastes fine. I haven’t checked the oven temperature as we just bought it last year and haven’t had any issues with baking anything so far, but I do know the back right corner is a hot spot.
Hi Nami, can I use an 8inch non stick round cake pan to bake this? Thanks
Hi Connie! First of all, I do not recommend using NON-stick cake pan to make chiffon cake. The purpose is for the batter to climb up but NON-stick makes it too slippery. In Japan we do not use chiffon cake pans that are non-stick. Some readers tried it with round cake pan and they said it worked. To me, I don’t know how you can make it upside down if you use a round cake pan and I just don’t think you can’t make the best result out of a round cake pan, and non-stick. If you would like to make a really good chiffon cake, I still recommend using the right pan especially you take time to make it. 🙂
My chiffon cake deflated slightly before I time was up (short of 4mins) so I quickly took it out. Also it didn’t rise as tall as the pan, what went wrong? Thanks
Hi Connie! I think it sounds like your egg whites were not beaten enough or over-beaten so the batter could not keep the structure.
Your tips are very helpful! I’ve been trying to make a chiffon cake (different recipe) and am struggling. The cake is always very flat and at first was dense and rubbery. I decided maybe I was overbeating the eggs so I deliberately stopped sooner this time, but the cake was still flat (although not rubbery). But it has large air holes throughout. Did I go from one extreme to the other?
Hi Vanessa! Hmm, hard to know why you have the issue when you’re using someone’s recipe that I am not familiar with (Sorry….).
If you’re continuously failing, maybe try other recipes? Maybe it may not be your skill, and something important is missing in the recipe you’re trying. Also, your oven temperature may not be optimal. A lot of people don’t notice that because they assume the oven temperature is correct (but inside it’s not the same temperature).
I understand, but thank you for replying! I do intend to buy an oven thermometer.
How would you go about modifying this recipe for a chocolate chiffon cake?
You can replace matcha with cocoa powder in my match chiffon cake? I think a few people have tried it with a successful result and left a comment in the post and on social media. Sorry I haven’t had a chance to make it with chocolate flavor… one day I will!
Hi Nami!
Do you have any recommended brands/places to buy a chiffon cake pan in Japan? My friend will be visiting Japan in a few weeks, and she is willing to buy me a pan if she can find one! Also, how much should we expect it to cost? Thank you for any information you can give me (:
Hi Krystine! I love one from Asai Shoten 浅谷商店
Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%B5%85%E4%BA%95%E5%95%86%E5%BA%97-%E3%81%A4%E3%81%AA%E3%81%8E%E7%9B%AE%E3%81%AE%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9F%E3%82%B7%E3%83%95%E3%82%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AD%E5%9E%8B-17cm/dp/B00D1IB1BK
Rakuten: https://item.rakuten.co.jp/asai-tool/yk-0044/ (it’s such a busy page…)
Map to the Asai Shoten store in Kappabashi near Asakusa: https://goo.gl/maps/cKFCtSsdLeC2
Now, if your friend is not near the area, it’s a lot of work to get there and buy just one chiffon cake pan. My suggestion is to either buy online and ship to the hotel or wherever she stays, or go to a kitchen tool store near where she is. I could help find a store if you can email me which city (if Tokyo, which area) she’s heading… 🙂
Otherwise, department store kitchen floor is an easy fast choice (6 or 7F floor usually, but slightly expensive for convenience) or TokyuHands.
Thank you for responding so quickly and for all of the information!! It looks like she will be staying in Shinjuku! If you have any store recommendations, I’d really appreciate it. Even though I really want the chiffon cake pan from Asai Shoten, I also want my friend to enjoy her stay in Japan to the fullest.
Hi Krystine! Great, then I want to suggest her to go to Keio Department Store (it’s building above Shinjuku Station).
There is a store called Tomiz at 8th floor. It’s the store that sells baking goods (and all kinds of non-baking ingredients as well), baking mold etc. You can find a chiffon cake pan there.
https://tomiz.com/category/810525
On google map, search “tomiz keio shinjuku” (sorry, the link contains Japanese words, so it looks weird below).
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS727US727&tbm=lcl&ei=ThUKXOvwKeW60PEP9Nq4wAs&q=tomiz+keio+shinjuku&oq=tomiz+keio+shinjuku
I baked a chiffon cake and it turn out to have wet middle. What causes it?
Hi Gwen! I would like to suggest to check if the inside is cooked through by inserting a skewer BEFORE taking out the cake from the oven. When it’s cooked through, the skewer comes out clean, but if it’s wet inside, your skewer comes out with wet batter. Everyone’s oven is different, so baking time is just a guide and you always need to check doneness. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Hello! I have tried to make Chiffoncake many times now-exactely as you say and exactely by the recipe, but everytime I take it out of the owen it drops down several centimeters. What’s wrong?
Hi Annelie! From what you wrote, I think the cake structure has some issue. If the cake is not cooked through and collapse, it could be oven temperature (actual temperature inside) or your oven requires more baking time. If the cake was cooked through, then it’s probably related to the meringue. Over-beaten or under-beaten egg whites can be the reason. Another one is the way you pour the batter into the cake pan. Make sure not to include any air pockets. Try to take each step slowly and completely, so you can scratch out the possible cause. Hope you will get the perfect cake next time!
Hi Nami,
I would like to make a chocolate chiffon cake. How would I go about changing the measurements of the ingredients or should I add 1/2 cup of cacao powder and leave rest of ingredients the same?
Thank you for your help,
Laura
Hi Laura! If you add cocoa powder, you will need to remove some of the cake flour. I have never made it so I’m not too sure how much cocoa powder is necessary and what’s the right amount of cake flour to remove… maybe you can test it out? 🙂
Hi…my chiffon cskes top portion is very sticky asbin the top part sticks to my hand. Plz advise.
Hi Anisha! Did you use different ingredients other than what I specified in the ingredient list?
Hi Nami, why is the centre of the cake moist?
I followed your recipe to a T and it came out perfect! I had failed twice and I actually wanted to give up baking chiffon cake… I hate failure ^^
Thanks so much for the recipe! It’s easier to follow because of the US measurements.
Anyway I’m kinda confused, everyone says egg whites should be at room temperature, but it’s better if chilled? At what temperature should it be?
Hi Kris! I’m so happy to hear it came out perfectly! In Japan, to make meringue, egg whites are not at room temperature and always chilled. We also do not use cream of tartar (I never seen it in store, but I saw it sold online). I think the chilled egg white trick came from European baking trick as most of western baking in Japan is influenced by European desserts and not American. In fact, some of JOC readers in Europe once told me they do use chilled egg whites, when I asked a question about chilled vs room temp. I don’t know which countries they were from though… I always thought this difference is very interesting as it’s a complete opposite. The egg white temperature is cold, often recommended to put in a freezer (but not frozen) while prepping. So the edges of egg whites gets frosty but inside is still liquid kinda stage. If you’re afraid of freezing, then putting in the fridge is okay too. 🙂
Hi again Nami sama! Thank you for the reply! I read that if you beat cold egg whites, they won’t whip well (https://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/perfectmeringue.htm) But I suppose that isn’t true.
I have another question if you don’t mind. I am allergic to any vegetable oil and butter, is it possible to reduce the amount in half or substitute with applesauce if I’m making a chiffon cake?
Hi Kris! I know, I found it interesting too, when I first came to the US and saw American recipes requesting the complete opposite way. In Japan, 99% (almost all) recipes tell you to make sure to use cold egg whites. I can’t remember where I found it, but I read Japanese articles comparing cold egg whites vs room temperature egg whites (but the article didn’t mention it’s the American way; just saying if you don’t use cold egg whites, this is what happens…). I remember it was talking about the difference in the fineness of the texture of beaten egg whites. To me, I’m not a professional enough to know such difference in between those two egg whites… if the final cake or desserts come out successfully, I think there are many ways to achieve the good result. Though I don’t think Japanese created this chilled method though. I’m pretty certain it came from a European dessert making technique. 🙂
I see, thank you so much again for the explanation!
Your recipes are well detailed and easy to follow. I’m gonna try your other ones! (I just subscribed to your Youtube channel) <3
Thank you Kris! xo
Dear Nami,
I finally succeeded after my second try. However, i find my cake a little too moist and perhaps even chewy? Do you have any idea why?
Hi Ode! Hmm… how moist was it? I would be happy if my cake is moist (but not wet, of course). Also what do you mean by chewy? Do you mean it’s not airy and bouncy at all? If there is a picture, it helps a little to imagine….
Hii i have made chiffon cake more than 30 times. I do all the steps correctly but my cake always sinks while in the oven after rising!! I make sure my egg whites fold over with a stiff peak. I fold it properly.. im so desperate to find out whats wrong.. T_T
Hi Rachel! When the chiffon cake sinks while it’s in the oven, it means that the structure inside the cake is not supporting the cake. If your batter is made correctly, as you said, the first thing I thought was your oven temp. Have you tried checking your ACTUAL oven temperature using the oven thermometer? It may be higher than what you set up. The batter might rises because it’s high temp but inside the cake may not be cooked through yet, so it might collapse while the outside cake looks nice and rises. Maybe heat source is too close to the cake pan? Structure inside is the issue I think. 🙂
For me i added gelatin mix with water being refrigerated for couple of minutest so that it will give strong foundation and its really perfect for me.
Hi Arnold! Thank you for sharing your tip! 🙂
This is question.What flour should I use for chiffon cake since my husband has “IBS”.he loves
my chiffon cake.
Hi Elenita! I’m not very familiar with IBS and what diet/ingredients you need to watch out for. I really wish I could help but I’m not an expert in this field. For chiffon cake, we only use cake flour in Japan. 🙂
Thank you! You don’t know how much I appreciate this article! My cake turned out awesome! 😋🍰
Hi Jen! I’m glad to hear this post was helpful. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thank you so much for sharing this lovely recipe and all the helpful details. I tried it with lemon and coffee, both came out amazing in terms of taste and texture. However, once I removed them from tube pan, they looked a bit wobbly. The moment I cut them, the whole shape didn’t hold well like those shown in your photos. I did cool the cake down completely, in the pan inverted for at least one to two hours. What could be the problem?
Hi Tina! From reading what you said, I think the problem is the egg whites not being properly. That’s my first guess, then maybe oven temperature was too low (different inside than what the display said)… Maybe there is a big hole in the batter due to air bubbles. Please read this post. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
Hi Nami,
Thank you so much for this recipe, especially the troubleshooting part.
I used the 17cm recipe, it is almost fail-proof! I have made my fair share of disappointing cakes so it is great to have found this.
After reading about using rice flour, I have tried it with great results as well. Using your original recipe but substitute the cake flour with 60g of rice flour, and following the same instructions.
Thank you so much for your recipe and the effort you made to write the clear instructions.
Ps I also made the nikuman you posted, that also went really well. I can’t believe I was able to make it!
Hi Min! Thank you so much for your kind comment and I’m really happy to hear your chiffon cake comes out well. And I really appreciate that you shared the rice flour version. 60g! Thank you for sharing, I’m sure other JOC friends would be happy to find out. 🙂
I’m glad your nikuman came out well too! That’s a delicious recipe my kids love!
My cake came out wonderful with your advice! Thank you so much xx
Hi Rachel! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you very much for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi Nami! I’m making earl grey chiffon in an 8″ pan. How much tea leaves should I use? Thank you! My orange chiffon turned out perfect but not as high because I forgot to adjust my ingredients for an 8″pan.
Hi Marite! I would just increase a tiny bit. Most importantly make sure your brewed tea should be 95 ml (measure ⅓ cup and add 1 ½ Tbsp) for your 8″ pan. 🙂
Hi Nami, I’ve been making all your chiffon cakes for a year now and they’re always a hit. Thank you! Scaling up to 22cm pan for first time but, while all the measurements double, the flour doesn’t match. By cup it doubles (2/3 to 4/3) but by weight is different. Is there a reason you have 170g as opposed to 150? Thanks!
Hi David! Thank you so much for catching my typo! You’re right. 22 cm is double of 17 cm, therefore, it should be 150 g (cup measurement is correct). Thank you so much for letting me know. The post is updated now. 🙂
Hi, may I ask what is the possible cause of a dense layer at the bottom of chiffon cake please?
Hi Wendy! My first thought is that you didn’t mix the batter thoroughly (I had this issue at the beginning as I was afraid of deflating the air). Mix thoroughly without breaking the air bubbles. Using the silicone spatula, scoop up from the bottom and blend all together gently. 🙂
May I know why my cake is wet (can hear the cracking sound when I gently press the cake), otherwise ok
Hi Sharon! Thank you for trying my recipe! If it’s wet, I assume the cake was not fully done. And chiffon cake should be bouncy and I don’t think it can give “cracking” sound considering how soft it is. I’ll be happy to help more but I will need a bit more description on how the cake looked like. 🙂
Hi,
Ps adv wat is the correct temperature to set when bak8ng a chiffon cake using my microwave convection oven?
Can u help ps
Hi Gin! I bake at 340 ºF (170 ºC) for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 🙂
In January, I substituted Japanese yuzu for the lemon and had the most amazing chiffon cake. It was such a hit with my family. Thanks for this site and for the variations; it was worth investing in a new chiffon cake pan.
Hi Martha! I’m so happy to hear you made Yuzu Chiffon Cake! That must be SO good! I love yuzu everything!! Thank you for writing. 🙂
If I wanted to bake chocolate chiffon cake, should I use full cream milk or water for the liquid in order for the chiffon cake to be light and fluffy?
Hi Cheryl! You can use my matcha recipe and swap with cocoa powder. 🙂
Hello. Brilliant recipe and instructions! All worked well but was perhaps a bit rubbery!?! It was risen and light. Any thoughts? Hollie 🙂
Thank you, Hollie! Rubbery?! I would probably not describe the texture of the chiffon cake as rubbery… I’d say light and spongy/bouncy. But… rubbery seems a bit off? Do you feel it was baked right?
hello. thank you for the earl grey chiffon cake recipe! scrumptious! i really in love with it! i wonder would you share any chocolate chiffon cake or chocolate chips chiffon cake or coffee chiffon cake in the future? thank you again!
HI szoe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the Earl Grey Chiffon Cake recipe. I can share Chocolate Chiffon Cake recipe next… and I’ll add the other two on my list. 🙂
Thank you for the great recipes Nami! I tried the Earl Grey one and it was gone in a second. Everyone loved it so much!
Do you have any tips if I want to make a banana chiffon cake?
Hi Lina! I’m so happy to hear that! Hmm I haven’t tried that before…but it sounds delicious. I have to add to my list and
give it a try one day! Sorry, I can’t give you a tip yet without trying myself…
Hi..Nami…i m diena
Thank you for your tutorial guide…
I have issue with removing my chiffon cake nicely.. sometimes the cake came out nicely but sometimes the top seems like stuck with a layer of rubberised looked texture and therefore it came out so ugly looking…
This happen sometimes only usually the green tea ..coffee n cocoa flavoured ones.
Pls kindly advise..i would appreciate your prompt response greatly.
Thank you very much
With regards
Dienaling
Singapore
I tried making the chiffon cake but my cake taste eggy. Any ideas why?
Hi Etienne! Hmmm I don’t really notice such strong egg taste, but you may want to add vanilla etc to lessen the taste?
Dumb question – I don’t have any neutral flavor oil (canola etc), so would using Extra virgin Oil be weird?
Hi Jos! I don’t recommend using extra virgin olive oil for this recipe. The texture is a bit thicker too, plus it has color and strong taste. 🙂
Thank you for the tips! Can I try this recipe with Flan cake and for Ube cake?
Hi Ivy! I’m sorry I’m not familiar with flan cake or ube ake…
Can you please make a coffee flavoured one! 🙂
Hi Emily! Thank you for your request! I’ll add it to my list. 🙂
Hi
I was just wondering would I be able to bake this cake batter in a sheet pan or will it not work
Hi Julia! No, chiffon cake must be baked in a chiffon cake pan as this is not a sponge cake. You can’t make it upside down… while you cool the cake. 🙂
I am happy to find such detailed “how to…” for Japanese cooking recipes! I have two out of three children that are fascinated with everything Japanese, my daughter, without formal training, proof read a book for me that had several Japanese phrases in it. The book was about a Missionary in a school in Japan prior to WWII. His children were born in Japan so grew up learning the language. The family fled Japan before the war but still were in touch with school caretakers. It turns out my daughter had the corrected phrase to use. I was very proud, that her natural ability to proof read, could transfer to another language! I’d love to try these as a surprise for my daughters birthday. Do you think a gluten free rice flour, would work? It is a very light flour, very similar to cake flour. I used to work in a bakery and I think GF rice flour could be a replacement for cake flour.
Hi DebiSue! What a lovely story and thanks for sharing and you have a very talented daughter! I think (and I remember someone did try the recipe with GF flour and said) it works, but I personally haven’t tried making it with GF flour so I can’t tell from my experience. I hope it will work! Hope you and your daughter will enjoy the chiffon cake!
Hi! I love your recipes and I’ve successfully made the earl grey chiffon cake. Delicious! I’m curious if you could help me figure out a proper bake time for mini cakes. It’s a pan that can make 4 angel food cakes of 2 inches in diameter. Thank you!
Hi Christina! I’m so sorry but I don’t own a mini one so I’ve never tested how long it takes to bake. 🙁
hi Nami,
Since my husband has been after me to bake him a chiffon cake, I went straight to your recipes. However I’m not sure about my pan’s size. How do you measure the pan’s diameter? From the top or the bottom?
Thank you.
Hi Sheryl! The chiffon cake pan size is the diameter. 🙂 Hope you and your husband enjoy the chiffon cake!
Hi Nami, Thanks for all the details in your recipe! Currently troubleshooting my chiffon cake and I have the 10” tin. I covered with foil for 30 mins and left it open for 30 mins but the bottom middle (where the chimney is) is slightly soggy and it’s domed inwards, the outside is slightly burnt and crumbly – and it makes the external appearance very uneven. I carefully peeled it away with an offset spatula but I think it’s because the outside was baked too quickly.. I covered for 30 mins and the batter reached the foil 🙁 I hope you can offer some advice on where I went wrong? Temperature? Time? Thanks again for all your tips!!
Oh! Forgot to mention- the cake itself is lovely and soft in the inside- perhaps a little too soft as the structure is slightly lacking
Hi Manda! Thanks for trying this recipe! You had to cover the pan with foil because outside is getting too burnt? How big is your oven? Maybe lower the oven temperature slightly and bake for a longer time? When you cover with foil, it’s probably hard to cook inside. If you want to cover the foil, it should be toward the end of cooking, not the beginning. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Hi Nami thanks for your reply! I was worried it would get too burnt but now I know to cover it at the end – thank you!
Hi Manda! Hope that will help. 🙂 xo
I have a 6 inch chiffon pan, i understand your recipe requires 2 LARGE EGGS, its difficult to get large eggs at my side, can i substitute with 3 medium (small size i guess) eggs? Or i should stick with 2 normal size eggs?
Thanks in advanced
Hi Corene! Since a large egg here is 50 g (without shell). Maybe you can check and find out the weight for a medium egg? I’m not sure how far off it is… 🙂
Hi, i’d tried with 3 eggs and it came out fabulous!
All the credit to your recipe and explanation… Thank you so much for taking your precious time to reply. Take care and stay safe.
I’m glad to hear that! Thanks so much for your feedback, Corene!! Enjoy the chiffon cake. Take good care! xoxo
What baking mode do you use for chiffon cake? fan bake or normal ( top n bottom elements on, no fan) thanks 🙂
Hi Irene! I always use non-fan (conventional oven) for ALL my recipes even though my oven has a fan (convection) option as well. That way, everyone can have a similar result. 🙂
Thanks for the Orange Chiffon Cake recipe. I tried and the cake is indeed soft, fluffy and delicious. However, while the top part of the cake is very browned, there is a thin layer near the top that did not seem to be cooked. Could this be due to my oven that’s too hot? And I needed only 20 min to have bake the cake. Looking forward to your advice and thanks.
Hi Wendy! Thank you for trying this recipe! Ohh it seems like your cake was very close to the heat source. If your oven is smaller than mine, I’d recommend tenting the cake with aluminum foil after browning or adjust the oven temperature (but you have to play with it as I don’t have the same oven…).
Thanks Nami for your guidance. I gave the recipe another attempt but this time, the lemon chiffon instead. It turns out to be perfect now – The very first time my chiffon cake turn out all cooked, moist and fluffy. I’m so happy! 😊
Hi Wendy! I’m so glad to hear your chiffon cake came out well! Thanks for your kind feedback! 🙂
Hi, what type of milk are we going to use?
Hi Laurie! I usually use whole milk when I can. Reduced-fat milk should be okay…
I know you recommend the chiffon cake pan but I am trying to recreate a guava chiffon cake that used to be made here in Hawaii. The bakery sold a layered 8″ square and topped it with guava or other things. So can I make this in a 8″?
Thank you.
Hi Cheryl! I have never used a square pan to make a chiffon cake. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Hi,
I’d like to make the Chiffon Cake. Can you please tell is if the SUGAR is Caster Sugar (finer sugar) or ordinary white sugar?
Hoping to hear form you soon.
Maria
Hi Maria! I use white granulated sugar because that’s what most people have in the kitchen. However, you can use caster sugar for this recipe. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I love all your recipes very much! Was wondering if you could provide a black sesame chiffon cake recipe as well? 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Angie! Thank you so much! That recipe is next on my “to-shoot” list. I’ve finished shooting a recipe for Banana Chiffon Cake already but haven’t had time to write a blog post. xD Thank you for your request!
Hi, I’m Sunnie, may I know the ingredient for 5 inch chiffon cake pan (2-piece tube chiffon cake pan). Thanks in advance.
Hi Sunnie! Sorry, I don’t have the measurement (I have for 6 inches): https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
Hi Nami,
I have tried making the earl grey chiffon cake using the recipe you have shared. It was amazing! Super easy and the cake turned out perfect. I love how you are so detailed on the steps and guides in your recipes. Your guide on “how to make the perfect chiffon cake” was extremely informative and helpful. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and experiences. Cheers!
Hi Zen! AWWW! You made me so happy! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m so happy you enjoyed my Earl Grey Chiffon Cake recipe! 😀 It’s one of my favorites. Thank YOU for trusting my recipe! 🙂
Hi there, this chocolate chiffon cake is delicious, thank you for the recipe. I would like to make a coconut version. Shall I replace the cocoa powder amount with desiccated coconut? And should I replenish the flour as there is no cocoa powder? Thank you
Hi Sill! Thank you for trying my chocolate chiffon cake recipe! Glad you liked it! I’d replenish the flour as you mentioned. Do you think desiccated coconut is enough for flavor? How about using coconut oil instead of regular oil? Just a thought (even though I’ve never made it). 🙂
Thank you for your reply Nami! I’m guessing using desiccated coconut will make it a bit more dense. If I were to add another egg would it make it fluffier? When I bake it (once the chocolate has finished!) I’ll let you know the outcome x
No problem! I’m nervous about changing the ratio for basic ingredient measurements. I’m sorry without testing, I don’t know how much coconut you should add (to get the right flavor) and how much of that will affect texture (too many dry ingredients?) etc… Without testing, it’s hard to tell. 🙂
Hi, my chiffon cake straight out the oven is risen very good. But if I revert the cake and after cooldown then the top which now is the bottom is half dense/not as fluffy as the the top side. It keeps coming back. Do you know which step i am doing not correctly?
Hi Yoyo! Your chiffon cake came out well at first because heat is rising the air in the cake (like hot air balloon). As soon as it cools, that’s when you know if the cake (inside) is baked correctly or not. The cake will stay up and tall if the cake is cooked through. From reading how you describe, here’s what I think:
1) Your actual oven temperature is not the same as what the oven says (this is very common. you can buy an oven thermometer to test). Possibly your oven temp is lower… so your cake is underbaked. Did you insert a skewer to check if it comes out dry? You must do this to avoid the under bake issue.
2) Maybe you didn’t mix it thoroughly. In the beginning, when I started baking chiffon cake, I had this issue. I was worried about deflating my batter so I didn’t mix properly. So the air bubble wasn’t distributed correctly and it has air pockets that caused layers in the cake.
Your cake could be one of them or maybe both. Hard to tell without being in the kitchen to see how it’s made… Hope this helps! P.S. You’re not using a non-stick pan, right? Make sure to use an aluminum chiffon cake pan. 🙂
Love the recipe. Was wondering if it’s possible to add cream cheese to the recipe. And if so how much cream cheese for 22cm recipe?
Hi SC! I wouldn’t add the cream cheese to the chiffon cake. And even I do… without testing I can’t tell. Sorry sc!
Hi Nami,
Thanks for your guide! I’ve got a question though, my cake batter has a lot of tiny bubbles surfacing to the top after I fold in my egg whites with my egg yolks, and I didnt know what to do then so I just baked it. But it turned out flat in the end! Could you please let me know why this is happening? And perhaps how to troubleshoot it if I face a problem like that again?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Jan! Did you tap the cake pan and run the wooden skier in the cake batter to remove the air bubbles/pockets? Tapping on the counter really helps to get rid of those. When did the cake become flat? As soon as you took it out of the oven or while upside down? It seems like the cake batter had some issue.
Hi,
Can I use avocado oil instead of vegetables oil and canola oil? Thank you 😊
Hi Josephine! I haven’t tried it but I think it should be okay…
Hi Nami, if I want to add mango purée to the cake batter, is this where the 60ml water /milk/ citrus will go to?
Thank you!!
Hi Candy! Yes, you will need to replace that, but make sure the texture – you may need to test the thickness and see if you need to dilute etc. 🙂
Hi,
I was wondering whether you bake your chiffon cakes in a convection or conventional oven? I only have a fan forced oven, and seems like most of the recipes I’ve come across is made in a conventional oven.
Thank you
Hi Ann! My recipes are all using conventional (no fan) oven. I have both functions but since not everyone’s oven is convection, I keep it basic. 🙂 Please reduce the oven temperature by 25 ºF. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I just realised I also need to ask you about the quantity for cardamom and navel oranges for 9.5 ” chiffon cake pan.
Should I use 20 pods of cardamom instead of 10 pods? Will it be too strong? And should I double the navel oranges from 3-4 oranges to 6-8 oranges? Thank you so much!
Hi Jinny! All the ingredients need to be increased proportionally. 🙂 Each navel oranges yield a different amount of juice, so follow the amount of liquid. Cardamom – try that this time and adjust based on the result? 🙂
HI!!! I have 5 questions… (so many.. I’m sorry.. ><
1) may I use parchment paper at the bottom of the pan? (I understand that this might affect the inverted method of cooling, buuuut if I do not have parchment paper, the chiffon sticks to the point when I remove it from the pan, it becomes a mess
2) I have not tried the inverted style of cooling the chiffon, so does that mean if I do this I could avoid having a dense bottom?
3) Eggs at our are usually refrigerated, should I wait for the egg yolk to be at room temperature before using? (and keep the egg white in the fridge?
4) How high should be the batter inside the tube pan? 3/4 filled? or should it be more ore less?
5) Is the 3-4 hours waiting time before removing it from the pan really necessary?
Would greatly appreciate your feedback! Thank you in advance!
Hi Sophie!
1) No, we do not use parchment paper for chiffon cake. The batter needs to cling to the aluminum chiffon cake pan (no greasing!). You mentioned “sticking”. It is sticking, which is why you need to use a knife to cut off to detach. 🙂
2) When you take out the chiffon cake, it’s still hot, and inside is trying to settle. Therefore you cool down upside down as it sets completely, making sure it stays tall and not collapsed.
3) My eggs come out from the fridge.
4) Yes that’s about right.
5) Yes, while it’s hot/warm, the sponge is still fragile. Make sure to let cool COMPLETELY.
6 – your additional question) Oh… I highly recommend getting a chiffon cake pan with the removable bottom. Make sure it’s aluminum chiffon cake pan. I’d say 7″ and don’t use all the batter.
Hope that helps!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANSWERING ALL OF MY QUESTIONS!!! ^_^
You are heaven sent! ^_^ will try to purhase a pan with removable bottom asap. (but will continue using my tube pan until then.. T-T huhuhuh)
Hi Sophie! No problem at all. It’s a lot easier when you have a good working pan – save your ingredients and troubles. 🙂
**follow up question to one of my
I do not yet have a removable bottom pan, but the only size available is a 6.5″. If that is the case, what recipe should I use? the one for the 7″ or the 6″? Thank you so much!!!
Hello! Thanks for your recipes! Love all of them 🙂
Could you please share how to adjust chiffon recipe for a 4” (10cm) chiffon pan?
Thank you!
Hi FS! The measurement I have is until 6″ (15 cm)… sorry I don’t have one for 4″. 🙁
https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
Hi Nami! Eager to try your chiffon cake recipe! Just wondering if it would work without the baking powder? Thank you!
Hi Karen! Some recipes don’t use baking powder, but I’ve been only making chiffon cakes with the baking powder. Sorry, I wish I know the difference.
My chiffon rise and collapse while in oven. The TOP part dense while the bottom is light and fluffy. Can advise what’s happening and how to rectify? Thanks
Hi Moi! I will need more information to really see what’s going on. The top part as in after you inverted or before? The fact that you had a “collapse” tell me your meringue might be under or over beaten. And maybe you didn’t thoroughly mix the egg whites and egg yolk mixture well. If the “top” you’re referring to is before inverting, then maybe it was too much rise and the structure wasn’t strong enough inside that it collapse which ended up the sponge texture is all mashed and become dense. What do you think? Again, it’s hard to tell what happened with a short description of the problem without the process etc explained. Hope this helps! 🙂
It is the latter. I whipped the meringue to just stiff peak but it wasn’t so stable. so I tried whipping the meringue to very stiff peak, and it worked better. Thanks for your advice :). Didn’t know chiffon is soooo sensitive.
Hi Moi! Oh I know, chiffon cake is so sensitive! LOL. It’s a pretty easy recipe, as long as you get the correct meringue and good folding batter. Those two are very crucial! I’m sure next one will be easier as you know how far you have to whip the egg whites. Thanks for your feedback again!
hi there. thank you for all the very informative ideas you shared here. my usual problem when baking a chiffon cake is that, sometimes the bottom tends to be dense, or hard. what is the cause of this? thank you
Hi Amor! I think you didn’t thoroughly mix, which is why the heavy batter stayed at the bottom?
I had successfully made the chiffon cake Using your orange recipe, however the last 2 round, the cake was look like many hole at the bottom. was it because I didn’t take out from tin quick enough?
Hi Cath! No, usually this happens due to adding air pockets when you pour the batter. Try pouring from one area. Also when you didn’t mix the batter thoroughly, some air pockets end up in one big chunk and created a hole (holes). Try to evenly distribute the egg whites and mix thoroughly (but gently without deflating).
Hi Nami, the cake tasted great, moist and airy. But the cake’s bottom & side is still in pale color ( not a layer of brownish surface like usually seen chiffon cake) + certain part of top layer somehow stick to my finger when I was using my hand to loosen the cake ( top layer is brown).
I baked at 170c for 25min. Do I need to bake more time in order to get the brownish surface at bottom and side? Tq
Hi Nik!! I’m not sure what size of chiffon cake you’re making, so I don’t know if 25 minutes is enough or not. It seems less if you’re baking a typical chiffon cake size though. And it does become brownish when you bake. Also, are you using an aluminum chiffon cake pan?
Hi, may I ask whether it is absolutely essential to use a chiffon pan that is not non-stick? I can only find non-stick ones in my area, without having to ship it from Japan. Will an aluminium non-stick one still be able to achieve the same rise? Thank you so much.
Hi Fiona! Yes, I’d say so. One of the common failures is due to using a non-stick pan. You want the batter/cake to cling onto the pan to go higher and having a smooth, slippery non-stick surface of the pan just doesn’t help. Since you haven’t bought it, I’d say get the right one from the beginning and save money on getting another one later on, especially it’s already a known issue.
Hi Good Morning.
My name is Maricel, and im here right now in UAE. I tried cooking the chiffon cake in the Instant Pot Cooker, it was flat like a pudding, it did not rise properly.
Kindly help and advise.
Hi Maricel! Thank you for trying this recipe. You can’t cook a chiffon cake using an Instant Pot. You need to put the batter in the chiffon cake pan and bake it.
Hi!
Thank you for the recipe. Do you think I can substitute cake flour with pastry flour? And if I could, is there any changes I should make?
Hi there! I read that pastry flour is like cake flour. It should be made same way (but different names)?
Dear Nami san,
Hope you are well please take care and speedy recovery.
Some other Chiffon cake flavours:
1. Black sesame chiffon cake
2. Pumpkin chiffon cake
3. Satsumaimo chiffon cake
4. Vanilla chiffon cake
5. Houjicha chiffon cake
6. Milk chiffon cake
7. Cream cheese chiffon cake
8. Soymilk chiffon cake
Hi Joey! Thanks for the list of your chiffon cake flavor request! I have Black Sesame Chiffon Cake recipe already but haven’t shot yet. Thinking about sharing 1 and 5 in the near future!
How much vanilla extract do you put?
Hi Christine! 1 tsp for the basic size (17 cm/7 inches). 🙂
The recipe is good, soft, fluffy, fine and spongy but after a few hours the centre becomes sticky, like something melted. Please advise, thank you very much.
Hi Christee! Do you think your oven temperature (the real oven temperature inside, not what the display says) is accurate? Could be not baked properly? Or if you live in high humidity area, the sugar on the surface could be melted and gets sticky.
Hi, I tried baking a chiffon cake. Most of the recipes are same, except I left baking powder out. My problem is, the cake doesn’t rise till the height of the tin and it’s slightly dense on the top part (becomes bottom part when removed and cut). Would like to know what could be the problem.
Hi Jenny! I like to add baking powder as it helps rise beautifully. Let me know how it goes!
Hi, Im a little bit confuse. You said that:
Use the right chiffon cake pan.
Make sure you use the right chiffon cake pan. The best types are the aluminum pan with a removable base. Make sure the pan is NOT non-stick. Do not grease the mold because the cake needs to cling to the sides and center of the pan for support as it rises.
and Troubleshooting Chiffon Cakes
1. My chiffon cake did not rise properly. My chiffon cake sank/deflated after I took it out of the oven.
Get chiffon cake pan: Please use an aluminum, 2-piece tube chiffon cake pan. You cannot use a non-stick pan to make chiffon cake as the wall is too slippery for the batter to cling to the sides and center of the chiffon cake pan in order to rise higher.
should it be NON STICK pan or NOT? Thanks for your reply
Hi Cheng! You CANNOT use a non-stick pan. Use aluminum pan (which is NOT a non-stick pan).
Hi Nami, I made a (fresh) strawberry chiffon following your instructions, and it came out AWESOME. Thanks so much! Question, can I reduce the number of egg yolks? For the 23cm tin, I used 7 large eggs following your recipe. Can I use the whites of 7 eggs, but use only 5-6 yolks — to reduce cholesterol and slightly eggy taste… Thank you!
Hi Gia! I’m so glad to hear you liked the recipe and wow, fresh strawberries sound delicious in chiffon cake! I’ve never tried it, so I can’t share my experience. Sorry!
I just wanna ask if I’m using a stainless loaf pan, do I still need to line it with baking paper/wax paper? I’m afraid it might stick to the bottom and walls of the pan and I might ruin the cake while extracting it. Thanks in advance! 😁 😁
Hi Neol! If you’re making a chiffon cake pan, I highly recommend getting an aluminum chiffon cake pan for the best result. 🙂
Hi !
When it comes to the size of the pan, do you measure the diameter of its base or the top ? I tried the recipe, and my cake was not as tall as expected, but the texture was good. I wonder if I made enough batter or if it was something else. Thanks !
Blanche
Hi Blanche! I purchased mine 17 cm and 20 cm pans and the measurement is for the diameter of open space (top), not the base. 🙂
Hi Nami!
What’s the amount of sugar (in grams) for egg yolk and egg white for 6” and 10” chiffon cake?
My oven doesn’t have top & bottom heat unfortunately. Just top heat and fan mode. Does it affect my cake using fan mode oven setting?
Hi Ava! ⅓ of granulated sugar goes to egg yolks. If you use fan mode, you have to reduce the temperature by 25 ºF. Not sure how big your oven is, but once the top is getting brown you may need to cover the top. It gets tricky as you don’t want to cover too fast, before the cake is not finished baking.
I have lumps of flour in my cake. Would it be okay to stir until all the lumps are gone or will that develop gluten and make the cake tough?
Hi Lia! Did you sift the flour? Do you think your sieve is not fine? Some sieve has bigger holes and it’s almost doesn’t help much unless you sift 3 times ahead of time. If that’s the case, sift more times helps. Also add the flour in batches. I know you worry about over mixing, but flour has to be distributed nicely too, which is equally important. 🙂
Thank you very much I read your blog and everything is very clear. Please if you can give us some recipes for Moka gauze cake and cookie recipes. Excuse me, my English is not very good 🙂