Chiffon cakes are one of the classic and elegant desserts that are great for any occasion. Here are my tips and techniques for making the perfect chiffon cake that is light, airy, tall, and springy. Troubleshooting included!
In this tutorial guide, I’ll show you the Japanese techniques on how to make a perfectly airy chiffon cake. The Japanese chiffon cakes are also a lot less sweet than the Western-style version, which most people would appreciate.
In addition to all the tips and FAQs, you’ll find my most popular chiffon cake recipes below, such as Earl Grey Chiffon Cake, Chocolate Chiffon Cake, and Matcha Chiffon Cake. I hope you enjoy making them!
Table of Contents
What is Chiffon Cake?
It is pronounced as SHE-fon cake. Chiffon cake is a light cake with a spongy texture made with simple ingredients such as oil, eggs, sugar, flour, and flavorings.
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 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 cakes 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 cakes include both whites and yolks.
How about Sponge Cake? Is There a Difference Between Chiffon Cake and Sponge Cake?
You can say that chiffon cake has the in-between texture of a sponge cake and a butter cake. It is lighter and airier when compared to a sponge cake. The base batter for both chiffon cake and sponge cake is made of separated, whipped egg whites and yolks. However, chiffon cake uses both baking powder and oil, while sponge cake doesn’t contain baking powder.
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. 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.
2. Make the perfect meringue (beaten egg whites)
This is the most important factor, so I’ll cover this topic in a separate section below.
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 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 in the rest.
4. Remove air pockets
It’s important to remove air pockets before baking. When you pour the batter into the pan, make sure to pour it from 6-8 inches high at just one spot to prevent air bubbles from forming. Then, while holding the removable base in place, gently tap the cake pan on the work surface to release any air pockets in the batter. Lastly, run a wooden skewer through the batter to release any remaining air pockets.
5. 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.
2 Tips to Make Perfect Meringue (Beaten Egg Whites)
The key to a successful chiffon cake is the meringue (the 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 will help you succeed. Before anything, make sure your beaters and mixing bowl are clean and dry.
Tip #1: Chill egg whites (What?!)
I know, it’s the total opposite of what you learned from 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?
Tip #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 the mixer when you’re close to finishing to check the condition of the peaks.
When you lift the whisk, the egg whites in the bowl or on the whisk should be firm enough to go straight up and hold a stiff peak, but just the very tip may fold over a little, like taking a bow. The meringue should have a slightly glossy texture, too.
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.
If you overbeat the meringue, it will become very stiff and grainy and won’t incorporate into the batter at all.
Adjust Ingredients for Different Sizes of Chiffon Cake Pan
Since a 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 by Japanese standards, but it will look smaller next to typical American cakes.
*Below I include the measurements for different-size pans for your reference.
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 (such lemon 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 (measure 3 Tbsp and remove 1 tsp) 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 didn’t rise properly. My chiffon cake sank/deflated after I took it out of the oven.
- Get a chiffon cake pan: Please use an aluminum, 2-piece tube 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 it cool: If you didn’t use a 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 this is to 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 the center. My oven has some hot spots 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 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 many 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: Japanese chiffon cake recipes always use cake flour. It is the reason why they are airy, fluffy, and soft. All-purpose flour has a higher protein content, which develops more gluten and results in a tougher cake. You would see the difference immediately.
The substitution or the easiest workaround for cake flour is to mix all-purpose flour with cornstarch. To make 1 cup of cake flour, simply take out 2 Tbsp from 1 cup of 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 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 help 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 it with butter.
Q: Can I bake it in a regular cake pan or bundt pan?
A: I highly recommend getting a tubed aluminum pan that allows the cake to rise taller. Avoid a 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? Can I freeze chiffon cake?
A: Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and keep it in a cool, dark place for about 2-3 days. Depending on the ingredients or climate you live in, it might be better to keep it 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 the whole cake in a layer of plastic wrap and another layer of tin foil before storing in the freezer. Note that some flavors will be lost. Defrost naturally and enjoy.
Our Most Popular Chiffon Cake Recipes
Each of the recipes below includes step-by-step images (and some with videos) which provide visual guidance:
- Chocolate Chiffon Cake – This is an all-star dessert! You’ll love the rich chocolate flavor and super moist texture.
- Earl Grey Chiffon Cake – So lovely for afternoon tea.
- Matcha Green Tea Chiffon Cake – The earthy, vanilla-like matcha green tea flavor is unmistakable.
- Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake – Who would resist the refreshing aroma of the Meyer lemons in a cake?!
- Orange Chiffon Cake – This one has a warm, citrusy aroma from the orange zest and a hint of cardamom. Get ready to impress!
- Have you tried any fun flavors you would like me to share next? I’d love to hear from you!
You can serve the chiffon cakes on their own or with fresh whipped cream (or frosting but go easy with it) and fresh-cut fruits.
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.
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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!
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
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!
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.
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.
Hi, I tried baking a chiffon using 6 inch pan. The bottom (which was the top while baking) turned out to be slightly dense. What could be a reason?
Hi Sylvia,
May I ask what type of pan are you using?
The best types are the Aluminum Chiffon Cake Pan with a removable base and make sure the pan is NOT non-stick.
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. 🙂
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.
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 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
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, 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.
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. 🙂
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.
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.
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. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I noticed the ratio of eggs & flour in your recipe is very little. Do you know the reason why some chiffon cake recipes uses a lot more flour. Is it to make the cake more stable?
Hope you can comment on this, thank you.
Hi Mama Mia,
This is a Japanese chiffon cake recipe which is probably lighter in texture than other recipes.
Hope this helps!
Hi, I’m getting really great results the two times I tried it but the sides are always very dark (not just the top). I’m using a 10 inch cake pan so is that the problem? Should I turn down the heat? It’s not just colour but the flavour of the dark parts are also not very good, too dry. But the inside is amazing. Ki
Hi Diana, Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
It sounds like your oven is a little too high for your pan. We recommend lowering the temperature next time and bake a few minutes longer until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
We hope this helps!
Being a novice and learning how temperamental Chiffon cakes are to make, I am a rather puzzled as to why there is no mention about the meringue. For example how much sugar is added, if at all and is Cream of Tartar added. Also no mention of egg whites in the ingredients. Do you use the same number of egg whites as you do yolks? All very confusing.
Hi John! This is not a recipe post and you can find all the ingredients and tips etc in each recipe.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/search/?q=chiffon%20cake
I am a starter. I was done baking my chiffon cake using an aluminum tube pan and as soon as i inverted the cake for cooling, few moments later the cake just fell off from the pan. Where did i get it wrong?
Hi Mar,
How was your Chiffon Cake texture? Did it cook through?
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. Try baking it a bit longer, and make sure you preheat the oven for a good decent time to make sure the oven is as hot as it specifies. Also, make sure the meringue is correctly made and thoroughly blended with the cake batter to be consistent.
We hope this helps!🙂
I am almost giving up my chiffon cakes are not coming out well
Hi Linda, Once the cake is completely cool, run an offset spatula around both the inner and outer edges of the cake. Then gently remove the cake from the pan and run the offset spatula on the bottom of the cake. Please refer to this recipe’s technic (Step 25, 26) https://www.justonecookbook.com/chocolate-chiffon-cake.
We hope this makes it easy for you.🙂
Hello, thank you for your recipe. May I ask, i baked a chiffon cake, it rises very nicely and has a nice airy texture, only at the bottom (which is the top when baking in the oven) , it has a denser layer compared to the rest. May I know what causes it? I just seem to not get rid of it despite adjusting the temperature. Am using a fan forced oven, at 140-150 degree. Appreciate if you could shed some light on this! Thank you!
Hi Becc, Thank you very much for trying this recipe! When you are baking in the convection oven, you only need to reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC) from the original recipe. To bake the Perfect Chiffon cake, the oven should be 340ºF (170ºC), so try increasing your convection oven to 315ºF (155ºC) and make sure to check your internal oven temperature with a thermometer.
We hope this helps, and you can enjoy fluffy, perfect Chiffon Cake soon.🙂
What is the model of stand mixer and brand can you recommend?
Hi Emma! My stand mixer is Kitchen Aid Professional series and I got it from Costco many years ago… I have only used this particular one, and it is great, but I won’t be the best person to give advice as I only know this… Sorry!