Chiffon cake with lemon and blueberries

Telegraph

a day ago

Chiffon cake is American, a relation of angel food cake. Both are light but chiffon is slightly richer because it contains egg yolks. It's usually made in a tube pan so there's a column in the middle. You can either fill the central space with fruit that spills out over the top of the cake, or decorate the top with blueberries and blackberries or purple edible flowers.
Requires cooling time.
Overview
Prep time
40 mins
Cook time
1 hr
Serves
12
Ingredients
For the cake
8 large eggs, separated
160g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
120ml full-fat milk
80ml vegetable oil
135g plain flour
½ tsp cream of tartar
For the cream
400ml double cream
125g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
To decorate
blueberries, blackberries, pared lemon zest, and/or edible flowers
Method
Step
Preheat the oven to 170C/160C fan/gas mark 3 ½.
Step
Put 8 egg yolks, 70g caster sugar and a pinch of salt into the bowl of a free-standing mixer (or into a large bowl if using an electric hand whisk). Beat on a high speed for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is pale and thick.
Step
Add 1 tsp vanilla bean paste. Start whisking again, this time on a low speed while you pour in 120ml full-fat milk and 80ml vegetable oil. Sift in 135g plain flour in 4 batches, folding it in using a large metal spoon. Carefully transfer this to a large bowl.
Step
Clean the mixer bowl and whisk. They must be clean, or the egg whites won't whip up properly. Add 8 egg whites and ½ tsp cream of tartar to the clean bowl. Whisk on a medium/high speed until the mixture looks like airy foam – about 5 minutes.
Step
With the mixer still running, slowly pour in 90g caster sugar, a little at a time. Once all the sugar has been added, continue whisking until the meringue holds medium peaks and is glossy but not dry. If it's too dry, you'll have problems incorporating it into the yolk mixture without losing lots of volume.
Step
Mix the meringue into the egg yolk batter in 4 batches, using a balloon whisk to incorporate it.
Step
Once all the meringue has been added and there are no streaks in the mixture, pour the batter into a 10in, 2-piece tube pan. It's important that the pan is made of 2 parts – it should have a removable base. Don't use any fat or paper to line the tin – the sponge needs to grip on to the walls of the tin as it's climbing. Give the pan a few sharp taps on the counter to knock out any large air pockets.
Step
Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove the tin from the oven and invert it. Don't worry, the cake won't fall out. Most tube pans have little feet around the edge to elevate them when the cake is cooling. If yours doesn't have feet, put the pan on to a wine bottle (the bottle should go into the tube).
Step
After an hour the cake should be completely cool. Run a thin, flat knife around the outside of the cake to separate the sponge from the pan. Push the base, with the cake attached to it, out of the pan. Use the knife to carefully remove the base from the cake. Put the cake on to a serving platter.
Step
If you are going to serve it that day – it's best eaten within 2 days – make the cream. Beat 400ml double cream with 125g caster sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract, then add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon. Add lemon juice gradually (I usually end up using the juice of ½ lemon). It makes the cream thicken, so judge how much you need by both the flavour and the thickness.
Step
Using a palette knife, spread the cream all over the cake. You shouldn't see any of the sponge but don't spread it too thickly. You will have cream left over (it's delicious with berries).
Step
There are many ways you can decorate this. Fill the funnel with berries and let them tumble out over the surface of the cake, or arrange berries, zest and, if you like, flowers on top. Blueberries and blackberries work well colour-wise (even though the latter aren't in season).