Chiffon Cake

Photo: flickr user lemuelinchrist

Ingredients

7 eggs separated*

teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 teaspoon lemon juice

cup sugar divided

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon salt

cup vegetable oil

cup milk (whole or skim or buttermilk for 2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract (or ¼ teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia fl

Preparation

*Separate the eggs carefully; even a small amount of yolk in the whites will prevent them from beating up properly.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar or lemon juice until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Set aside.

Whisk together the remaining 1 cup sugar with the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the oil, milk, egg yolks and flavorings until pale yellow. Add the dry ingredients and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes at medium speed using a stand mixer, or longer with a hand mixer.

Gently fold in the whipped egg whites, using a wire whip or cake blender. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl so the batter is well-blended. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan or angel food pan, or two 9-inch round ungreased cake pans. Bake the cake in a preheated 325F oven. If it's in a tube or angel food pan, bake it for 50 minutes, then turn up the heat to 350F for the final 10 minutes, making a total baking time of 1 hour. If you're using two 9-inch cake pans, bake for about 40 minutes at 325F, then 10 minutes more at 350F. Don't open the oven during the first

Yield: One cake, about 18 servings

To assemble the cake (if you've made a tube-shaped cake), cut a 1-inch slice off the top of the cake, and reserve it. Slice a 3-inch-deep ring out of the middle of the cake, leaving 1-inch walls on each side. Pull out pieces of the cake to make a 3-inch "trench" in the cake. Don't cut through to the bottom of the cake. Fill the trench with chocolate filling. Place the top back on the cake and refrigerate it until ready to frost. If you've made round layers, simply spread the filling on one layer, and top it with the second layer. The cake should be made at least 4 hours before serving to allow time for the center to set properly.

Variations

To make a lemon chiffon cake, use lemon extract instead of vanilla extract and almond flavoring, and add 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind. Or substitute 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil for the extract and peel. For a chocolate chiffon cake, decrease the flour to 1 3/4 cups, and mix in 1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa. Also, use buttermilk for the liquid, if you have it; it'll give you the most intense chocolate flavor.

NOTES : Chiffon cake can be made plain and fancy in just about any flavor you could think of: lemon, orange, chocolate, peppermint, banana, or with bits of chocolate or nuts. It's often served with just a dusting of confectioners' sugar; with whipped cream and fresh fruit, or frosted with a fluffy boiled icing. (Skip the buttercream icing, it just seems to weigh it down.) The cake can also be hollowed out and filled with chiffon filling for a truly elegant dessert. (Cookbooks of the '50s seemed to use the word "elegant" quite often. We assume that after the ration-ticket war years, being able

Chiffon cakes may be baked either in tube (angel food) pans, or in 9-inch round cake pans. Like an angel food cake, they must be cooled upside down to maintain their full height.

This recipe makes a large cake, enough for 16 to 20 slices. It also freezes well, and is a good base for Baked Alaska or filled cakes that need to be served cold, because