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These light cakes are made with vegetable oil instead of butter. It's easier to beat air into the batter so chiffon cakes have a lighter fluffier texture, as the egg whites are beaten separately and then folded in before baking.
Ingredients:
80g cake flour
130g sugar
40g cocoa powder
1¼ tsp baking powder
5 eggs separated
60ml vegetable oil
90ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat oven to 160 C (fan). You will need a 20cm chiffon (bundt) cake tin.
Put the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder in a bowl and mix together.
Separate the eggs. Put the whites in a stand mixing bowl. Place these in the freezer for 15 mins. Put the yolks in a large bowl and beat with a hand whisk. Add 65g of sugar to the yolks, whisk until they become a creamy pale yellow. Add the oil, continue to whisk, then add the milk and vanilla, whisking until well combined.
Sieve the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until everything is combined.
Take the egg whites out of the freezer and whisk on medium until they are foamy. Gradually add the remaining 65g of sugar, then turn up speed to high. Whisk until you have stiff peaks, (but don’t over whisk as they will become dry).
Take a ¼ of the meringue mixture and using a hand whisk, mix this into the chocolate batter. Then take a 1/3 of the meringue mixture and gently fold in to the batter, taking care not to deflate the meringue. Continue with the remaining meringue mixture until you have folded it all in.
Pour the batter into the cake pan, tap gently to release air pockets and place in the oven for appx. 40 mins. When the cake is done, a skewer inserted will come out clean, and the cake will also spring back when touched gently.
Once ready remove from the oven, allow to cool a few minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack. I used a silicone cake mould so the cake released easily, if using a tin, run a knife around the inner and outer edges first.
Enjoy.
Gaby Van Clarke
This moist fluffy cake is so quick and easy, it's often the first thing French children are taught to bake. Popular across the Mediterranean this Greek yoghurt version helps with the light airy texture. You can also mix everything into one pot so there's very little clearing up after, and the aroma of fresh baking with vanilla wafting through the house gives a warm homely feel, said Michael!
