Chiffon cake

1. Preheat the oven to 165 °C without the fan and set the rack at the lowest level. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Do not grease the pan.

2. Whisk the yolks with 40 g of sugar until tripled in volume, about 3–5 minutes. Whisk in the oil, then the milk and vanilla.

3. Add the flour mixture in 2 batches and whisk until smooth and lump-free.

4. In a completely grease-free bowl, whip the whites with the cream of tartar on medium until foamy, add the remaining 80 g of sugar gradually and whip until stiff, glossy peaks stand upright.

5. Fold one third of the whites into the yolk batter to loosen it, then fold in the rest in 2 more batches with a balloon whisk and as few strokes as possible until no streaks remain.

6. Pour the batter into the pan from one spot, run a skewer through it in a zigzag to release large air pockets, level the top and tap the pan on the counter once or twice.

7. Bake for 45–50 minutes without opening the oven door; the cake is done when a skewer inserted between the tube and the edge comes out clean. Cracks on top are normal.

8. Invert the pan immediately onto a rack or a bottle neck and cool completely, about 1–2 hours. Run a thin knife around the sides and tube and push up the base to release the cake.

Tips

• Use an uncoated aluminium or steel pan and do not grease it so the batter can cling and rise tall.
• Keep the whisk and bowl completely free of grease; a trace of yolk stops the whites from whipping.
• Cool it upside down, or the cake shrinks and turns dense.

Substitutions

• Use true cake flour; do not swap in all-purpose flour and call it cake flour.
• Skip the Chantilly cream; cool the cake completely, inverted in its pan, before unmoulding.

Storage

Cool completely, then keep airtight and use within 2–3 days. In a hot kitchen, refrigerate and let slices lose their chill before serving.

• 132 kcalEnergy
• 3.6 gProtein
• 17.4 gCarbohydrate
• 5.2 gFat
• 0.1 gFibre
• 161 mgSodium

An estimate for reference only, not medical advice.