Orange Chiffon Cake

Clearing my pantry #1 : from the freezer, egg whites. I have a few dozen egg whites "hibernating" in my freezer and I'm in the midst of using them slowly, very slowly! There are a number of recipes that I have tried and there are more recipes that I've bookmarked to try, in order to finish up the egg whites. Want to join me in clearing up your own pantry or freezer? Come on, I'm sure you are as guilty as me, tons of forgotten bits and pieces that are just waiting to be used up, before the big scary date is here, the EXPIRY DATE!! Haha! Am I making you feeling guilty yet? Ha!

Made this lovely chiffon cake, which uses an additional 3 egg whites besides the 6 eggs as listed in the recipe. The recipe calls for the cake to be baked in a 10" tube pan, I divided the batter to 3 individual smaller pans instead, two of 7" pans and one of 6" pan, all with feet. I cannot imagine pouring all the batter into one pan of 10", which I'm sure could not hold all of the batter, as it is a lot!  I originally intended to make two cakes of 7" pans, but find that there are so much of batter that I needed to use the smaller pan of 6" to hold the extra batter.

Two cakes of 7" size and a smaller one of 6" size.

This is one delicious, soft, moist and very orangy fragrant cake!

Use a serrated knife to slice the cake with a sawing motion, so as not to squash it's airy texture.

I really love this cake! Ate two slices, and stop myself from taking the third slice! Love the softness, airy texture and it is so moist and very tasty. The only changes I made to the recipe was to reduce the sugar to half, and trust me, you would not miss out on the other half, the sweetness is just right. And it is so fragrant with orange, since this cake uses 2/3 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, and the orange zest along with some lemon zest. 

One of the best chiffon cake I've eaten! So good! Double thumbs up from the family!

I'm sharing this with :
Recipe Box hosted by Bizzy Bakes
Freedom Friday hosted by My Turn
Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage


Orange Chiffon Cake
(adapted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle)
makes one 10-inch cake
2-1/2 cups (250gm) sifted cake clour
1-3/4 cups (350gm) granulated sugar, divided (I use 180gm)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
2/3 cup (160ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup (120ml) safflower or other neutral vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicillia or 1 teaspoon orange oil or vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
confectioners' sugar for dusting

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325F.
2. Sift together the cake flour, 1-1/4 cups of the sugar, the baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until well blended, and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks, orange juice, vegetable oil, citrus zest and Fiori di Sicilia or orange oil or vanilla extract at medium speed until blended, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture one-quarter at a time, mixing just until blended.
4. In a clean mixer bowl, using whisk attachment, beat the 9 egg whites and the cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until the whites are stiff but not dry. Using a rubber spatula, briskly fold about one-quarter of the whites into the cake batter. Gently fold in the remaining whites. Scrape the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom and smooth the top.
5. Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Invert the pan and place the center tube on a bottle (if the pan has "feet",it can be inverted directly onto a work surface). Let stand upside down until completely cooled, about 1-1/2 hours.
6. To unmold the cake, slide a thin-bladed knife around the side of the cake, making sure to press the knife against the side of the pan to avoid marring the surface of the cake. Repeat with the center tube. Lift the tube up to remove the cake from the pan, and slide the knife under the cake to detach it from the pan bottom. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Dust the top lightly with confectioners'sugar.
7. Slice the cake using an angel food cake divider or a serrated knife (use a sawing motion) to avoid compressing its airy texture.

Store at room temperature, under a cake keeper or covered with foil, for up to 5 days. Or freeze, well wrapped, for up to 2 weeks.