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Lemon Chiffon Cake (No Cream of Tartar nor Baking Powder)

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Yield: One 20cm (8 inch) non-greased, removable based tube cake mould

Ingredients:
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 40 gm caster sugar
  • 80 ml oil
  • 1 lemon zest, only yellow part
  • 20 ml lemon juice
  • 80 ml water
  • 100 gm cake flour
  • icing sugar, for garnish
Ingredients of egg whites:
  • 5 egg whites
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 60 gm caster sugar
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 170C / 335F.
  2. Beat the egg yolks with 40 grams of sugar with a balloon whisk. Pour in the oil. Combine well. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and water. Whisk and combine well.
  3. Sift in cake flour in 3 batches into the yolk mixture. Lightly folder-in well. Set aside.
  4. Prepare a large clean mixing bowl. Make sure there’s no trace of oil or water. Use an electric mix to beat the egg whites until bubbles form. Add lemon juice. Beat in the 60 grams of sugar in 3 batches, about one-third at a time and beat well between additions, until stiff peaks form. If you turn the mixing bowl upside down, the beaten egg whites won’t fall off or even move at all. (Note: please refer to this video “How To Beat Egg Whites”.)
  5. Spoon out one-third of the beaten egg whites at a time and fold into the flour mixture with a spatula, until all ingredients are just combined. (Note: please refer to this video "How To Fold-in Egg Whites".) Pour into the cake mould. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. After baking the first 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 160C / 320F. Then continue to bake until an inserted needle comes out clean. The cake is cooked through.
  6. Remove from the oven. Immediately invert the mould. Allow it to cool completely before removing the cake from the mould. When served, sprinkle icing sugar on top for garnish.
Notes：
  • This chiffon cake recipe doesn’t yield for any cream of tartar. It only requires lemon juice to help beat the egg whites, so it’s best to use chilled eggs, rested at room temperature for a little while. The beaten egg whites will hold stronger enough and won’t deflate easily.
  • You may use 1/3 teaspoons of cream of tartar to replace the lemon juice instead.
  • The acidity in both cream of tartar and lemon juice will help stabilize the beaten egg whites as a result that your cake won’t collapse easily once it cools down.

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