Vanilla Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:

2.5 cups plain flour ( sifted twice)
1 ¼ + ½ cups of granulated sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature & separated
3 large egg whites
½ cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup cold water
1 Tbsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. cream of tartar
¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon zest ( finely grated)
1 vanilla bean, split in half and seed removed

How to do:
Pre-heat your oven @ 170 °C.
Use a center tube pan. Cut a round of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and cut out a hole in the middle to fit the center tube of the pan. This cake is baked in an ungreased pan because greasing the pan would keep the batter from rising and gripping the sides of the pan as the cake bakes.

Sift the flour twice, then again with baking powder. Add 1 ¼ cups of sugar and ¾ tsp. salt. Whisk them to combine. Put it in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Set it at the side.

In another bowl, mix the water, 6 egg yolks, lemon zest, oil and vanilla seeds. Whisk until well combined.

Place the egg whites in the grease free bowl of an electric mixer or in a large grease free bowl. Using the wire whip attachment or a hand held mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed until they are frothy. Add the cream of tartar. Slowly sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue whipping until the egg whites hold glossy and firm but not stiff, peaks, about 5-6 minutes.

Add the water + oil + egg yolk + lemon zest mixture in to your dry mix. Using a rubber spatula, stir together until thoroughly combined.

Fold the egg whites into the cake batter in 3 to 4 stages, blending thoroughly after each addition. Transfer the batter to the tube pan. Use the rubber spatula to smooth and even the top.


Bake for 45 min-1 hour, or until the cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and invert it over a thin necked bottle. Let the cake hang to cool completely. Don't set the pan on a cooling rack on its base. This will cause the cake to collapse onto itself.Don't shake the cake out of the pan before it is cool. Once the cake is cool, use a thin blade knife or flexible blade spatula to run across the outer edge and the inside tube to help release the cake from the pan. Turn the cake onto a rack or onto a large plate to decorate.

I cut the cake in half and used fresh strawberries and cream cheese filling in the middle and made egg white frosting colored in pink to decorate.