Chiffon Cake

            As I sat reading the through the hundreds of recipes, I finally decided on one I still hear about all these years later. I thought a chiffon cake could have been a tricky first recipe to tackle, but my roommates aren’t ones to complain about any baked goods in the house. I was so nervous to get started that I forgot a few key ingredients, which called for a few trips to the grocery store. I finally had everything (or so I thought) to begin my first recreation.

Being a college student, lacking essentials such as a tube pan and a sifter, I made due with a bundt pan and make-shift sifter out of a disposable cake pan. Many years ago, I learned the hard way that not sifting the flour makes a huge difference.

My first recreation, The Chiffon Cake.

Ingredients:

8 eggs separated into yolks and whites

¾ cups of scalding hot milk

½ tsp of cream of tartar

1 ½ cups of sugar

2 cups of sifted flour

½ tsp of salt

3 ½ tsp baking powder

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp lemon juice

Directions for Chiffon Cake:

Step 1: Blend together and then cool ¾ cups of scalding hot milk and 8 egg yolks, slightly beaten. Then set them aside. (Add the milk slowly and keep beating the eggs to avoid cooking the egg yolks.)

Step 2: Measure into a bowl, 8 egg whites, ½ tsp cream of tartar, beat until very stiff and dry.

I never worked with cream of tartar; what is cream of tartar anyway?  I don’t think I beat the egg whites and cream of tartar enough, especially because I didn’t know egg whites could be stiff and dry! So my tip to you is to beat the egg whites until you have the peaks, but don't over beat!

Step 3: Measure into a bowl 1½ cups sugar, 2 cups of sifted flour, ½ tsp of salt, 3 ½ tsp baking powder.

Step 4: Make a well in flour and rest of dry ingredients and add ½ cup of vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp lemon juice.

Step 5: Add egg mixture and mix until smooth.

Step 6: Pour batter over egg whites. Mix by folding gently until blended.

Step 7: Bake in a greased tube pan on 325° for 55 min., then 350° for 10 min.







Step 8: Remove from oven and hang cake until cool.

Since I had no idea what hanging a cake meant and didn't use a tube pan, I searched the cabinets for a bottle that would fit well enough to hang the cake! Miraculously, it looked great!

Finally my first recreation was complete. Although I don't think the cake incorporated Mom-Mom's magic, I think I made a great first attempt. However, I think this journey is going to be a lot more difficult, and a lot more than just my love for baking.