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Recipe Detail Page
Lemon Chiffon Birthday Cake
Early Summer 2002
Almost a cross between a sponge cake and an angel food cake, chiffon cakes are a North American tradition. They are typically baked in tube pans, then split and filled. We bake ours in a springform pan and frost it with lemon filling.
Lemon Cake
2 cups (500 mL) flour
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
7 eggs
1/2 cup (125 mL) water
1/4 cup (50 mL) lemon juice
1/2 cup (125 mL) canola oil
2 tsp (10 mL) grated lemon rind
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cream of tartar
3 cups (750 mL) lemon filling and frosting (recipe follows)
Chocolate Curls
8 oz (250 g) white chocolate
1. Butter and flour a 10-inch (25-cm) springform.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Sift together flour, 1 cup (250 mL) sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar for egg whites.
3. Separate eggs, placing yolks in one bowl and whites in a larger bowl. Whisk water, lemon juice, oil, grated lemon rind and vanilla into egg yolks. Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture.
4. With an electric mixer, whisk egg whites until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar. Slowly whisk in remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Take a large spoonful of egg whites and stir into flour mixture. Fold in remaining whites.
5. Place batter in cake pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake is golden on top, springs back when touched and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in cake pan (it will shrink) then remove. Carefully cut into 3 layers with a serrated knife.
6. Spread a thin layer of lemon filling on each layer. Frost the top with more filling and smooth onto sides. Chill cake to harden lemon mixture.
7. Shave white chocolate all over top of cake.
Lemon Filling and Frosting
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter
2 tbsp (25 mL) grated lemon rind
1/4 cup (50 mL) lemon juice
7 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream
1. Mix sugar, butter, lemon rind and juice and eggs in a heavy pot. Stir gently over low heat until mixture is thick and coats the back of the spoon, about 10 to 15 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil or it will curdle.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Whisk cream in a medium bowl until it holds its shape. Stir a large spoonful into curd to soften mixture. Fold in remaining cream. Refrigerate until needed.
