Raspberry Chiffon Cake

When was the last time you had a chiffon cake…..like maybe never.  And I know right now you are saying to yourself, ” what is a chiffon cake.”  I am here to tell you it is a little piece of cake heaven.  Think soft, billowing clouds that look light and airy, well that is what you get with a chiffon cake. No heavy, dense layers of cake; chiffon cakes are moist and light in texture.  This Raspberry Chiffon cake is sure to make an impression for your next dessert and soon you will be referring to yourself as a cake goddess for knowing how to make this classic cake.

I have been thinking about making this cake for a long time, and knew I wanted to add fresh fruit, but kept thinking I should change my plans. So this is the deal, adding heavy items to a chiffon cake is not always the best idea because the fruit will be too heavy for this delicate cake.  But, I did it anyway and loved the result.  Here is my secret, I froze the raspberries and then broke them up into very small pieces and added them to the batter.  I know you are asking, did the raspberries sink to the bottom of the cake pan while baking? As a matter of fact most of the raspberries did sink to the bottom. The moral of this story is….just do your own thing. Experiment and have fun baking.

This cake is a two step process, but don’t fret, it comes together quickly.

Let’s get started baking ~

First you want to get your raspberries frozen ahead of time so you can break them up into tiny pieces. If you want a tasty treat try one of these frozen raspberries. They are like little frozen Popsicle’s.

In a large bowl combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; whisk together. Whisk in the egg yolk and two whole eggs along with the water, oil and the two extracts until you have a nice smooth batter. Now add your frozen raspberry pieces and mix into the batter. Looks pretty doesn’t it?

In another bowl add the egg whites and beat to a foamy consistency, then add the cream of tarter. Now beat the egg whites to a very stiff peak to an almost dry state which can take up to 10 minutes.  Really, it does take a while.

Slowly pour the egg whites into the batter and fold in until the whites are complete incorporated.

Here you have some options on how you want to pan your cake.  I went the traditional route and used the tube pan, but feel free to put your cake into 9″ round cake pans. Please don’t grease the tube pan or your cake with not rise.

Put you lovely cake into a 325 degree oven for about an hour.  Test for doneness then remove and if using a tube pan turn it upside down to cool.

Prepare the glaze for the cake by mixing the powdered sugar, butter and lemon juice together until combined; then add in the remaining raspberry pieces.  Drizzle the glaze over the cake so it drips down the side.  Garnish with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

Not only is this a pretty cake but it is truly delicious.

We tend to have dessert in the afternoon and paired our slices of Raspberry Chiffon Cake with a hot Earl Grey tea.

 

Now you know what a chiffon cake is I hope you try my recipe.  Let me know how it turns out. Coming up next, I think I will be making a chocolate chiffon cake. I hope you check back in to One Hot Oven for the recipe.

Blessings ~ Jere’