Grapefruit Chiffon Cake

As mentioned in a separate post here, I did 2 types of Chiffon Cake today, one of which is the Grapefruit Chiffon Cake. I decided on baking Chiffon Cake as I wanted to have something that's light & healthier. As I flipped through the pages, this recipe caught my eye - Wonder why I didn't notice it before? Not only is it a Chiffon recipe, it uses Grapefruit - A fruit bursting with nutrients & one a woman on diet cannot leave without. (^.^)

Grapefruit Chiffon Cake w/ Cranberries


Served w/ fresh grapefruit segments on the side

Little did I know that Grapefruit is actually a new member to the citrus family, derived from a natural cross-breed of orange & pomelo. No wonder I've always feel that it tastes rather similar to its bigger brother - Pomelo. And how did it get its name? Cos it grows in clusters like grapes (just as I guess so). (Source: http://www.juicing-for-health.com/health-benefits-of-grapefruit.html)

Chiffon Cake has always been popular, providing an alternative compared to dense & rich cakes. It uses liquid fats (vegetable oil) instead of butter & more liquid (water, milk or juices) in the batter thus resulting in a light & springy texture. I hardly bake Chiffon & till now, the mixing of egg white into the batter still poses a great challenge for me. If the egg white is not mix well & thorough, it will result in large pocket holes. But if it's mix too long, too much air might be released from the egg white, possibly causing the cake to collaspe .... Gggrrrr (-_-!)

Mine did shrink & the cake as a whole was too ugly to be seen so I sliced it up before taking the pics. I also added dried cranberries but somehow , it all sink to the bottom ... I concluded the egg white fellow is causing trouble again (>_<)

Nevertheless, the smell is fantastic & the taste is really really good. The grapefuit I bought was surprisingly sweet & it was totally refreshing when I had the fresh Grapefruit segments to go along with the Chiffon Cake. This is definitely one of the recipes I'm gonna keep & try again.

Grapefruit Chiffon Cake
Ingredients (For a 20-cm round chiffon tin)

5 egg yolks
130g caster sugar
1g salt (I use 1/4 teaspoon)
100cc vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
120cc grapefruit juice (from 1 grapefruit)
Zest from 1 grapefruit
130g cake flour
2/3 teaspoon baking powder
6 egg white
20-30g dried cranberries, coarsely shopped (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degC. Sieve the flour & baking powder together for 2 - 3 times, set aside.
2. Separate the egg yolks & white. Use an electric mixer to whisk the egg yolks, salt & 1/2 amount of the sugar in a mixing bowl till the batter turns thick & pale yellow in color.
3. Add in oil gradually & mix well, followed by the grapefruit juice & zest. Whisk till combined.
4. Sieve the flour mixture over & whisk till flour is fully incorporated into the batter. Add in the cranberries now, if using & mix well.
5. In a clean dry mixing bowl, whisk the egg white till frothy & foamy. Add in the remaining 1/2 amount of sugar in 2 separate additions & beat on high speed till stiff peaks form.
6. Add 1/3 of the egg white icing to the egg yolk batter. Mix well with a whisk.
7. Add in another 1/3 of the egg white icing to the egg yolk batter. Now using a spatula, fold the egg white gently into the batter till just blended (traces of edd white can still be seen).
8. Fold on the remaining 1/3 egg white icing & fold in gently with the spatula till blended (traces of egg white disappear).
9. Pour the batter into the chiffon tube pan (do not grease the pan) & bang the pan gently on a work surface 2 - 3 times to get rid of the large air bubbles trapped inside the batter.
10. Bake for 30 - 40 mins till the top turns golden brown & a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
11. Remove from oven & invert the pan immediately. Let cool completely before unmould (runs a palette knife along the side, the centre & the bottom to unmould).

Recipe from: 送礼西点DIY by 加藤千惠(日本)