Marble Chiffon Cake

Here's the other Chiffon Cake I did on Sunday - Marble Chiffon Cake which is a mixture of vanilla & chocolate chiffon. This time round, I folded in the egg white icing gently with patience making sure it's well blended without small lumps of egg white still 'floating' inside the batter, yet not too much to burst the air bubbles.

This round, the end result was rather pleasing as the cake did not shrink after cooling. The texture is as fluffy & springy as I like it to be, the taste is very good too (though I prefer the refreshing fruity scent of the Grapefruit version). In fact, when I try it minutes ago, it still stays soft right out from the fridge with a nice cooling sensation ?!?! The only grumble I had was the marble effect which didn't show up contrasting enough - I was too anxious to pour the batter into the pan for baking & did not do a very good job of swirling the patterns ... ummmm (>_<)

Though the mixing of egg white poses a challenge to me and will continue to do so till I conquer thee, I will not give up exploring & experimenting more Chiffon recipes & improve on my baking (which is still very much at amateur level). (^_^)

Marble Chiffon Cake
Ingredients (For a 20-com round chiffon tin)

100g egg yolks (I use about 5 yolks)
50g caster suagr (A)
80g vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
80g fresh milk
3g vanilla essence (I use 1 teaspoon)
10g rum
110g cake flour
2g baking powder (I use 1/2 teaspoon)
250g egg white (I use about 6 - 7 whites)
90g caster sugar (B)
2g salt (I use 1/2 teaspoon)
10g cocoa powder
40g hot water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degC. Sieve the flour & baking powder together, set aside.
2. Separate the egg yolks & egg white. Whisk the yolks & sugar (A) in a mixing bowl till it turns pale yellow in color.
3. Add oil, milk, vanilla essence & rum. Mix till combined.
4. Sieve in the flour mixture & whisk till the flour is fully incorporated into the batter.
5. In another dry, clean mixing bowl, add the salt into the egg white & whisk till foamy/frothy. Add in the sugar (B) over 2 separate additions & whisk the egg white till stiff peaks form.
6. Add 1/2 the egg white icing into the egg yolk batter. Fold the egg white in gently using a spatula. Then add in the remaining 1/2 portion of the egg white icing & repeat till just combined.
7. Dissolve the cocoa powder in the hot water. Add in a small portion of the cake batter & mix till well blended to form the cocoa batter.
8. Pour the cocoa batter into the vanilla batter & mix gently with a few strokes using the spatula. Pour the batter into the tube pan (do not grease the pan) & using a chopstick, swirl the batter to create a marble effect.
9. Bang the pan gently on a work surface to release large air bubbles trapped inside the batter. Bake for 30 - 40 mins till the top turns golden brown or a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Remove from oven & invert the pan immediately. Let cool completely before unmould.

Recipe from: 轻松学会做点心 by 吴美珠(台湾）

For those who would like to give Chiffon Cake a shot, here's some pointers I have gathered based on my own trial & errors. I would greatly appreciate if anyone (food bloggers, baking bloggers all are welcome) can share their comments & experiences. A big THANK YOU in advance!

1. Do not grease the pan. The batter needs to adhere to the wall of the cake pan so that it can 'crawl' up when baking. This is due to its relatively high liquid content.
2. If possible, use refrigerated egg whites & add salt / cream of tartar to the egg white when whisking. These will help to stabilise the egg white icing & lower the chance of 'bursting' the air bubbles in it required for the cake rise & 'bloom'.
3. If dried fruits, nuts or chocolate are being added to the batter, the amount should not be too heavy and/or the size of the fruit/nut/chip should not be too big. These may cause the cake to collaspe or the ingredients may settle at the bottom (as it's too heavy for the cake to support).
4. Do not overbeat the egg white icing.
5. Remember to invert the pan immediately & leave the cake to cool completely before unmould.
6. Use a palette knife to run through the sides, centre & bottom to unmould.

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)