Saturday, July 31, 2010

Just like Cotton Chiffon Cake

 Just like Cotton Chiffon Cake


I've got absolutely no story for this. None at al!! All I'm saying is, I saw this wonderful cake yesterday at Anh's wonderful blog, and decided there and then, that I would make it today. Now you'll be thinking that it's no big deal, but here in the YB kitchen, every baking experiment, every idea is well thought out and planned a few days ahead. So this was a pretty rare occurence. I'm rebelling! Savor it!


Just like Cotton Chiffon Cake


The pictures of were enough to entice me, and I always wanted to try making such a cake. I bought the ingredients yesterday, and made + devoured it today! It's just so wonderfully light, with a hint of lemon, it's just dreamy! As my lovely tasters said, it's like a gush of air in your mouth! You can literally gobble up the entire thing, and it will barely make a dent in your appetite! It's perfect to satisfy those cravings that occur when you're trying to lose weight, since there's not too much fat in it either!


So anyway, this is super easy to make, it took less than half an hour to prep, and it tastes wonderful. Usually you would serve this with some cream, or strawberries, or something, but I just loved gulping it down plain. And it doesn't induce gagging like some other light cakes do, particularly angel food cake, which I have yet to try and bake. The only difference between the two is that this one involves egg yolks, and is thus a richer, more interesting cake.


Just like Cotton Chiffon Cake
 Look how soft it is. I lightly pressed it, and it almost reduced to half its size!!!

Just like Cotton Chiffon CakeJust like Cotton Chiffon CakeJust like Cotton Chiffon Cake
You start off by making a roux. First, we boil sugar with milk and oil to dissolve it. Then, we add flour and whisk to form the roux, which is essentially a thick paste.



Just like Cotton Chiffon CakeJust like Cotton Chiffon Cake
While the roux cools down, separate the eggs and add the yolks and add them in to form a more batter-ish looking mixture. I added 6 eggs, because 3 of them were tiny!!



Just like Cotton Chiffon Cake
In a clean bowl, using the whisk attachment on your mixer, beat the eggs till glossy, and add the sugar about a spoon at a time, until you reach soft peaks as above. The cream of tartar stablizes and increases the volume of the egg whites, so it's good to use it, however you can skip it if you want.



Just like Cotton Chiffon CakeJust like Cotton Chiffon Cake
Mix in the first 1/3rd of the whites into the yolks mixture to lighten it all, and then gently fold in the rest. Now your batter is ready to be poured into your chosen pans and baked for 35 minutes.


Just like Cotton Chiffon Cake
If you're using a tube pan, you can invert it, otherwise you can improvise, like I did.




P.S - And in other news, I topped my college in my final semester! Yes, that is big news, very big news actually, but I'm playing it down because a few friends didn't score too well. But you can congratulate me here, that'll make me feel great ;)


Just like Cotton Chiffon Cake


Note : All the ingredients were originally given in weights, I've converted them to volume measurements as best I could, but I highly suggest getting yourself a nice weighing scale and following the weights, not just for this recipe, but for all your baking endeavours.




55 g [1/4 cup] fresh milk
50 g [1/4 cup] vegetable oil
40 g [3 tbsp] sugar
60 g [1/2 cup - 2 tbsp] plain flour
5 egg yolks
1 tbsp vanilla extract / one vanilla bean
Zest of 2 whole lemons - Feel free to experiment with flavours, but remember, this a light cake, keep your flavourings light too!
5 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar, optional
60 g [4 1/2 tbsp] sugar


Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 160 C [320 F]. Lay out an ungreased tube pan, or any other greased pans you choose to use. [I used a simple small bundt pan, and poured the leftover into cupcake moulds, yours will fit in a normal sized bundt, don't worry]
  2. In a large saucepan, mix together the milk, oil and sugar, and bring to a soft boil, until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Immediately dump in the flour and stir constantly until it forms a soft paste, i.e a roux.
  4. While the flour mixture is coming down to room temperature, separate your eggs, and then add the yolks into the mixture, stirring well to incorporate. Mix in the vanilla and the lemon zest.
  5. In a clean bowl, using the whisk, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar [if using] until they are glossy. Add the sugar in 5-6 additions, whisking well between each addition. You want to achieve nice soft peaks.
  6. Mix1/3rd of the whites into the yolks mixture, to lighten the yolks.
  7. Gently fold in the remaining 2/3rd of the whites, taking care not to deflate. Pour into prepared pans, filling no more than halfway. 
  8. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and cool upside down, if possible. The cake might collapse just a little bit, but that's ok.
  9. Serve with cream and berries, or even plain.




Just like Cotton Chiffon Cake
Doesn't that look heavenly? Make it, it hardly takes any time, and a major plus is, not too much fat.

This post is submitted to My Baking Addiction's round-up. Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Beanilla.
 

39 comments:

  1. very very spectacular and looks light like a cloud. Am trying it soon :)

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  2. Sometimes it's fun to live in the moment, especially when it comes to baking. :D These look so fluffy and delicious...like sweet little clouds of happiness!

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  3. Congrats on topping the college gal...way to go...You need real celebration..cake looks lovely

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  4. Congrats on your study! Woohooo! :D

    And thanks for experimenting with this cake. It is indeed a fantastic cake - I have so many people loving it ;)

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  5. Ah..I love simple cakes and these look just like cotton candies..soft and melt in the mouth!!Congrats on topping your college..a fine achievement indeed!!

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  6. Congrats! :) I know how that feels! It sure is an achievement. I've been trying hard now in college too but the best I could get is Top 10. Haha. Still 1 year to go. I'll work harder. Haha.

    Btw, your chiffon cake looks AWESOME. My previous 2 attempts have failed. *They didn't really rise* I'll give your recipe a try next time. ;)

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  7. Congratulations, topper!

    I've never baked a chiffon cake and you are totally tempting me now. Are those Arife cupcake moulds I spot there ;)

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  8. Congrats! What a fabulous texture. Delicious!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  9. the chiffon cake looks amazing! wow! YUM. i must bake one up soon :)

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  10. I have never made a chiffon cake, but it looks so light and fluffy, I just a piece!!!! Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe!

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  11. I love chiffon cake and this looks so good!!! Book marked! Thanks for sharing :)

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  12. Congratulations Avanika! Way to go.
    And this cake looks light beyond belief. Did you find it "eggy"?
    Btw, any idea where can you get good kitchen scales in Mumbai? Thanks.

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  13. I saw Anh's recipe too and thought that it looked divine! :D

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  14. Natalie - Thank you! Waiting to hear how you liked it!

    Valerie - Yup, the fun is in doing the unusual :)

    Debug - Thanks so much! I celebrated :D

    Anh - It's such a wonderful creation, everybody is sure to love it :)

    Divya Kudua - Thank you <3 It was almost like cotton candy!

    Nuraini - Hehehe it's an awesome feeling. Especially when I didn't really bother with studying in the 3 years, the expressions on my classmate's faces was priceless!!

    Simran - Thanks, hun! Yup, Arife moulds. Super handy when I have leftover batter!

    Rosa - Thanks!!!

    Gigi - Oh please do!

    Dennis - Glad to. You'll be pleased :)

    Ellie - Thank you!! You absolutely must try it out!

    Aparna - Thanks <3 <3 It wasn't at all eggy, which is surprising. I have a friend who's super sensitive to the egg taste, passed his test :)
    I'll send you a mail soon, about the stores.

    Lorraine - It did. It was like those pictures hypnotized me!

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  15. Super serious congratulations!!!!!! Topping college is no joke... n that to along with keeping ure hobby going....

    u're brilliant....

    Cheers,
    The Variable, Crazy Over Desserts - Nachiketa
    Catch me on facebook @ Crazy Over Desserts

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  16. OMG..it looks seriously good. Cotton like for sure.!

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  17. wow!! look how fluffy and great that cake looks!

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  18. Avanika, Congratulations on topping yr college!! Great achievement indeed!

    The cake looks super moist and super yummy!

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  19. I could almost feel how light and fluffy this cake would be! Amazing!!! They are absolutely gorgeous!

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  20. COngrats on being the topper.. way to go girl!

    Love cakes with such textures...

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  21. This looks like a wonderful recipe... :)

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  22. This cake looks delicious. Perfect for my family who doesn't really care for frosted cakes. Thanks.

    Plan B

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  23. Love those cupcakes. That cake does look nice and light!

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  24. Oh my, what a gorgeous looking cake! So light and delicate!

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  25. Congrats on topping! this cake is exactly what i would be going for! am all for light cakes but somehow never really succeeded.. should try this recipe someday! :)

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  26. Nachiketa - Now you're just flattering me. ;)

    S - But not cotton like in taste, that's for sure!

    Jaime - Just imagine how it would taste ;P

    Aparna S Mallya - Thanks so much <3

    Teanna - Thank you hun!! :)

    Rachel - This is a first for me, baking such a cake, but I'm hooked!!

    Jannett - Thanks!

    Chef Bee - My family is the same. Dad actually requested something like this, that's why I made it!

    Katrina - The cupcakes were super cute :)

    Tracy - Thank you!!

    myovenandme - Thanks soo much!! And trust me, don't put this one off!

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  27. that looks so good! As you know, I'm all over a good chiffon recipe! I like how they're so soft looking. Yum!

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  28. Hi, just found your blog and saw this recipe and had to comment! It looks amazing to say the least!! I will definitely be trying this, thanks for sharing the recipe. By the way love your blog. I'm from India too :-)

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  29. Wow the texture of that looks amazing. I always loved Asian chiffon cakes. Great job on these!

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  30. I have got to try this cake! You completely sold me on it!

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  31. Amanda - Thanks :)

    Cakebrain - Oh you are like the authority on these. Getting your approval on this means it's the best, for sure!

    Mariya - Welcome to the blog. Thanks for your kind words <3

    Xiaolu - The texture really was amazing. Thanks!

    Sweet Sins - That's what I'm here to do :)

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  32. Hi! So I tried to make this two days ago and it turned out really dense and compressed, any idea as to what I did wrong? It still tasted good but the whole point is that light airy texture. :-)

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  33. Oh no! How about you tell me exactly what you did, and maybe we can find what went wrong?

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  34. okay I'll e-mail you instead of typing it out on here.

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  35. My last post was an orange chiffon cake (check it out). I love yours! How cool is that? Making a roux! I HAVE to try that.

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  36. Congrats on topping the semester :) and the cake looks absly yumsilicious!!!

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  37. Made this the past weekend for the Secret Recipe Club, it was delish! Half of it collapsed (uneven oven temperature?) but it was very good all the same :D

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  38. Looks absolutely delightful! I try it soon! :)

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