Dual Coffee Chiffon Cake

Making chiffon cakes are always one of my greatest enjoyments in the kitchen, as I love to experiment it with different ingredients. Usually after putting the batter in the oven I would be waiting excitedly for the cake to be baked and cool to room temperature before cutting. Personally I love the soft and fuffy texture of these chiffon cakes that always make me go for second helping during tea time.

All along mum has being curious about chiffon cake making and she always wanted to have a hands on session with me so that at least she has some ideas in mind on how to work out the batter and unmould the chiffon cake when it is cooled. So after searching around the kitchen pantry for the necessary ingredients, we decided to make a “Coffee Chiffon Cake” which we could share with our cell-group members.

This coffee chiffon cake used the mixture of instant coffee and Kahlua to bring out that fantastic aroma which filled up the whole kitchen during baking. Here are some of the ingredients and steps for making this Dual Coffee Chiffon Cake.

Ingredients: (for 7" tube pan)
3 Large Egg Yolks
30g Caster Sugar
40ml Corn Oil/Vegetable Oil
2 1/2 Tablespoons of Instant Coffee
45ml Water
1 Tablespoon of Kahlua(coffee liquor)
80g Cake Flour
4 Large Egg Whites
50g Sugar
2 Tablespoon Almond Flakes, optional

Note:-
~ I use the granulated coffee from Robert Timms.




Method:
1. Combine the instant coffee, water and kahlua together and mix well. Set aside.
2. Using a balloon whisk to beat the egg yolks with 30g sugar till well combined before adding the oil.
3. Next slowly whisk in the sieved flour and coffee mixture in alternate sequence into the egg mixture till no trace of flour is found.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degree.
5. Beat egg whites and 1/3 of the 50g caster sugar with an electric mixer until mixture becomes frothy and foamy.
6. Add in another 1/3 of the sugar and continue to beat on medium speed until almost soft peaks form then add in the last 1/3 of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. (the whole process takes about less than 5 minutes)
7. Use a balloon whisk to whisk in the stiff egg white into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, with the 1st addition to incorporate the whites into the yolk mixture till combined leaving no trace of whites.
8. Next add in the 2nd and 3rd addition of whites using the balloon whisk in a gentle manner in order not to knock off the air in the whites, just fold till no trace of whites and the mixture are well combined.
9. Lastly lift up the bowl to height, pour the mixture into the tube pan and tap the pan once or twice on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
10. Scatter some almond flakes on top of the batter, bake the cake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or when the surfaces turns golden brown. (you can insert a skewer into the centre and test if it comes out clean)
11. Remove it from the oven and invert the pan immediately to let it rest on top of a cup. Make sure it cool completely before unmould.
12. To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife(i use a small rubber saptula) around the inside of the pan and the center core.
13. Release the cake and run the knife/spatula along the base of the pan to remove the cake.
14. Cut into serving size and serve with a cup of tea or coffee

Finally after the baking and cooling, this is my mum’s 1st chiffon cake which is well received by our cell group members. So I guess since my mum can get the texture of her first chiffon cake correct I am sure those of you who are keen to bake a chiffon cake would also be able to success in your baking too. Perhaps some hands on or visual guiding would be of great help too!

Remember for those who has not submitted your post to "Aspiring Bakers #1: Chiffon Cakes (Nov 2010)", you can click HERE for more detail. Closing date is 30 November 2010.