Orange Chiffon Cake

Chiffon cakes are light and fluffy due to the incorporation of whipped egg whites into the batter. The creation of this recipe is credited to Harry Baker, a Californian who sold his secret recipe to General Mills in the early half of the 20th century. While delicious on its own, this dessert also pairs well with a whipped cream frosting or vanilla buttercream.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

½ cup vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups sugar

zest of one medium orange

1 tablespoon baking powder

pinch of salt

6 eggs, separated

¾ cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the whipped cream:

3 cups heavy cream

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottoms of two 9 inch cake pans with the parchment paper.

2. Add the orange zest into 1 cup of sugar. Mix thoroughly with a whisk, incorporating the citrus flavor into the sugar. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the remaining ½ cup of sugar and continue to beat until peaks form. Set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, beat together egg yolks, oil, milk, and vanilla with an electric mixer for several minutes. Incorporate the flour mixture and incorporate with the electric mixer.

5. Fold the flour batter into the egg whites carefully.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. With an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla together until thick and stiff peaks form.

8. When the cakes have cooled, stack and decorated as desired with the vanilla cream.