Pure Vanilla Chiffon Cake 香草戚风

I have been wanting to make a basic chiffon cake using pure vanilla bean and same time can try out a new chiffon pan (a slim and tall chiffon tube pan ) that I bought since last year. I "die die" also baked two mini vanilla chiffon yesterday, even I was very busy, hehehe..Also in this post, I am also sharing the basic techniques (even I am not that expert ^__^) on how to handle chiffon making for benefiting to new home bakers..

A chiffon using pure vanilla bean is so fragrance and nice!!



Lets see my new tall and slim chiffon tube pan, it is taller than the usual heart shape chiffon tube pan and normal chiffon tube pan 

I am sure you can bake a nice chiffon cake if you are using a right chiffon pan, there must be a tube or insert at the center of the pan in order for the cake to climb up !! and a NOT non-stick pan..

Lets see the steps on how to make a basic chiffon cake. If you can get Top flour ( High ratio flour and the lightest flour ), use this flour instead of normal cake flour, you can have a very light and fluffy chiffon.

Pure Vanilla Chiffon

(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)
*makes 2 x 6” chiffon

 To infuse vanilla bean in water (if you are not using vanilla bean, skip this step)

1 vanilla bean

150g water

Method

1. To split vanilla bean lengthwise and scraped the seeds and put into a saucepan.

2. Add in the bean and water, boil for 5mins, set aside to cool for 1hour.

3. Drain the bean and retain vanilla water

To make Vanilla Chiffon
(using hand whisk method)

5 egg yolks

20g sugar
90g vanilla water (or 85g water + 1tsp vanilla extract)
70g corn oil
125g Top flour (high ratio flour) or cake flour

5 egg whites

90g sugar
1tsp lemon juices or 1/2tsp cream of Tartar

Method

1. Prepare two NOT non-stick chiffon tube pans.

2. Immediately separate cold eggs after taken them out from the refrigerator (cold eggs separate more easily) into two mixing bowls (No oil and no water in these bowls, clean and dry bowls) . Set aside and allow them return to room temperature.

3. Add in sugar into egg yolks, immediately lightly whisk the egg yolks and sugar till light (Try to whisk immediately once sugar is added into egg yolks, egg will cover the sugar and turned hard if sit there for too long).

4. Add in corn oil, mix well. Then add in vanilla water, stir well to combine.

5. Sift in flour, stir till well combine.

6. Whisk egg whites and lemon juices or cream of tartar till foamy, gradually add in sugar in there batches and continue beat until soft peak formed (takes about 4-5mins using speed 3 at a hand mixer)

7.Take 1/3 of meringue and use a hand whisk to mix well and lighten the egg yolk batter (Do not worry you will deflate the batter at this stage )

8. Now change hand whisk to a silicone spatula, fold in 1/3 of meringue, gently fold with egg yolk batter till slightly combined. Fold in the balance meringue and gently fold till well combined.

9. Pour cake batter into chiffon tins, wipe off those excess batter stick on the tube or insert area. Fill batter about 80% full but not fill too full as cake has no space to rise while baking and resulted cake shrink a lot). Tap pan on the counter top to remove air trapped inside the batter.
Bake at pre-heated oven at 160c (fan-forced) for 40-45mins at middle to low rack.

10.Once baked, turn your chiffon tin upside down and cool completely before remove from the tin.

11. Chiffon cake is ready to unmould. You can use a plastic thin spatula to run the pan and unmould the chiffon or you can unmould using bare hands method if you have master this skill.

See how tall is this chiffon when compare with normal chiffon.



Two lovely knitted dolly made by my SIL , Thanks Annie!!

Less guilty eating this light and fluffy chiffon, no butter and no cream ^_^

Next time, I will share with you how to bake a chiffon using a pan that has no tube or insert, but you still able to get a perfect chiffon..