Mixed Berry Chiffon Cake
My mother is quite a persnickety cake eater. She’d rather have an apple pie or a vanilla soufflé than a piece of “tough and overly-sweetened cake” for her birthday. I almost gave up on the cake idea when she told me that she doesn’t want anything with chocolate or buttercream frosting. ”What respectable birthday cake doesn’t have chocolate or frosting?” I screamed.
After much research, I found this cake, which is light and airy without sacrificing the glamour of a layered cake. A chiffon cake incorporates lots of egg whites in its batter. The cake is fluffy like an angel food cake, but rich and flavorful like a shortcake.
Unlike traditional buttercream icing that tends to be a bit heavy, the simple whipped cream is the perfect accompaniment. The original recipe used only strawberries, but I added my mom’s favorite blueberries and raspberries. You can use whatever you have on hand. I suspect some sliced up kiwi will work great here too.
I mentioned a few days ago that I am going on a big trip. Well, I am actually leaving tomorrow to visit my birthplace, Taiwan, for the first time in 10 years. I will be visiting my younger cousins who are now grown men, going to beaches that I played on as a baby and of course, eating as much authentic Chinese food as I can.
Nick has to stay behind to work and look after the dog, the chinchillas, the chicken and the fish. I’ve been cooking and freezing all sorts of things including Lena’s potato gnocchi and a spinach version of this lasagna, so he doesn’t starve in the month that I will be gone.
Thanks to the Internet, I will be able to update this blog during my time in Taiwan. I will be out of touch for a few days, going a 15-hour plane ride and recovering from jet-lag. But check back soon for my adventures abroad and for some recipes that I’ve been saving up to share.
See you soon!
Mixed Berry Chiffon Shortcake
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking
Cake Layers
- Cake flour, 2 1/4 cups, sifted
- Sugar, 1 1/2 cups, divided
- Baking powder, 1 tablespoon
- Salt, 1 teaspoon
- Cold water, 3/4 cup
- Vegetable oil, 1/2 cup
- Lemon zest, 1 teaspoon
- Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
- Egg yolks, 5 large, at room temperature
- Egg whites, 8 large, at room temperature
- Cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon
Filling
- Heavy cream, 2 cups
- Confectioner’s sugar, 6 tablespoons
- Vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon
- Strawberries, 1 quart, hulled and sliced
- Blueberries, 1 pint
- Raspberries, 1 pint
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease tw0 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking power and salt together into a large bowl.
In another bowl, beat the yolks, water, oil, lemon zest and vanilla until smooth. Stir into the flour mixture until smooth.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and beat on high speed until the peaks are stiff.
Use a rubber spatula and fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture in small portions. Do so gently until the egg whites are no longer visible. Don’t over mix as the egg whites will deflate and yield a denser cake.
Scrap the batter into the prepared cake pans and spread evenly. Bake them until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cakes cook on a cooling rack for at least an hour. When completely cool, run a knife around the sides to release, then flip out onto a plate.
Beat heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a clean mixing bowl until it holds stiff peaks.
Split each cake layer in half, leaving you with four cake layers. Put the first layer on your cake stand. Spread a quarter of the whipped cream onto the surface of the cake and spread it evenly to the edges with an offset spatula. Arrange a quarter of the berries on top of the whipped cream. Repeat with the rest of the cake layers.
The cake can be refrigerated for a few hours before eating.
Serves 8.