Guilt-free Chocolate Chiffon Cake 朱古力雪纺蛋糕

This chocolate chiffon cake has been rated the best in my household for a chiffon cake. Light and full of chocolate flavor, this cake can be served plain or with chocolate ganache glaze or whipped cream. Chiffon cake is often preferred over other buttery cakes because it is free of animal fat and therefore much healthier. Whatever way, it is good as a dessert or an afternoon snack.

Makes a 9 inch round cake in a two-piece tube pan.

Ingredients:

45g unsweetened cocoa powder
159g boiling water
6 large eggs, separated
157 sifted cake flour
260g sugar (I cut this down a bit, originally 315g)

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

96g vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1tsp cream of tartar

1)  Combine cocoa powder and boiling water. Whisk until smooth. Let it cool to room temperature.
2)  Preheat oven to 325⁰F.
3)  Separate the egg whites and yolks.
4)  In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, all but 2 tbsp of sugar, baking soda and salt together. Add the oil, yolks, chocolate mixture and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

5)  Beat egg white in a clean bowl until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.
6)  Add the 2 tbsp sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

7)  Fold about 1 cup of white to the egg mixture to lighten.

8)  In about 3 additions, fold the egg mixture to the white. Fold gently after each addition until no white is seen.

9)  Pour onto an ungreased tube pan and bake at 325⁰F for about an hour.

10)  Invert the pan and cool the cake completely.

Recipe adapted from The Cake Bible

Notes:

1)  Baking soda is added to neutralize the slight acidity of the cocoa powder. If Dutch process cocoa powder is used, use 2 tsp baking powder instead of baking soda.

2)  Do not grease or butter the pan. The batter needs to "climb" the pan as it is baked and expanded.

3)  Inverting the pan to ensures that the cake does not collapse when you take it out of the oven.