Custard chiffon cake

My mother Yolan Frank was a Hungarian holocaust survivor who settled in Perth. She became the chiffon queen of her community selling out at every charity bake sale.

Credit: Adam Liaw

• serves

  12

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

I grew up sitting on the laminate benchtop of my parent’s humble kitchen, eating slices of her ‘yellow cake’ and absorbing her amazing baking skills by osmosis. It’s hard to believe this cake has become the poster child of Monday Morning Cooking Club. You’ll need a high-sided angel cake (chiffon) tin that is not non-stick, has a centre funnel and removable base.

Ingredients

• 180 g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 35 g (¼ cup) custard powder
• 6 eggs, separated
• 345 g (1½ cups) caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) neutral oil
• 170 ml (⅔ cup) warm water
• icing sugar, to serve

Cooling time: 2-3 hours

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Before starting the cake, find a bottle that will fit into the top of the cake funnel – you will need to use this as soon as the cake comes out of the oven. Don’t grease the tin.
2. Sift the flour, cream of tartar and custard powder together 3 times to ensure they’re fully combined.
3. Using an electric stand mixer, beat the egg yolks with 230 g (1 cup) of the sugar until thick and pale, then add the vanilla. Pour the oil and warm water into a jug. With the motor on low speed, add the flour mixture and the oil and water at the same time, beating well until you have a smooth batter.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue to whisk until the egg whites are stiff but not dry. Very carefully fold the egg whites into the batter with a metal spoon or silicone spatula until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the cake tin. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
5. After removing the cake from the oven, insert the bottle neck into the funnel and immediately invert the bottle and the tin in one movement so the tin is balancing on the neck of the bottle (the cake will be dangling upside down). It is important for the cake to be inverted and suspended upside down until it is completely cool to stop it from collapsing.
6. When cool, turn the tin right side up and run a knife around the outside of the cake and the funnel. Holding the funnel, lift the base out of the tin, then use the knife to cut the cake off the base. Invert onto a lightweight plate, remove the funnel piece, and then invert once again onto your serving plate. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

I grew up sitting on the laminate benchtop of my parent’s humble kitchen, eating slices of her ‘yellow cake’ and absorbing her amazing baking skills by osmosis. It’s hard to believe this cake has become the poster child of Monday Morning Cooking Club. You’ll need a high-sided angel cake (chiffon) tin that is not non-stick, has a centre funnel and removable base.