Julie Clark
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Orange Chiffon Cake
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Light as a cloud and surprisingly simple to make, this Classic Orange Chiffon Cake will deliver the ultimate ‘wow-factor’ dessert for your next family gathering.
This Orange Chiffon Cake is incredibly moist thanks to the oil-based batter, but it stays light and airy because of the whipped egg whites folded in at the end (which is the same method as our popular almond cream cake). We use both fresh orange zest and a sweet citrus glaze for orange flavor in every bite.
Don’t be intimidated by the tube pan or the “upside-down” cooling method (it cools like an angel food cake)! We’re breaking down the simple steps to ensure your cake doesn’t ever falling flat.
The One Rule You Can Never Break When Making This Fluffy Orange Cake
For most cake recipes like pineapple upside down cake and brown sugar pound cake, a key step is to grease the pan. After all, you don’t want your delicious homemade cake stuck to the pan!
But if you’re tempted to reach for the cooking spray before pouring in the batter for this orange chiffon cake, stop right there. The one rule you can never break with this fluffy orange cake is that you must use a completely ungreased tube pan.
While it feels counterintuitive to every other baking lesson, this delicate cake actually needs to “climb” the walls of the pan to reach its tall, airy height. If the sides are greased, the batter will slip, resulting in a dense, flat cake. By leaving the pan dry, the cake clings to the metal as it rises and stays attached while cooling upside down.
Love orange? Try our cranberry orange cake, orange rolls, orange cranberry bread, orange pound cake, cranberry orange muffins and our vintage broken glass jello.
Enjoy! -Julie
Homemade Orange Chiffon Cake
Light, fluffy, orange chiffon cake made with fresh oranges. Make a simple powdered sugar glaze to top the cake for a simply gorgeous dessert recipe.
Servings 12
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 7 large eggs separated & at room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 teaspoons grated orange peel
- 2 teaspoons orange extract or vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º Fahrenheit. Have an ungreased tube pan set aside for baking.
- Separate the eggs, putting the egg yolks in one bowl and egg whites in another. Set aside. 7 large eggs
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- In another bowl, mix together the egg YOLKS, water, oil, orange zest and extract. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. ¾ cup water, ½ cup vegetable oil, 4 teaspoons grated orange peel, 2 teaspoons orange extract
- Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat until you get stiff peaks. (This took about 4 minutes in a stand mixer.) Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg white mixture into the batter until combined, ensuring you get the sides and the bottom of the bowl for an even consistency. Batter will be very light and fluffy. ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Pour into an ungreased tube pan (with a removable bottom) and bake on the lowest rack for 50 minutes, or until top springs back when touched. Immediately invert the pan and let it rest upside down on three glasses.
- Allow the cake to cool upside down completely, then slide a knife around the sides and center of the pan to loosen the cake. Remove the cake to a plate.
- To make the orange glaze, whisk together the sugar, orange zest and orange juice. Add ½ to 1 tablespoon of heavy cream if the glaze is still too thick. Drizzle the cake with the orange glaze. 1 cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon orange zest, 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Notes
- Cake flour works really well for chiffon cakes. You can use all-purpose flour, but test cake flour sometime too.
- You can bake this cake in two 9″ round cake pans, but make sure they have tall sides. Our tallest cake pans are about 3″ in height. This cake rises and if you have short cake pans, it might overflow.
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Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the cake in an airtight container. When you are ready to eat it, pull it out of the freezer and allow it to fully defrost before opening the container. This will help the cake stay fresh.
Nutrition
Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 189mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 179IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg
How to Make Orange Chiffon Cake: Step by Step
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients. In another bowl, mix together the egg YOLKS, water, oil, orange zest and extract. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
Beat egg whites, then fold them in. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat until you get stiff peaks. (This took about 4 minutes in a stand mixer.) Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg white mixture into the batter until combined, ensuring you get the sides and the bottom of the bowl for an even consistency.
Bake the cake. Pour into an ungreased tube pan (with a removable bottom) and bake on the lowest rack for 50 minutes, or until top springs back when touched. Immediately invert the pan and let it rest upside down on three glasses to cool completely. Slide a knife around the sides and center of the pan to loosen the orange chiffon cake and remove from the pan.
Drizzle the cake. To make the orange glaze, whisk together the sugar, orange zest and orange juice. Add ½ to 1 tablespoon of heavy cream if the glaze is still too thick. Drizzle the orange chiffon cake with the orange glaze.
Other Upside Down Desserts
Do you love upside down desserts? Try one of these next:
