Custard Chiffon Cake v2

It's not often that I make a recipe more than once of twice, and even less often that I post the same recipe twice on this blog, but this Custard Chiffon Cake is so good it really deserves a second mention. I've gone on about how much I love this before and it has since become a family favourite, a simple cake I can whip up relatively quickly which doesn't need any icing or any decorating- it tastes best by itself.

The only thing I hate it having to wait for it to cool before I can take it out of the tin!

I do tend to bake this cake from time to time as it makes for a light treat, and even lighter since I've made some slight modifications to the recipe to reduce the sugar as we were finding it a little too sweet, as well as the the oil as it didn't seem to make a big difference in texture. By doing so I've reduced the energy (calorie) content by around 35%, which is a bit of a bonus, although still classified as a discretionary food!

Those who follow me on Instagram may have also noticed I made this into a decorated drip cake a couple of weeks back. It's my choice of cake recipe when I'm short of time, as it's relatively quick to whip up especially considering the size. An hour in the oven, a quick spread of lemon curd and ganache in the morning, topped with a sprinkle of strawberries and you've got yourself a pretty looking birthday cake.

Surely I've convinced you now?

Custard Chiffon Cake
Recipe adapted from Monday Morning Cooking Club Cookbook

175g (1 1/6 cups) self raising flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
35g (1/4 cup) custard powder
6 large eggs, separated
200g (3/4 cups) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
20ml extra light olive oil or vegetable oil
170ml (2/3 cup) warm water

1. Preheat oven to 180C. You will need an ungreased chiffon cake tin (not a non stick one as well). Do NOT grease it.
2. Sift the flour,1 teaspoon of cream of tartar and custard powder three times to ensure they are fully combined.[I actually added the cream of tartar to the egg whites when whipping them up rather than to this mixture here as it helps stabilise the eggwhites]
3. In an electric mixer, whisk egg yolks with 230g( 1 cup) of sugar until pale and creamy, then add the vanilla extract.Pour the oil and warm water into a jug. While the yolks are still whisking on low speed, add the flour mixture and the oil & water at the same time, whisking until just incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the remaining sugar and continue to whisk until the egg whites are stiff but not dry. Very carefully fold the batter into the egg whites with a metal spoon until just incorporated.
5.Pour mixture into the cake tin. Bake for 1hour or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into cake.- I baked it for 1 hour and 10 mins. (Note to self, reduce the oven temp to avoid the cracks)
6. After removing the cake from the oven, immediately invert it to cool by balancing the middle funnel onto a bottle neck. It is important for the cake to be inverted and suspended upside down until it is cool to stop it from collapsing.

Nutrition Information
Energy 1120kJ Protein 7.2g Fat 6.2g Saturated Fat 1.6g Carbohydrate 44.9g Sugars 25.3g Sodium 204mg