Chiffon Cakes Of The ‘50s Are Just As Good In The ‘90s

Chiffon cakes are an idea whose time has come - again.

In the ‘50s and ‘60s, these delicately crumbed cakes - a variation on angel food, but less dry and more substantial - were all the rage.

These days bakers are adapting recipes to get rid of the butter, but tall chiffon cakes, with only half a cup of vegetable oil, are the original butterless cakes.

If you want to substitute more healthful oils for butter or if you are trying to cut down on butter, they’re an ideal solution.

I rediscovered these cakes recently, and thereby hangs a tale.

In my younger days, my chocolate mahogany chiffon cake scored high enough at the county fair to go on to statewide competition, where it won a blue ribbon.

I proudly typed up the recipe, gleaned from a 4-H handbook, changed the name to “State Fair Blue Ribbon Mahogany Chiffon Cake” and added it to the recipes in a red tin file box.

Years later, I brought that box to the office, and it disappeared. With it went Cousin Lorene’s Fudge Icing, the scalloped oysters Aunt Mae made at Thanksgiving and dozens of other treasures, including my blue ribbon cake.

I searched everywhere for the recipes. I mourned them. As time passed, I learned to make everyday cakes without recipes. Still, when I thought of that recipe box, I sighed with regret.

Then a wonderful thing happened. While I was visiting a friend, she said, “Oh, I was cleaning the closet, and I found something of yours.” She handed me the precious box.

I was reunited with the blue-ribbon cake. It is excellent in its original version, but I tinkered with the recipe to create an even-richer version, substituting strong coffee for water. Now a notation on the back of the worn card records my experiments.

Also in the tin box, I discovered a bonus recipe for banana chiffon cake on which I had written in my junior-high hand, “Yum!” It is yummy still.

I hauled out the 1975 “Country Fair Cookbook” by the editors of Farm Journal, edited by Elsie Manning (subtitle: “Every Recipe a Blue Ribbon Winner”).

I found recipes for orange and spice chiffons and gussied them up just a little. Next I tried the chiffon method with one of my favorites, burnt-sugar cake. It tasted so good nobody missed the butter, and a friend who eats no dairy products was thrilled.

Here are a few tips on chiffon cakes:

Don’t try to cheat on the pan size. A too-small pan could cause the cake to collapse. If you don’t have a tube pan the right size, fill a smaller pan no more than three-quarters full and bake cupcakes with the leftover batter. If you do not have a tube pan with a removable bottom, cut a piece of waxed paper to fit the bottom of the pan.

Never use outdated baking powder.

The traditional cake-testing method of sticking a toothpick into the cake - it’s done when the toothpick comes out clean and is no longer sticky - may not suffice. In a very high cake, such as these, my mother’s method was to use a broom straw plucked from a clean, new broom. Or you may be able to find a long metal cake tester.

Canola oil, besides getting good ratings healthwise, seems perfect for chiffon cakes because it doesn’t have much taste. But other light vegetable oils may be substituted.

If using cake flour, do not use self-rising. If substituting all-purpose flour, sift several times before measuring to aerate it.

Cut through batter with a knife or spatula after pouring it into the pan so there are no air bubbles.

Mahogany Chiffon Cake (State Fair Blue Ribbon Cake)

3/4 cup boiling water or strong, hot coffee

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch processed (see note)

1-3/4 cup sifted cake flour

1-3/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup canola oil

7 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup (about 8) egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Combine water and cocoa. Cool. Sift cake flour, sugar, soda and salt into a large bowl. Make a well and add oil, yolks and vanilla. Beat 1 minute with electric mixer or with a wooden spoon until smooth.

In another bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff. Slowly fold into chocolate dough. Pour into ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Cut through batter with a spatula. Bake at 325 degrees for 65 to 70 minutes.

Invert over a bottle or funnel to cool. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake pan and gently release cake. Frost with fudge icing or serve with whipped cream.

Yield: 12 servings.

Note: I have successfully increased the cocoa by 2 tablespoons, compensating by adding the same amount of extra liquid (coffee or coffee liqueur). I sometimes decrease the sugar by 1/4 cup, as I like a bittersweet-chocolate taste. But the original recipe works fine on its own.

Lorene’s Fudge Icing

3/4 cup butter

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a saucepan melt butter in the water. Do not boil. Add cocoa immediately. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla last.

Yield: Makes enough to frost 1 large cake.

Orange Chiffon Cake

2 cups sifted cake flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup canola oil

8 eggs, separated

3/4 cup cold water (or part orange juice)

2 tablespoons grated orange rind

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or 2 teaspoons pure orange extract

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Glaze:

1-1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

3 tablespoons orange juice

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add oil, egg yolks, water or orange juice if using, and orange rind and extract. Beat with electric mixer at low speed for 1 minute, or beat with wooden spoon until smooth.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour egg yolk mixture over whites, folding just until blended. Pour batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Cut through batter a few times with a spatula. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until cake tests done.

Invert tube pan on funnel or bottle to cool. When completely cool, run a thin knife around edges of pan carefully and remove cake from pan. Drizzle with confectioners’ sugar glaze made by combining sifted confectioners’ sugar, orange rind and orange juice. Or serve plain, with orange sherbet or ice cream if desired.

Banana Chiffon Cake

2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

5 egg yolks

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup bananas, mashed

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (about 8) egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into large bowl. Make a well and add egg yolks, oil, bananas, water and vanilla. Beat 1 minute with electric mixer, or with spoon until smooth.

In another bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff. Pour banana dough over surface of whites in a thin stream, gently cutting and folding with spatula until blended. Bake in ungreased 10-inch tube pan for 65 to 70 minutes at 325 degrees.

Invert over bottle or funnel to cool. Run thin knife around edges of pan and gently remove cake. Serve dusted with confectioners’ sugar, or slice and serve with sliced bananas and whipped cream.

Yield: 12 servings.

Chiffon Spice Cake

2 cups sifted cake flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup canola or other cooking oil

7 eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup cold, strong coffee (or water)

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves into large bowl. Make a well in the center. Add oil, yolks and water. Beat with electric mixer at low speed 1 minute, or with wooden spoon until smooth.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour egg-yolk mixture over whites, gently folding until blended. Pour into ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Cut through batter a few times with a spatula. Bake in 325-degree oven for 55 minutes, then increase heat to 350 and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until cake tests done. Invert tube pan on funnel or bottle and let cool thoroughly. Run a thin knife around edges of pan and remove cake. Serve with coffee ice cream if desired.

Yield: 12 servings.