Banana Chiffon Cake
I have a fondness for chiffon cakes. They're just so light and fluffy, much lighter than their buttery counterparts. I even love the word... chiffon. They're moist, not too sweet, and include egg yolks (unlike Angel food cake) which keeps them sturdier and moister. It has a slight egg-y taste and if you don't know it by now, I have a major fondness for eggs.
Chiffon cakes are made with vegetable oil instead of butter and all the fluffiness comes from beating the egg whites till they're stiff and then folding it into the rest of the ingredients. You can make many variations of this cake and I plan on trying many of them...
Pillowy soft, they're perfect when paired with fruits or light creams--a perfect spring dessert.
So have I sold you on chiffon cakes yet?
I experimented with a banana chiffon cake since I had overripe bananas... and it turned out just as I had hoped. I put in some cinnamon and added some caramelized bananas with a slice. I also tried it with chocolate sauce but it didn't add very much to the flavor. I'm tempted to enjoy another slice with some strawberries and perhaps some nutella....
*Note: this cake works best in an ungreased cake tin, something not non-stick.
Banana Chiffon Cake
(Adapted from here)
Makes 1 8in cake
80 grams cake flour
3 egg yolks
14 grams sugar
35 grams vegetable/canola oil
45 grams milk
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 ripe bananas, about 210 grams
4 egg whites
40 grams sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Preheat the oven to 330 degrees F or 165 degrees C.
Process the bananas in a blender or food processor and make it into a paste.
Mix the egg yolks with the sugar, oil and milk and stir until smooth. Add in the salt, cinnamon, and cake flour.
Use an electric mixer and beat the egg whites, adding in the cream of tartar and the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks.
Fold the egg whites into the yolk batter, using a spatula and scraping around the side of the bowl and pushing the batter to the middle. Do this until it's fully incorporated but try not to over mix.
Pour the batter into your cake pan and bake for 50 - 55 minutes until a tester comes out clean.
When you remove it from the oven, turn the cake mold upside down immediately and let it cool completely before you attempt to take it out of it.
I made caramelized bananas by simply pouring some sugar on them and torching them with my blowtorch, but this cake really needs no add-ons.
Enjoy and happy baking! :)
Oooh, I think Joe brought over some of that. It was really delicious! And yeah, the texture is amazing!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of chiffon cake before but it sounds delightful. also I just looked up a substitute for buttermilk in your "helpful tips" page :) I was wondering what cake flour is though? is it different from multipurpose flour?
ReplyDeleteCake flour is just a lighter version of all-purpose that is used to produce a more delicate baked good.. it just makes it lighter and fluffier... It's used in most of the French pastries, as well as angel food cake, etc.
ReplyDeleteIf you remove 2 tbs from 1 cup of all-purpose, that should be a great substitution to make cake flour!
Some say you should add 2 tbs of cornstarch as well, but I haven't experimented with that as yet...
:)
ahh thanks for the tip! :)
ReplyDeleteFluffy and flavorful...Just how I like it...Bookmarking this recipe.
ReplyDeleteHey! I want to make this for my dad who's a banana fanatic for fathers' day. Just wanted to know whether the banana taste is strong or not? :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks!
KJ
@Kejia
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty strong! But I think adding caramelized bananas on the side really help so if he truly loves bananas, I wouldn't skip that :)