The Cake Slice June 2011 (Part 2) - Lime Chiffon Cake

Today's post is Part 2 of the Cake Slice Bakers monthly roundup.  We were lucky enough to have a tie in the voting this month, giving us a choice of baking either of the winning cakes or both.  I decided to do both.  Our group is baking from a wonderful cookbook, Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.  

The first cake I made was a Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips.   The second cake chosen was a Lime Chiffon Cake.  I must admit that I was immediately drawn to the sound of this cake.  I haven't ever made a chiffon or Angel food cake, so I was really looking forward to trying this recipe.

Of course when I went to make it I discovered that I am the proud owner of many different bundt pans, but not a tube pan - maybe that is why I have never made this type of cake before.  A quick trip to Ross remedied this situation, and I was back on track again or so I thought.  I then realized that I did not have any cream of tartar, but I wasn't about to go out again and the the cake worked out fine without this ingredient.

The scary part for me came to when the instructions told me to invert the pan so that the cake could cool and would not deflate.  I thought that the cake was going to slide right out of the pan and I wondered how I would explain a bottle of wine in the middle of my cake?  Really, I should have had more faith because it worked out just as the instructions said that it would.

This is my cake cooling upside down over a wine bottle.

I really did enjoy this cake.  I loved the hint of lime, and maybe I will even increase it a bit more next time, or add a glaze.  It has definitely made me a fan of the chiffon cake.

Click here to check out all the other Cake Slice Bakers' cakes.

Lime Chiffon Cake
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1⅓ cups cake flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 7 large eggs – 5 separated and 2 left whole
• 1½ cups sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
• ⅓ cup water
• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. 
2. Have ready a 9 inch ungreased angel food tube pan with a removable bottom.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly to break up any lumps. Set aside.
4. Place the egg yolks and 2 whole eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium high speed until lightened in color, about 3 minutes. 
5. With the mixer running, add 1 cup sugar in a slow steady stream and continue to beat until the mixture is light and increased in volume, about 5 minutes. 
6. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the oil and continue to beat for 1 minute longer.
7. Combine the lime juice and water in a measuring cup. 
8. With the mixer on low speed add ⅓ of the flour, then ½ the lime mixture, another ⅓ flour, the rest of the lime and then the remaining flour, scraping down the bowl when necessary. 
9. Stir in the lime zest and vanilla.
10. With clean beaters, whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. 
11. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat on medium speed until the egg whites begin to turn white. 
12. With the mixer still on medium speed, pour in the remaining ½ cup sugar in a slow stream, and whip until the whites hold stiff peaks.
13. Fold ¼ of the yolk mixture into the whites to lighten. 
14. Then fold the remaining whites into the yolk mixture, gently but thoroughly. 
15. Pour the batter into the tube pan and smooth the top. 
16. Bake the cake until golden brown and the top springs back when touched, about 55minutes to 1hour.
17. If your pan has feet, invert the pan onto a heatproof surface and allow to cool. 
18. If your pan doesn’t have feet, invert 4 heatproof drinking glasses on the counter and rest the inverted pan on top of the glasses to allow air to circulate around the cake while it cools. 
19. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, about 2 hours.
20. To remove the cake from the pan, run a sharp knife around the edge, being careful to leave the golden crust intact. 
21. Remove the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto a serving platter. 
22. Run the knife under the removable bottom and lift it off the cake. 
23. Slice and serve.
24. Store uneaten cake wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes one 9 inch angle food pan cake.

Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.