Why You Should Whisk Chiffon Cake Batter Instead Of Folding It

Light-as-air textures and rich flavors come together in the dreamy dessert that is chiffon cake. These fluffy baked cakes are delicious, and part of what makes them so lovely is the texture. That means it's important to get your batter just right in order to achieve a bake that comes out perfect.

The ingredient that helps to make this cake so light is whipped egg whites. When the whites are incorporated separately, it adds air and loft to the batter, making it more fluffy than dense. A common technique when adding whipped egg whites to baked goods, whether it's waffles or a foam cake, is to gently fold them into the rest of the batter to avoid losing the air in the whipped whites. When it comes to cakes like chiffon, however, an extra-large whisk is your friend. Gently whisking the whites into the batter with a big whisk will maintain the bubbles while incorporating the whites into the batter more evenly, which will give your cake a more cohesive texture overall.

The first key to nailing the texture of a chiffon cake is to get the egg whites just right. When separating your eggs, be extra careful with recipes like this and ensure that no semblance of yolk makes its way into your whites. Any fat (like that from the yolks) that gets into the whites will affect how they whip, preventing you from getting the light and airy peaks of your culinary dreams.

When it comes to flavoring your cake, opt for fillings and flavors that aren't dense or heavy. The cake is light in texture, so pair it with light flavors like citrus zest. Because chiffon cakes have more air in them than regular butter cakes, heavy fillings will likely weigh the cake down. The same goes for your icing: Opt for something like whipped cream to match the cake's texture. Heavy buttercreams, like heavy fillings, will only serve to overwhelm the cake, losing its loft and masking the delicate flavors inside.