Red Velvet Chiffon Cake

It is getting more and more obvious that my favourite kind of cake is chiffon, right? I would definitely choose a soft and light cake over a rich, dense, and heavy one any day.

While I enjoy eating traditional red velvet cake, I have forever been wondering if there was a chiffon version of it. The only red velvet chiffon cake recipe available online seems to be that of Cooks Illustrated. To view their recipe, however, one has to be a (paying) member. Luckily, the site offers a 14-day free trial and so, I did the natural thing and signed up.

The recipe for red velvet chiffon cake turned out to be rather strange to me. Of course, I know that this recipe had surely been tried and tested before it was published. Compared to the basic chiffon cake recipe I am used to, the amount of cake flour was considerably less for the same amount of sugar, eggs, oil, etc. (Again, as I've always said it, my understanding on how these ingredients work together is very limited so I can only wonder why.) Also, some of the eggs were left whole and beaten with the dry ingredients. All of the site's chiffon cake recipes actually followed the same basic ingredient proportions and procedure.

I decided in the end, I would rather risk experimenting on my own recipe than using theirs (even if it meant I could fail). And so for Mother's day, I whipped up a batch of my own version of red velvet chiffon cake.

Two layers of cake frosted and filled with cream cheese frosting and topped with pecans and coconut flakes. Sides are covered with cake crumbs.

What can I say...this cake turned out beautiful! Imagine the same great red velvet cake taste, only lighter, fluffier and less sweet. I did try my best to stay true to the original ingredients of traditional red velvet cake. If there is probably one thing I would alter or try later, it would be to add a little bit more cocoa powder to bring out more of the chocolate taste.

For the cream cheese frosting, I used the one from Joy of Baking. I skipped the mascarpone cheese and just used two bars of cream cheese. This frosting is also much less sweet compared to other cream cheese frosting recipes as it only has 1 cup powdered sugar.

Here's the recipe for you to try. Hopefully, you would enjoy it as much!

RED VELVET CHIFFON CAKE (suitable for one 10" round, 3" high pan, or two 9" round, 2 1/2" high pans)

A}
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar

B}
7 egg yolks (from extra large eggs, room temperature)
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons liquid red food colouring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

{C}
7 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

{D}
3/4 cup sugar

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. In a large bowl, combine {A} well. Add in {B}. Beat with electric mixer or by hand until smooth and well blended.
3. In a separate bowl, beat {C} on high speed until frothy. Gradually add in the sugar {D} and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Gradually and gently fold in egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Pour batter into an ungreased 10” round, 3” high pan (or whatever pan you're using).
4. Bake for about 60 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan into wire rack immediately and cool completely.
5. To release cake from pan, carefully run a thin knife around sides of pan and invert cake onto a large serving plate. Frost and decorate as desired.

PS. A belated Happy Mother's day to all you moms out there!