Lemon Chiffon Cake
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Light, fluffy, and bursting with fresh citrus flavor, this Lemon Chiffon Cake topped with a tart lemon glaze is a scrumptious showstopper! Perfect on its own or served with berries and whipped cream, this delicious crowd pleasing cake is ideal for any occasion.
Best Lemon Chiffon Cake Recipe
I love lemon sweets! From Lemon Bars to Lemon Blueberry Scones, fresh lemons just have a light and refreshing flavor, which makes them a dessert ingredient star. And this lemon chiffon cake recipe is one of my favorites. It’s a light fluffy lemon cake topped with a tart lemon glaze that is bursting with flavor and it’s amazing!
But I know that baking a cake from scratch may sound intimidating to some. Yet, cake mixes just aren’t the same and it’s actually pretty easy if you just follow a few simple steps. In fact, it can be a pretty fun and rewarding experience to make a chiffon cake. You see, chiffon cakes are all about the egg whites, which are beaten until they fluff up and then folded into the batter to leaven the cake. In many ways, a chiffon cake is similar to a light and airy angel food cake except that it also includes egg yolks and oil as well whereas angel food cake does not.
One of the other things that I love about this lemon cake is that it can be served as a light dessert just with the glaze or with whipped cream and fresh berries. You can even serve it for brunch or breakfast! Heck, you can even omit the glaze and serve it with my Lemon Curd instead!
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Chiffon Cake
- Tart Lemon Deliciousness! Made with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, this light and fluffy lemon chiffon cake with a sweet lemon glaze is bursting with refreshing citrus flavor.
- Easy Recipe! You don’t need any fancy ingredients or special baking skills to make this cake. The simple batter comes together in minutes and the oven does the rest of the work.
- Perfect For Any Occasion! Whether it’s for a holiday dessert or an everyday treat, this lemon cake is a great choice. You can serve it as is or top it off with a dollop of whipped cream.
- Flour – Everyday all-purpose flour is all you need. Cake flour is another option.
- Sugar – I used white granulated sugar.
- Baking Powder – This is our leavening agent that helps the cake rise in the oven.
- Salt – Helps to balance the sweetness of the sugar as well as boost the citrus flavor.
- Vegetable Oil – Any neutral vegetable oil will work. Just make sure it has no flavor.
- Eggs – You will need fresh large eggs that are at room temperature and separated. The yolks are used to make the batter rich and the whites are used to make the cake fluffy.
- Lemon – Both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest are used to add fresh lemon flavor to the cake. Lemon extract will not produce the same results.
- Water – The water should be at room temperature.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter in baking to control the amount of added salt.
- Lemon – Just like the cake, both lemon zest and lemon juice are used in the glaze.
- Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. It sweetens the frosting and creates a smooth glaze consistency.
- Vanilla Extract – Use pure vanilla extract for the best results.
Baking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated and this lemon cake recipe is the perfect example. Just follow my simple instructions and this yummy cake is pretty foolproof.
Before you even begin you need to preheat your oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) to get it ready for baking! Cakes do not properly bake when they go into ovens that are not fully preheated. Then grab a 10-inch tube pan like an angel food cake pan or a bundt pan and set it aside for now. For this recipe, the pan does not need to be greased.
To make the simple batter, start by mixing the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Then add the vegetable oil, egg yolks, lemon juice, water, and lemon zest to the flour mixture. Now, whisk everything together until it’s well combined.
Whipping the egg whites correctly is what makes the cake super light and airy. Just put all the egg whites in a large bowl. Then use an electric mixer to beat them until stiff peaks form. You can also do this step in a stand mixer. If you’re having trouble getting your whites to go from soft peaks to stiff peaks you can add ½ teaspoon cream of tartar.
This next step is really easy but fairly important and must be done as instructed. First, gently fold ⅓ of the whipped egg whites into the batter just until they are almost combined. Then gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites until the mixture is fully combined. But do not overmix the batter or it will deflate.
After the batter is complete, pour it into the ungreased tube pan. Then gently tap the pan a few times on the counter to deflate the air bubbles. Now, transfer the cake to the oven and bake it for 50 to 60 minutes or until it springs back when you touch it. Next, remove the cake from the oven and flip the pan over immediately onto a cooling rack. Now, let the cake cool completely while it’s still in the cake pan. Then once the cake is fully cooled, run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen it, and then turn the cake out onto your serving platter.
To make the lemon glaze just mix the unsalted melted butter, lemon zest, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla together in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth.
Then pour the glaze over the cooled cake and use a spatula to spread it out evenly. The lemon glaze will fully set within 30 minutes.
What’s The Difference Between Sponge Cake And Chiffon Cake?
Sponge cakes and chiffon cakes are both light and fluffy, but they are not the same. To begin, a true sponge cake is only made with eggs, sugar, and flour. But a chiffon cake always includes oil and baking powder as well. Another difference between the two cakes is that not all sponge cake recipes have you separate the eggs, but chiffon cake recipes always do. This is because chiffon cakes rely on beaten egg whites for their airy texture.
Why Is My Chiffon Cake So Hard?
When a chiffon cake turns out rubbery or hard it can mean a few different things. One common reason is that you did not beat your egg whites long enough. Another is that even if you beat your whites long enough you overmixed your batter. Both of these things lead to a hard cake because the batter wasn’t aerated enough or you deflated it. The last reason that your cake may be hard is that you simply baked it for too long or worse yet you baked it perfectly but didn’t turn the cake upside down to cool.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. When baking it’s always best to use room-temperature ingredients, especially eggs. This helps the batter to properly come together.
- The egg whites matter. The egg whites must be beaten until they form stiff peaks and then gently folded into the batter. The entire texture of the cake is dependent on these two steps.
- Invert the pan. You must flip the pan over and then let the cake fully cool on a wire rack while it is still in the pan. If you don’t, the cake will more than likely deflate and collapse.
Storage
Leftover lemon chiffon cake will keep at room temperature for 3 to 4 days when wrapped in plastic or put in an airtight container. You can also freeze chiffon cake for up to 3 months, which means it’s possible to make an entire cake ahead of time for a later date. Just make sure the cake is completely cool before tightly double-wrapping it in plastic wrap and then putting it in the freezer. Then when you want to serve just let it thaw out at room temperature.
Other Delicious Cake Recipes To Try
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Cheesecake Recipe
- Lemon Pudding Cake
- Lemon Magic Cake
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Burnt Basque Cheesecake
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Lemon Chiffon Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 8 eggs (separated)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- 2½ tablespoon grated lemon zest
Lemon Glaze
- 6 tablespoons butter (unsalted and melted)
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
- In a large bowl, add flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Add oil, egg yolks, lemon juice, water and lemon zest; whisk until well combined.
- In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold ⅓ of whipped egg whites into the batter to lighten. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until mixture is combined; do not over mix or batter will deflate.
- Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan or a bundt pan and tap gently on counter to release air pockets. Bake 50-60 minutes or until cake springs back when touched. Invert the pan immediately after removing from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Run knife around the sides and center of cake to loosen.
- To make the glaze, combine the melted butter, lemon zest, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in medium bowl; stir until smooth.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and spread with spatula. The glaze will set hard within 30 minutes. You can also decorate the cake with additional lemon slices and some sliced fresh strawberries.
Equipment
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. When baking it’s always best to use room-temperature ingredients, especially eggs. This helps the batter to properly come together.
- The egg whites matter. The egg whites must be beaten until they form stiff peaks and then gently folded into the batter. The entire texture of the cake is dependent on these two steps.
- Invert the pan. You must flip the pan over and then let the cake fully cool on a wire rack while it is still in the pan. If you don’t, the cake will more than likely deflate and collapse.
- Leftover lemon chiffon cake will keep at room temperature for 3 to 4 days when wrapped in plastic or put in an airtight container. You can also freeze chiffon cake for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
