Lemon Chiffon Cakern

Name: Lemon Chiffon Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 box lemon cake mix; ½ cup vegetable oil; ¾ cup buttermilk; 1 lemon zest, (1 to 2 teaspoons); 7 large eggs, (separated, room temperature); ½ teaspoon cream of tartar; ¾ cup powdered sugar; ⅛ teaspoon lemon oil; 3 tablespoons cream

close up shot of a cake on a cake stand with a slice missing

Our lemon chiffon cake is a light, airy cake that is drizzled with a sweet glaze to create a dreamy dessert.

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Table of Contents

Lemon Chiffon Cake Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Lemon Chiffon Cake Recipe
How To Serve The Best Lemon Chiffon Cake Recipe
Storing This Recipe For Lemon Sponge Cake
Why We Love This Recipe
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Lemon chiffon cake is a light and fluffy dessert that’s perfect for spring. This recipe is simple to make, and the results are impressive; I’m certain you’ll love the tangy lemon flavor and soft texture of this divine cake.

Lemon Chiffon Cake Ingredients

Lemon Chiffon Cake raw ingredients that are labeled

With its airy texture and citrusy flavor, it’s no surprise that this dessert has become a classic that everyone loves.

The taste is delicate yet bold, striking the perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors. The lemon chiffon cake melts in your mouth and leaves you feeling satisfied.

You’ll need:

For The Cake

1 box of lemon cake mix
½ cup of vegetable oil
¾ cup of buttermilk
Zest of one lemon (1 to 2 teaspoons)
7 large eggs, separated, room temperature
½ teaspoon of cream of tartar

For The Glaze

¾ cup of powdered sugar
⅛ teaspoon of lemon oil
3 tablespoons of cream

Substitutions And Additions

LEMON: Lemon extract or lemon juice can be substituted for lemon oil, but we love lemon oil for its potent and delicious flavor. Be sure to use food-grade lemon oil.

CITRUS: This dreamy cake could just as easily be made using other citrus fruits such as lime or orange.

Just substitute the equivalent extract and zest.

If you can’t find an equivalent flavored cake mix, you could substitute white cake mix and increase your extract and zest a bit to compensate.

How To Make This Lemon Chiffon Cake Recipe

Once you whip up the easy cake batter, you will bake it in a tube pan before adding the sweet glaze.

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 325°F.

STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, beat together the cake mix, oil, buttermilk, lemon zest, and egg yolks.

cake mix, oil, buttermilk, lemon zest, and egg yolk being whisked together in a bowl

STEP THREE: In the large bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form, about five minutes.

Our Recipe Developer Says

A chiffon cake is traditionally made with a high proportion of eggs. Whisking the egg whites to soft peaks yields a combination of an angel food sort of cake and a traditional sponge cake.

eggs whites and cream of tartar whisked in a bowl

STEP FOUR: Use a rubber spatula to fold the whipped egg whites, half at a time, into the cake batter.

egg whites being folded into the cake batter

STEP FIVE: Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Do not grease the pan, as the batter needs to cling to the pan in order to climb and stay fluffy.

PRO TIP:

A chiffon cake rises tall in an ungreased tube pan or bundt pan. Use this type of cake pan, so the cake cooks evenly. Leaving the pan ungreased allows the batter to cling to the center tube and the sides to make that nice puffy cake.

STEP SIX: Bake for approximately 50 minutes.

Test for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester.

Insert it into the center of the cake to see if it comes out with just a few crumbs, and the cake top springs back when pressed gently.

before and after cake is baked in a cake pan

STEP SEVEN: Cool cake UPSIDE DOWN. Most tube pans have little metal “feet” on the top edge of the pan for standing the pan upside down.

Cool completely. The cake will not fall from the pan as long as you do not grease the pan.

PRO TIP:

You can also place the pan on the neck of a wine bottle to cool upside down if your pan doesn’t have feet to stand it on.

STEP EIGHT: Loosen the sides and center of the cake from the pan. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate.

STEP NINE: Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon oil, and cream until a smooth glaze forms.

Drizzle the glaze over the cake and spread it a bit over the sides and top of the cake. Let the glaze drizzle down over the sides of the cake.

How To Serve The Best Lemon Chiffon Cake Recipe

This delightful cake is light as a cloud, and you will love the freshness of the bright citrus flavors.

Serve on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra indulgent treat.

You could also consider pairing your cake with a rich, tangy lemon curd or a dollop of fluffy whipped cream.

Lemon is such a refreshing flavor, and we have plenty of ways to enjoy this citrusy taste. You can’t go wrong with either our lemon fluff or lemon lasagna recipes.

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Storing This Recipe For Lemon Sponge Cake

Whether you’re planning to enjoy it over the next few days or want to save some for later, these storage and reheating tips have got you covered.

MAKE AHEAD: If you’re hosting a special occasion or simply want to plan ahead, you can make this lemon chiffon cake in advance.

Once it has completely cooled, wrap it securely in plastic wrap to keep it moist and prevent it from drying out.

You can store it at room temperature for up to 24 hours before serving. Just be sure to keep it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight or heat sources.

ON THE COUNTER: Store this lemon cake covered on the counter for up to five days.

IN THE FREEZER: Lemon chiffon cake can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.

Why We Love This Recipe

LIGHT AND FLUFFY TEXTURE: The chiffon method, with its whipped egg whites, creates a delicate and airy cake that practically melts in your mouth.

ZESTY LEMON FLAVOR: It’s not too sweet, and the citrusy tang adds a refreshing twist to your cake.

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS: The recipe uses everyday pantry staples, making it accessible and budget-friendly.

close up shot of a slice of cake on a spatula in front of a cake on a cake stand

A slice of moist lemon chiffon cake sounds like the perfect way to end a meal or have it as a snack. It’s light, fluffy, and lemony, basically everything you could want in a dessert!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I freeze chiffon cake?

You can freeze this lemon chiffon cake in the freezer for up to three months as long as it is well-wrapped and stored in an airtight container.

Why is my chiffon cake dry?

The cake may come out dry if you overbeat your eggs and if you bake the cake for too long.

Why do chiffon cakes crack on the top?

If your oven is too hot, then the outside of the cake will bake much faster than the inside. This causes a crust to form on the outside of the cake, and when the inside of the cake continues to cook and rise, the outside crust will crack.

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