Recipe: Martha Stewart's Lemon Chiffon Cake

Lemon Chiffon Cake
Source: Martha Stewart Living
Makes 1 seven-inch cake

Chiffon cakes are always made with oil, not butter, and will not get hard when refrigerated.

3/4 cup cake flour (not self rising)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (about 4 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. Heat oven to 325F, and have ready an ungreased 7-inch tube pan. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vegetable oil, 1/3 cup water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Add reserved dry ingredients, and beat until smooth.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat on high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Gradually add remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar; beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

4. Gradually fold egg-white mixture into the batter; start by folding in one-third, then fold in the remaining two-thirds. Pour batter into pan. Using an offset spatula, smooth the top. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake is golden, about 45 minutes.

5. Remove cake from oven; invert the pan over a glass soda bottle for 2 hours to cool. Turn cake right-side up. Run a table knife all the way down between cake and pan; invert again, and remove cake. Dust cake with confectioners sugar before serving.