RENÉE FLEMING GOLDEN CHIFFON

MAKES One 9 inch layer • SERVES 10 to 12 • OVEN TEMPERATURE 350˚F/175˚C

BAKING TIME 35 to 40 minutes

This lemony chiffon cake, usually made in a tube pan, soars above all others in my repertoire,
making it the soprano of golden lemon cakes. (It is the counterpart to the Chocolate Domingo,
which I call the tenor of chocolate cakes.) It is extraordinarily light, tender, moist, and lemony—in
a word: divine. This cake is dedicated to our favorite soprano of the golden voice: the incomparable
Renée Fleming. The special garnish is a stardust trail of powdered golden lemon zest.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT One 9 × 3 inch round springform pan, encircled with 2 cake strips;

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a flat-bottom flower decorating nail, 2½ to 3 inches long (see page 590); a wire rack, lightly
coated with nonstick cooking spray, elevated about 4 inches or higher above the work

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surface by setting its feet on top of 3 to 4 cans of equal height

114 grams
or
BATTER: 630 GRAMS / EGGS AND OIL AT ROOM TEMPERATURE (65˚ TO 75˚F/19˚ TO 23˚C)

unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup (sifted into the cup and leveled
lev off)
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(see Understanding)
sugar, preferably superfine 150 grams ¾ cup, divided
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baking powder 5.6 grams 1¼ teaspoons

fine sea salt . ¼ teaspoon
5 (to 6) large eggs, separated:
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4 (to 6) yolks 80 grams ⅓ cup (79 ml)

5 whites 150 grams ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (148 ml)
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sunflower or safflower oil 54 grams ¼ cup (59 ml)

water 89 grams ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (89 ml)

SPONGE-TYPE CAKES
lemon zest, finely grated (from 6 grams 1 tablespoon, loosely packed
2 to 3 large lemons)
pure lemon oil, preferably . ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml)
Boyajian
pure vanilla extract 2.5 grams ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml)
cream of tartar . ½ plus ⅛ teaspoon

PREHEAT THE OVEN Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the lower
third of the oven. Set the oven at 350˚F/175˚C.

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 MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, mix
the flour, 133 grams/⅔ cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt on low speed for 30
seconds.
SEPARATE AND MEASURE THE EGGS Weigh or measure the egg yolks into a 4 cup/1 liter
glass measure with a spout and the egg whites into the bowl of a second stand mixer or me-
dium bowl. To the yolks, add the oil, water, lemon zest, lemon oil, and vanilla.
MAKE THE BATTER Remove the bowl from the stand and make a well in the center. Add the
egg yolk mixture. Beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, scraping down
the sides of the bowl as necessary. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 1½ minutes,
until thicker and lighter in color.
If you do not have a second stand mixer bowl, scrape this mixture into a large bowl and
thoroughly wash, rinse, and dry the mixer bowl and whisk beater to remove any trace of fat.

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BEAT THE EGG WHITES INTO A STIFF MERINGUE In the stand mixer bowl fitted with
the whisk beater, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-lo
medium-
medium-lowlow
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Gradually raise the speed to medium-high high and beat until soft peaks form when the beater is
raised. Beat in the remaining 17 grams of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form
when the beater is raised slowly. or
ADD THE MERINGUE TO THE BATTER Using a flat wire whisk, slotted skimmer, or large sili sili-
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cone spatula, gently fold the meringue into the batter just until blended.
Pour the batter into the pan. Run a small spatula in circles through the batter to prevent
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air pockets. There is no need to smooth the surface. Insert the flower decorating nail, base
side down, into the center of the batter so that it sits on the bottom of the pan. The batter
should fill the pan just under half full.
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BAKE THE CAKE Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The cake will dome above the top of the pan.
Avoid opening the oven door before the minimum baking time or the delicate cake could
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fall. Watch carefully through the oven window. When the cake lowers slightly and a wooden
skewer inserted between the center and the sides comes out clean, remove it from the oven.
While the cake is baking, set up the unmolding rack and its elevating cans in a draft-free area.
COOL AND UNMOLD THE CAKE Set the pan on a heatproof counter or wire rack and let the
cake sit for about 1 minute, just until it is no longer higher than the rim of the pan. Immedi-
ately invert the cake onto the prepared elevated wire rack and let it cool for about 1½ hours,
or until the outside of the pan is cool to the touch.
Reinvert the pan so that it is bottom side down. Run a small metal spatula between the
CAKES

sides of the pan and the cake, pressing it firmly against the pan and moving it in a sideways
manner. Remove the cake strips and the sides of the springform. Release the bottom of the
cake from the bottom of the pan, pressing the spatula against the bottom. (If the bottom of

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 the pan has a lip, first use a small offset spatula to go under the edges.) Invert the cake and lift
off the pan’s bottom. Remove the flower decorating nail and reinvert the cake onto a serving
plate.
FINISHED HEIGHT
• 2½ inches at its rim sloping to about 2¼ inches across the top
STORE Airtight: room temperature, 3 days; refrigerated, 10 days; frozen, 2 months

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

• See Highlights for Successful Génoise, Biscuit, and Sponge Cakes (page 143).
• A flat wiree whisk or slotted skimmer is ideal for folding in the flour with the least
amount of air loss.

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UNDERSTANDING

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Unbleached all-purpose flour prevents
events the cake from deflating significantly. This
unique cake required innumerable tries to perfect the texture. The breakthrough
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came with the discovery of beating the whites beyond the stiff peak stage,
which gave higher volume, and raising the oven temperature slightly to set the
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structure more quickly. The metal flower decorating nail serves as a mini center
“tube” to conduct the heat to the center and helps prevent major dipping.
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COMPLEMENTARY ADORNMENTS
• One recipe:
ecipe: Lemon Curd Whipped Cream (page 423)
• A dusting of Lemon Stardust
Stardust (page 511) on the whipped cream and on each
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plate. A light sprinkling of powdered sugar.

ecipe: Strawberry or Raspberry Cloud Cream (page 439)
• One recipe:
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SPONGE-TYPE CAKES
Variation
ORANGE CHIFFON LAYER CAKE

• Replace the lemon zest with 6 grams/1 tablespoon of orange zest and the lemon oil
with ¼ teaspoon of pure orange oil.
• Use only 1 teaspoon/4.5 grams of baking powder.
• One recipe: Orange Curd Whipped Cream (page 437)
• A dusting of Orange Stardust (page 511) on each plate. A light sprinkling of
powdered sugar.

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