Name: How To Make Chocolate Chiffon Cake (Japanese-Style Chiffon Cake Recipe)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 4 Eggs; 60 ml Milk; 30 ml Vegetable Oil; 50 g All-Purpose Flour; 1/8 tsp Baking Powder; 50 g Sugar; 110 g Chocolate; Powdered Sugar, for dusting the cake (optional); Whipped Cream, for garnishing the cake (optional); Berries, for garnishing the cake (optional)

How To Make Chocolate Chiffon Cake (Japanese-Style Chiffon Cake Recipe)-Japanese Taste

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Chocolate Chiffon Cake is a type of sponge cake: fluffy, airy, light, and moist, with a rich chocolate flavor. We've previously shared an original chiffon cake recipe, but this time we're going to amp things up with chocolate.

Chiffon cake looks unique with its height and a central hole, resembling a donut.

As many of you know, chiffon cake was invented in the U.S. It was first made in 1927 by Harry Baker, a Los Angeles cooking enthusiast inspired by angel food cake—a sponge cake made with egg whites, flour, and sugar, without butter.

It is said that chiffon cake was introduced to Japan around the 1980s. After American homemade cake stores began selling chiffon cakes, they became very popular among the Japanese.

It is a memorable cake for me; my mother used to bake it when I came home from school. I now understand why she baked it so often—chiffon cake is easy to make once you know how to, with simple ingredients found in the kitchen.

The key to making a good chiffon cake is the meringue. You must whip it enough to achieve a stiff meringue. It's important to quickly mix the batter and meringue and place it in a mold because chocolate contains fat and oil, which can easily collapse the air bubbles in the meringue.

You can keep the chiffon cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days. Ensure it is well-covered to prevent drying. Alternatively, tightly wrap it with plastic and store it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or freeze it for up to one month. However, we recommend consuming it soon after it's made for the best flavor.

Chocolate Chiffon Cake is for afternoon teatime! Pair it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for a delightful treat!

Overview

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Total servings: 4

Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

4 Eggs
60 ml Milk
30 ml Vegetable Oil
50 g All-Purpose Flour
1/8 tsp Baking Powder
50 g Sugar
110 g Chocolate
Powdered Sugar, for dusting the cake (optional)
Whipped Cream, for garnishing the cake (optional)
Berries, for garnishing the cake (optional)

Expert's Tip

How To Make Chocolate Chiffon Cake (Japanese-Style Chiffon Cake Recipe)

It is important to have a good mold to bake a perfect chiffon cake. For beginners, Aluminum molds, like this one are recommended. Due to Aluminum's ability to evenly distribute heat, the entire mold conducts heat to the batter evenly, resulting in a fluffy and moist texture. Additionally, Aluminum molds are lightweight and durable.

Instructions

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1) Gathering the Ingredients and Recipe Preparations

Gather the ingredients together. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Separate the eggs into whites and yolks. Keep the whites in the fridge until the last minute.

Sift the flour and baking powder together.

Chop the chocolate into small pieces.

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2) Melting the Chocolate

In a saucepan, over medium-low heat, warm the milk just until it is about to come to a boil. Turn off the heat, then add the chopped chocolate and mix well until everything melts. Add the oil and mix thoroughly. Allow it to cool away from the stove.

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3) Beating the Egg Whites

Add half of the sugar to a bowl of egg whites. Beat with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Then, add the remaining sugar and beat again until stiff peaks form.

Tips: Place a bowl of ice water beneath the egg whites to facilitate the meringue-making process. To check readiness, turn the bowl upside down; if the meringue sticks to the bowl without falling out, it's ready.

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4) Beating the Egg Yolk and Making the Cake Batter

Beat the egg yolks using an electric hand mixer until they become a bit creamy. Switch to a whisk and add the chocolate mixture from earlier. Mix well with a whisk, then add the sifted flour and baking powder.

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5) Combining the Meringue and Cake Batter

Add 1/3 of the meringue into the yolk batter and gently mix, passing it between the whisk to avoid crushing the meringue. Repeat this process twice. When the white streaks from the meringue are no longer visible, switch to a spatula. Mix from the bottom of the bowl 5-6 times until thoroughly incorporated.

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6) Baking the Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Pour the cake batter into a chiffon cake mold, aiming at a single point for an even distribution. Run a stick or knife gently through the batter to release any air pockets. Tap the mold onto the counter once or twice to remove any air bubbles in the batter.

Bake it at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of baking, if the cake rises very high and then shrinks down a bit, that is a sign that it is cooked.

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7) Cooling & Removing the Cake from the Mold

Take the cake out of the oven and cool it upside down using a bottle to prevent it from shrinking.

Once it has cooled sufficiently, reposition the top and bottom and remove the mold quickly from top to bottom all at once. The bottom and center can be easily removed by hand.

It is important to wait until the cake is completely cooled down; otherwise, the cake may stick to the mold.

8) Serving the Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Serve upside down and enjoy! Dust with powdered sugar or serve with berries and whipped cream if you'd like.

About the author

Ayako Kidokoro

Ayako is a recipe writer based in Frankfurt, Germany. Though she is originally from Japan, she has lived across five countries both in America and Europe. She loves writing dessert-related recipes and sharing them with Japanese Taste readers, but she also loves educating people about Japanese tradition, culture, and language. She loves exploring and making new recipes from scratch, but other than food, she also loves doing yoga to help her stay in shape and relax.

View articles by Ayako Kidokoro