Chocolate Cream Chiffon Cake
This Chocolate Cream Chiffon Cake is wonderfully light, fluffy and chocolatey, featuring a soft cocoa chiffon sponge topped with silky whipped chocolate cream. Baked in a square tin and finished with chocolate curls or a dusting of cocoa powder, it's an elegant yet easy homemade cake that's perfect for afternoon tea or simply satisfying a chocolate craving.
Equipment
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- 1 7-inch Cake Tin
- 1 Electric Whisk optional
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Chiffon Cake
- 50 g Milk (at room temperature)
- 35 g Vegetable Oil
- 10 g Cocoa Powder
- 45 g Plain Flour
- 3 Eggs (yolks and whites separated)
- ¼ tsp Lemon Juice
- 50 g White Sugar
For the Chocolate Cream
- 450 ml Double Cream / Heavy Cream
- 50 g Dark Chocolate (melted) I use 54% chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150°C / 300°F.
- In a mixing bowl, mix the cocoa powder, vegetable oil and milk until emulsified.35 g Vegetable Oil, 10 g Cocoa Powder, 50 g Milk (at room temperature)
- Sift in plain flour and mix until fully combined.45 g Plain Flour
- Add the egg yolks and mix until smooth.3 Eggs (yolks and whites separated)
- In a separate mixing bowl, add lemon juice and sugar to the chilled egg whites. Whisk till soft peaks form.¼ tsp Lemon Juice, 50 g White Sugar
- Using a spatula, gently fold ⅓ of the whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture until combined. Fold in the remaining ⅔ of the egg whites until the batter is evenly chocolatey, with no obvious streaks of meringue remaining.
- Pour the mixture into a square cake tin. Tap a few times to get rid of big air pockets. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes.
- When the cake is out of the oven, tap a few times on a surface to get rid of the trapped steam. Then leave it to cool on a rack upside down (cake still in the tin, not taken out).
- After the cake has cooled down, whisk together the double cream and melted chocolate till soft peaks form.450 ml Double Cream / Heavy Cream, 50 g Dark Chocolate (melted)
- Remove the completely cooled chiffon cake from its tin and transfer it onto a serving plate. Softly spread the chocolate cream over the top.
If time allows, chill the egg whites in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before whipping for best results.
If using an electric whisk, use medium-high speed to whisk the egg whites.
Do not use a whisk. Avoid whisking or stirring vigorously at this stage.
Notes
- This recipe was tested at 150°C / 300°F in a conventional oven.
- Do not grease the sides of the cake tin. The chiffon batter needs to cling to the sides of the tin as it rises.
- Make sure the mixing bowl and whisk used for the egg whites are completely clean and free from oil or grease.
- Whip the egg whites to soft peaks – they should hold their shape with a soft curl at the tip rather than standing completely stiff.
- Fold the meringue gently into the chocolate batter using a J-shaped motion to avoid knocking out too much air.
- Cool the chiffon cake completely upside down before removing it from the tin.
- Make sure the cake is completely cool before adding the chocolate cream.
- Use dark chocolate for a deeper, less sweet cream or milk chocolate for a sweeter, milder chocolate flavour.
- Store the finished cake covered in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2–3 days.