Monday 1 July 2013

Fruit Tea Cranberry Chiffon

I've always thought that making a successful chiffon cake is one of those "advanced" baking skills in baking that I've hardly dared to try it out. There has been too many stories of chiffon cakes gone wrong and that I've held off trying due to a lack of confidence in my baking skills.  


I'm not so much into Pandan Chiffon Cake but when I saw a Cranberry Tea Chiffon Cake circulating on the Facebook page of a local baking group - I decided its time to conquer those fears. I loved the idea fruity flavours in a chiffon cake and immediately bought myself a chiffon tin. 


My good friend had given me a box of Passion-Orange Fruit Tea as a gift and I decided that I shall try making the Chiffon Cake with that tea. The first two attempts were not entirely successful - though the cake did not shrink, there were dense spots at the top of the cake. I figured that it could be because I did not thoroughly mix the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. You know how you've heard so much talk about deflated egg whites that I didn't dare to mix too much!


The third time I tried the recipe, I made sure that the egg white mixture was as thoroughly and gently mixed as possible (using hand mixing). This time, the cake was higher than the previous two attempts and had no dense spots at all! I wanted to do a song and dance when I cut my cake - the texture was perfect, soft and cottony to the bite! I really enjoyed the slight sourish taste of this cake due to the bits of tea leaves in the cake. The cranberries added a sweet and tangy aftertaste as well. Now that I've cracked the chiffon code, I'm looking forward to making other types of chiffon cakes. 


Fruit Tea Cranberry Chiffon (21 cm)
Adapted from a recipe in Munch Ministry

Ingredients

Egg yolk mixture
  • 6 egg yolk
  • 30g caster sugar
  • 2/4tsp salt
  • 80g veg. oil
  • 6 bags Lipton Cranberry Raspberry & Strawberry Tea Bag (I used a Passionfruit-Orange tea mix)
  • 120g hot water
  • 150g cake flour
  • 3/4 baking powder
Egg white mixture
  • 6 egg white
  • 130g caster sugar
  • 1/2tsp cream of tartar
  • 80g dried cranberry (mix with some flour and sift away excess flour)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 175*C.
2. Sift flour and baking powder, set aside.
3. Cut the tea bags, pour tea leaf into a cup.
4. Pour hot water into it and leave it aside to cool.
5. With a hand whisk, whisk egg yolk, salt and sugar together.
6. Add oil, tea together with the tea leaf residue and flour into the egg yolk batter.
7. Whisk until well combined.
8. Use a mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar till frothy.
9. Gradually add in sugar and whisk till stiff peaks form.
10. Fold in 1/4 of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture until combined.
11. Then fold in the rest of the meringue in two portions lightly until well combined.
12.  Lastly fold in the cranberry.
13. Pour batter into a tube pan, smooth the surface.
14. Place pan into a preheated oven and bake for 55 mins.
15. Remove from oven, invert cake onto table top and leave it cool.
16.Remove cake from pan and serve.


This is for AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline Makes and The More than Occassional Baker.

28 comments:

  1. Perfectly made Mich! Soft and tall! A very nice way to start the week X

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  2. Well done, Mich! Your chiffon cake is beautifully baked. Looking forwards to more chiffon cakes from you :)

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  3. Hi Mich! I'm back!

    Three attempts? I salute your determination! Worth every effort!

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  4. I too had fear in baking chiffon till I tried Do what I like's orange chiffon. Hers was really easy.

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  5. Well done, mich. yr chiffon cake is so tall n spongy like the way it shd be. I've tried twice at chiffon n both times failed. I m exasperated but determine too get it right. The third time I tried its a bit wet on the top. I shall be counting until I get it. :)

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  6. You excite me with your beautiful chiffon cake, and I do remember now that I have to buy a mold here before going back to the US! I looked around the mold in the US but couldn't find it. I have to write it down... Hope to try your recipe one day!

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  7. Come on, let's go for k and dance with me to celebrate that you have made a good chiffon! hehe...

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  8. Well done! Mich :) Your chiffon looks very pretty. I'd like to try this fruit tea flavour one day.

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  9. I applaud your perseverance Mich - I'm not sure I would make three attempts but you always seem to get it right in the end. Lovely.

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  10. what a pretty chiddon cake.. Looks so airy and light!! Must have been delicious!

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  11. I love this type of cake look really delicious!!

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  12. Beautiful cake Mich, but I'm not surprised with your skill in baking :)

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  13. Well done Mich, your chiffon cAke looks totally great. The combination of flavours is very interesting, definitely a nice change from the usual ones. Now if only i could get over my own fears about making chiffon cakes.....:p

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  14. A perfect chiffon, Mich. Very airy, smooth and light.

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  15. That is a great looking chiffon cake .. and on your 2nd try too! Congrats! The only chiffon I've ever made is Hokkaido chiffon :P

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  16. Hi Mich, your cake looks perfect, texture, height and everything about it!
    You finally got yourself a chiffon pan! Cool! Will be looking out for more of your chiffon baking! :)

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  17. Hi Mich,

    We love eating chiffon cakes too. Any flavours except durian... I like :D

    Congratulation with your successful chiffon cake baking. My mother-in-law uses her bare hands to mix the egg whites and egg yolk mixture and works well for her. I didn't like the idea and so I didn't but mine is still ok without bare hand mixing... LOL! I guess different people have different way to bake their chiffon cakes. Good that you have cracked your chiffon baking code :D

    Zoe

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  18. I like cranberry too much. So, i must keep for this recipe. Ha!ha!ha!

    Thanks

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  19. How beautiful. I love green matcha tea cake so I know I would love your strawberry passionfruit, just perfect with an afternoon spot of tea.

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  20. Wow love the flavour combination

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  21. This is such a perfect looking cake :) would go very well with a cup of tea!

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  22. Mich , congrats , that chiffon cake looks wonderful and perfectly-baked , too ! The tea flavor and the cranberries sounds good together . So , what flavor are you making next ? lol

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  23. I am sure more chiffon will be coming from you kitchen .

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  24. Hi Mich, I love your chiffon, look so cottony soft. Nice flavor, got coffee for me to go with this cake? LOL

    Best regards.

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  25. looks great! i do love pandan flavour..anyway, i still think baking chiffon is quite challenging, simple and yet tricky! the dried cranberry makes it looks so beautiful!

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  26. I'm glad it was third time lucky, thanks for entering Alphabakes! The cake looks lovely.

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  27. The cake looks lovely - I'm impressed you got such a tall cake! I'm glad you persevered and it turned out well. Thanks for entering AlphaBakes.

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