Fresh Apple-Chiffon Cake
Submitted by coangela
Fresh apple chiffon cake, light and airy with shredded McIntosh apples, warm cinnamon and nutmeg, and a caramel drizzle. Whipped egg whites give this oil-based tube cake its tall, tender, moist crumb.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
2 hrsChiffon is the trick that keeps this apple cake from going dense the way butter cakes sometimes do. Oil in place of butter holds the crumb moist for days, while a full cup of whipped egg whites, folded in last, gives it that tall, cloud-light rise.
Fresh shredded McIntosh apples all but melt into the batter as it bakes, throwing off moisture and soft fruit flavor in every slice, backed by brown sugar and a warm trio of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
The folding is the make-or-break moment. Lighten the heavy apple batter with about a third of the whites first, then fold the rest in gently until no white streaks remain. Stir too hard and you beat out the air you just worked in.
Bake it in an ungreased tube pan and cool it upside down, hung on a bottle neck, so the airy structure sets without collapsing. A caramel drizzle finishes it.
Kitchen Tips
- Make sure the egg-white bowl and beaters are spotless and grease-free, or the whites won’t climb to stiff peaks.
- Whip the whites just to stiff, glossy peaks, not dry and clumpy, which fold in unevenly.
- Shred the apples right before mixing so they don’t brown, and don’t drain them; that juice is what keeps the cake moist.
- Cool it completely before unmolding. A warm chiffon cake is fragile and tears easily.
Variations
- Swap the apple juice for fresh cider for a deeper orchard flavor.
- Fold in a half cup of toasted chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch.
- Skip the caramel and dust with powdered sugar, or finish with a cream cheese glaze.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oven to 325℉ (160℃). Have a 9- to 10-inch tube pan ready. If pan has a removable bottom, do nothing to it. If not, lightly grease and line bottom with waxed paper. Lightly grease paper.
Beat egg whites in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Gradually increase mixer speed to high, adding granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until whites greatly increase in volume and are thick and glossy, and stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted.
In another large bowl, with electric mixer on high (no need to wash beaters), beat brown sugar, apple juice, oil egg yolks and vanilla extract until well blended. Gradually beat in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Stir in shredded apples.
Stir about ⅓ the whites into the apple mixture. Pour apple mixture into remaining whites and gently stir (fold) with a rubber spatula until no white streaks remain.
Scrape into tube pan and smooth top. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until pick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. Invert tube pan on a wire rack or hang on the neck of a glass bottle. Let cool completely.
Run knife around edges and tube and remove pan. Loosen and remove bottom, or peel off paper. Place cake right side up on serving plate. Drizzle with caramel sauce.
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