Life can be simple: Lovelight Chocolate Chiffon Cake

When I first saw this recipe, I was thinking to myself, "Lovelight"?! What really is lovelight? Then I linked lovelight to chiffon cake and realised ah, that must be it. Anyhow, a short history on this since this is one of the recipes in Julie Richardson's "Vintage Cakes". Apparently, this lovelight cakes aka chiffon cakes were 'released' in America in 1948 and took America by storm as everyone was simply raving about how soft and light this cake was.

Although chiffon cakes aren't hard to make, the real skill in making it really lies in the techniques of how the egg whites are made and folded and treated. With this little tip, I hope I got you excited on this cake. If you are not, I am ;P

Before we begin, I must mention that this cake is posted a tad late because of a special reason which I hope I'll be forgiven for it =S It's for a co-worker's belated birthday. Technically, her birthday is today but because she has taken her special day off, it's going to be a belated birthday cake for her. The main reason why I chose this cake for her is because she loves chocolate and this cake is pretty light (no pun intended) on the palate. I hope she likes the cake though.

This recipe is from Julie Richardson's "Vintage Cakes".

Ingredients:

Chocolate Whipping Cream

226g semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips
720g heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Cake

59g cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling water
109g canola oil
112g buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 egg yolks, room temperature
198g sifted cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
250g brown sugar
7 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
~~112g~~ 150g caster ~~granulated~~ sugar

Method:

Make the chocolate whipping cream:

Place the chocolate in a heat-resistant bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer, then quickly remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate.

Let the bowl sit for a few minutes so the cream can melt the chocolate, then whisk to blend the cream and chocolate together.

Whisk in the vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until well chilled, about 3 hours or so.

Make the cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees farenheit.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth. Blend in the oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Whisk in the egg yolks.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk, blend in the brown sugar, working out any large lumps.
Stir in the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula and briskly stir until the mixture is just smooth. Do not overmix.
In a clean mixer bowl, whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy.
Add the cream of tartar and gradually increase the speed to medium-high until the whites hold a soft peak.
With the mixer on medium speed, add the caster sugar in a slow steady stream. Kick the mixer up to high speed and whip until the whites just hold firm, shiny peaks.
Fold a third of the whites into the chocolate batter using as few strokes as possible.
Add the remaining whites, folding only until evenly incorporated.
Transfer the batter into the pan and tap the pan on the counter a few times to enable the air bubbles to settle properly in the batter before baking.
Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
Allow the cake to cool to room temperature (don't invert the cake before it cools and don't be surprised if it deflates slightly).
To unmould the cooled cake, insert a thin knife or metal spatula around the edge of the pan to free the cake from the sides and then invert the cake onto a plate.

For assembly:

To finish the chocolate whipping cream, place the bowl of the stand mixer in the freezer for a few minutes to chill. Place the chocolate cream in the cold bowl and whip until it is thick and spreadable. Do not overwhip as it will curdle. It's best to underwhip it as you may use the spatula or hand whisk to thicken it a bit.
To assemble the cake, slice the cake horizontally into thirds.
Place the bottom third onto a serving plate and spread with a third of the cream.
Place the middle layer of cake on top of the cream and spread the next third of the cream over it.
Top with the final layer of cake and the remainder of the cream.
Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
This cake keeps up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Check out my cake!!

I'll update on whether she likes the taste of the cake. Psst, I've tasted the cake scraps, they taste light enough being a chiffon cake and the chocolate cream although soupy, it tastes divine. Till tomorrow!! Yay!! She is indeed pleasantly surprised and she absolutely hearts the cake!! :)