Ingredients
Scale
- 7 large eggs, separated 🥚
- 200 g caster sugar (split: 100 g for yolks, 100 g for whites) 🍚
- 120 g cake flour (or plain flour, sifted) 🌾
- 1 tsp baking powder 🧂
- 1/2 tsp fine salt 🧂
- 120 ml vegetable oil 🛢️
- 180 ml fresh orange juice (about 3–4 oranges) 🍊
- Zest of 2 oranges 🍊
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 🍶
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1 tbsp lemon juice) 🍋
- For the glaze: 150 g powdered sugar and 2–3 tbsp orange juice 🍬🍊
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Do NOT grease a 9–10 inch (23–25 cm) tube/chiffon pan — the batter needs to cling to the sides to rise.
- Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside. 🌾
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 100 g caster sugar until pale and slightly thickened. Add the vegetable oil, fresh orange juice, orange zest and vanilla; mix until smooth. 🍊🛢️
- Fold the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture until just combined — avoid overmixing. 🥣
- In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 100 g sugar and continue beating to glossy stiff peaks. 🍚🥚
- Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the yolk batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites in two additions, keeping as much air as possible. Use a spatula and fold from bottom to top. 🍰
- Pour the batter into the ungreased chiffon pan, smooth the top, and tap gently to remove large air bubbles. 🧁
- Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Oven times vary — start checking at 45 minutes. ⏱️
- Immediately invert the pan onto a bottle or cooling rack and let the cake cool completely upside down (about 1 hour) to preserve its height and light texture. Do not remove from pan while warm. ❄️
- When cool, run a thin knife around the pan edges and the center tube to release the cake, then invert onto a serving plate. 🔪
- Prepare the glaze: whisk powdered sugar with 2–3 tbsp fresh orange juice until smooth and pourable. Adjust thickness with more sugar or juice. 🍬🍊
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, let set a few minutes, then slice and serve. Store any leftovers covered at room temperature for 1–2 days. 🍽️