Chiffon Cake attempt 2009

Ever since my previous unsuccessful attempts in Chiffon cakes last year (attempt 1, attempt 2), I haven't got the guts to try them again...lol... On Monday, I suddenly had a strong urge to give it another shot (must be getting too stressed up coaching ds). So taking the opportunity that ds had to stay back for extra lesson that day, I went ahead with my first attempt this year. Surprisingly, it turned out better than my attempts a year ago, though not quite there yet.



I modified one basic chiffon cake recipe from one of my baking books to add in mulberry jam. My understanding on Chiffon is really limited, so this is more like a trial and error thing. I didn't even record my modification, so there's no basis for a next trial...sigh... This kind of thing always happen to me. I have to learn to stop depending on my short term memory.

I am quite happy to see that this time round, the cake didn't drop out of the pan after I inverted it to cool.



See? The bottom is flat, unlike my previous attempts which were all sunken in. Ok, ok, I know I'm pleased, even though it's still not considered a correct Chiffon cake.



Texture wise, perhaps closer to a real Chiffon, but something is still amiss. I couldn't pinpoint the problem until I spoke to Rei (the Chiffon guru). She gave me the correct description, the cake was a bit dry, though it was soft. She analysed that my revised recipe is 100% hydration which will result in a drier cake. And my cake pan is definitely too big to have a tall Chiffon.



There's definitely lots of room for improvement. See the "line" in the above picture? That had a different texture, which I suspected was caused by uneven folding, a problem I have yet to overcome in all cakes that require delicate folding skills. I guess I'm the "chor lor" kind who can just stir and mix everything. For cakes that uses egg separation method, my cake may end up with specks of egg white in them. I was unable to mix the batter evenly without deflating it, so I always take the cautious way and ended up with cooked egg white instead.

Nonetheless, I take this cake as a break through in my Chiffon cake journey. Perhaps one day, I will be brave enough to try my hands on them again. Hopefully I'll get it right then.


Mood: satisfied