Homemade chiffon cake recipe makes a light and airy cake that’s easy and delicious. This cake is great on its own or paired with fresh fruit and whipped cream!
Chiffon cakes are one of my favorite summer desserts. Chiffon cakes, angel food cake, and sponge cake are all foam cakes. What makes a chiffon cake different is that it is made with egg yolks and oil, so the cake is richer than an angel food cake, and, unlike sponge cake, chiffon cake is made with oil and baking powder.
This vanilla chiffon cake recipe is made with simple, pantry-staple ingredients like eggs, sugar, and flour. It has the classic light and airy, fluffy texture and tender crumb that is unique to chiffon cakes.
The cake is pretty easy to make, and there are step-by-step photos showing how to make the cake below. It’s a perfect dessert for any occasion – birthdays, holidays, and more! Pair it with fresh fruit and a dollop of homemade whipped cream for a simple but delicious treat.
“Fantastic! This recipe was easy and really great. Everyone raved about how good this cake was. Thank you for the keeper!” – Jen
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Cream of tartar: The cream of tartar helps to stabilize the egg, so you won’t want to skip it.
- Cake flour: Cake flour helps to give this cake its tender crumb. If you don’t have cake flour, you can make a homemade cake flour substitute.
- Oil: Another neutral oil, like canola oil or light olive oil, will also work in this recipe. If you use regular (extra-virgin) olive oil, it may slightly affect the flavor of the cake.
- Almond extract: The slight amount of almond extract gives the cake more dimension. If you need to skip it, simply substitute more vanilla extract or a different flavor of extract.
How to make chiffon cake
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make chiffon cake. The full recipe is given below.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 325 F.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites together with the cream of tartar.
Step 3: Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar; continue beating until egg whites form stiff, glossy peaks. Set aside.
Step 4: In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 5: In a separate medium bowl, beat together the egg yolks, water, oil, and extracts until pale yellow.
Step 6: Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, and beat until well-blended, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 7: Gently fold in the whipped egg whites.
Step 8: Gently pour the cake batter into the tube pan.
Step 9: Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and looks dry.
Step 10: Cool the cake upside down for 1 hour on a heat-resistant, thin-necked bottle before removing it from the pan.
Recipe Tips!
- Cake pan: Unlike most cake recipes, there’s no need to grease the tube pan (angel food cake pan). The ungreased tube pan allows the cake to grip and climb the sides of the pan, so you get a tallest, fluffiest chiffon cake.
- Cooling: It’s important to invert the cake and cool upside down. This will help prevent the cake from falling as it cools, and that gives you a fluffy chiffon cake.
- Cutting: I like to use a serrated knife to slice the cake. This helps to avoid squishing the cake while cutting it.
Serving suggestions
Chiffon cake doesn’t need a frosting. You can dust it with powdered sugar or keep it simple and leave it as-is.
The cake also pairs well with whipped cream and berries (or just about any other fruit).
Storage
Store any leftover chiffon cake wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. The cake will keep for up to 3 days when properly stored.
More classic cake recipes!
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Chiffon Cake
Equipment
- Tube pan
Ingredients
- 7 egg whites from large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 egg yolks from large eggs
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water about 80 degrees F
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites together with the cream of tartar.7 egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar; continue beating until egg whites form stiff peaks and are glossy. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.2 cups cake flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- In a separate medium bowl, beat together the egg yolks, water, oil, and extracts until pale yellow.5 egg yolks, 3/4 cup lukewarm water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, and beat until well-blended, about 1-2 minutes.
- Gently fold in the whipped egg whites.
- Gently pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
- Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and looks dry.
- Cool the cake upside down for 1 hour on a heat-resistant, thin-necked bottle before removing it from the pan.
- Dust cake with powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
- Cake flour: Cake flour helps to make this a delicate cake. You can make a homemade cake flour substitute if you don’t have cake flour. If you choose to substitute all-purpose flour for the cake flour, the cake won’t be as light and fluffy.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Originally published 1/8/13. Updated with new photos and tips 4/8/25.
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Comments & Reviews
LeAnn Wilson says
Is a tube pan necessary fora chiffon cake?
Thanks!
Kate says
It is. The tube pan allows the chiffon cake to rise, and the tube in the center allows the cake to bake through evenly.
Jen says
Fantastic! This recipe was easy and really great. Everyone raved about how good this cake was. Thank you for the keeper!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it! =)