Chiffon, angel food and sponge cakes, with their lacy lightness and delicacy, are the spectaculars of the cake world. Comforting to waistline-watchers, too—no frosting, fewer calories.
All three depend on a foaming meringue for their lightness, but they differ in other ways.
Angel food cake has no leavening, no shortening and no yolks. Angel cakes may be baked in loaf pans as well as the usual tube pan.
Sponge cakes use both the whites and yolks of eggs. Sometimes leavening is called for, but shortening is never used. (Sponge cakes may also be used for rolled cakes, such as the jelly roll.)
Chiffon cakes combine the qualities of foam-type cakes and shortening-type cakes. While their lightness depends on the egg white meringue, they also use egg yolks, leavening and shortening. They are moist and keep well.
Some success tips to keep in mind:
- Beat egg whites until stiff, straight peaks form.
Separate the eggs as soon as they are removed
from the refrigerator but let them come to room
temperature before beating. Be sure the bowl and
beater are dry, free of fat, oil or egg yolk.
- Bake cake in tube pan on bottom rack in oven.
- Do not open oven until minimum baking time
has elapsed.
- Cakes baked in a tube pan are done when cracks
in top feel dry and no imprint remains when top
is touched lightly. Foam-type cakes baked in ob¬
long, layer or jelly roll pans are done when a
wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- To remove cooled cake from tube pan, loosen
first by moving spatula or table knife up and down
against side of pan. Next, turn the pan over and
hit one side against the counter. The cake will
slip out.
