Lemon Chiffon Is Spring Transformed Into Cake

Most people are familiar with the airy texture of angel food cake. They know what they’re getting into with a classic yellow sponge. But too few have experienced the joy of chiffon. Like the gossamer feeling of its namesake fabric, chiffon cake is blissfully soft. Digging into a slice is a dream fulfilled for any child who imagined biting into the fluffiest cloud in the Care Bear Kingdom.

Picture, then, the gentle aroma of lemon zest perfumed throughout that cake cloud. And at the end of each bite, a lilting tang from the citrus juice mixed into the batter. That’s what you get with this recipe from Bon Appétit’s July 1991 issue. And to me, there is no better cake for spring.

So what is chiffon cake exactly? Like angel food, it gets its lofty height from whipped egg whites. But where angel food eschews fat, chiffon cakes are enriched with egg yolks and oil, making their crumb ultra plush. That dichotomy of light and rich is what distinguishes chiffon from other cakes; I’ve often wondered about smooshing my face into a slice, like that woman and her bread. Its lightness also makes chiffon cake extremely versatile—as fitting for an all-frills Easter dessert spread as it is the end of a big backyard barbecue chicken dinner where everyone swears they “couldn’t eat one more bite.” Mother’s Day? Of course. Brunch with the crew? They’ll love it.

If you’re worried about this cake’s difficulty rating, don’t be. You’ll just need an electric mixer to whip the egg whites. When the eggs and oil are mixed with the dry ingredients, the fats protect the flour, discouraging gluten formation. From there, you’ll fold in your whites—gently; egg whites and fats aren’t friends—pop the batter in the pan, and bake.

Two tips. It feels wrong, but don’t grease the pan. The airy batter needs to climb up the sides and won’t be able to do so if it’s buttered or oiled. And don’t forget to flip the pan upside down as the cake cools to prevent it from collapsing.

The ’90s editors of BA suggest covering the lemon chiffon with powdered sugar and serving it with raspberries and sweetened whipped cream. But I’ll give another trick from my garden of lemony delights. Blitz about ½ cup powdered sugar with ½ tsp. citric acid in a spice grinder, and dust the mixture over your cake with a fine-mesh strainer. The acid-sugar combo gives the coating a concentrated sweet-tart taste that drives home the lemony tang. It’ll wake you up—just what spring is meant to do.