Eggs: 3 pieces (approximately 150 grams)
Cake flour: 60 grams
Caster sugar 30g Pink food coloring 1 drop Canned yellow peaches in syrup 2 slices 1. Prepare ingredients; separate egg whites and yolks. 2. First, make the egg yolk mixture. Add 15g of caster sugar to 3 egg yolks and gently whisk with a hand mixer. Add 40g of salad oil and 40ml of milk, and stir until well combined. 3. Sift together cake flour and cocoa powder, then add to the egg yolk mixture. 4. Gently mix until a smooth, flowing batter forms. 5. For the egg whites, add 35g of caster sugar in three batches. Beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. When lifting the mixer, the egg whites should form a short, upright peak. 6. Add one-third of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture. Gently fold from the bottom upward using a rubber spatula until evenly combined.
7. Then pour all the mixed batter into the egg white mixture, and gently fold from the bottom upward until well combined. 8. The mixture becomes a uniform cocoa batter. 9. Pour the combined cake batter into a 6-inch round mold, hold the mold with your hands and tap it firmly on the table several times to release large air bubbles. Place it into a preheated oven at 160°C for about 1 hour. 10. After baking, the cake is full and risen. 11. Remove it from the oven and immediately invert it onto a cooling rack. Allow it to cool slightly, then unmold and let it cool completely. 12. The 6-inch chiffon cake is ready and can be used for various birthday cakes. 13. Slice the cooled cake horizontally into two layers. 14. Chill the whipping cream in the refrigerator for 12 hours, then pour it into a clean, oil-free and water-free container. Add granulated sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Cut the yellow peach into small pieces. 15. Take a portion of the cream and add one drop of pink food coloring to create pink buttercream.
16. Place a cake layer on the cake pad, then spread a layer of cream with a spatula. 17. Evenly spread a layer of yellow peach cubes. 18. Spread another layer of cream, then press another cake layer on top. 19. Spread cream over the entire surface and sides. I did not smooth it out completely, as the basket weave pattern will cover it later. 20. Fill piping bags with plain cream and pink cream, using a flat serrated nozzle and a round dot nozzle respectively. 21. First, pipe a long pink strip on the side, followed by three plain horizontal strips. 22. Then press another pink strip over them. 23. Add two more horizontal strips, ensuring the seams align with the gaps from the previous strips. 24. Repeat this method to weave around the entire cake.
25. Use a small #806 star tip to pipe an S-shaped border on the top. 26. Use pink cream to pipe an S-shaped border at the bottom. 27. Cover the top with small cherries. 28. Finally, make a splendid appearance!
Why the egg white stage matters
The whole rise of this cake rests on step 5. Stiff peaks that stand short and upright when you lift the beaters are what carry it through an hour at 160°C (320°F). Whites that still slide off the whisk in a soft bend will give a flat, dense crumb, while dry, grainy whites have gone too far and refuse to fold smoothly. Aim for glossy and firm, and stop there.
Folding deserves the same care. Go from the bottom upward with the spatula, and stop as soon as no white streaks remain. Every extra pass knocks out air you spent minutes whipping in.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Opening the oven door in the first 40 minutes. A sudden drop in heat is the fastest way to make a chiffon sink in the middle.
- Skipping the upside-down cooling. The cake is tender and will compress under its own weight unless the mold stays inverted until it is fully cool.
- Slicing into layers while the cake is still warm. Warm chiffon tears; wait until it is completely cool before cutting it into two.
- Whipping cream that is not properly cold. After the full chill called for in the recipe it should whip to stiff peaks quickly; if it stays runny, the cream or the bowl was too warm.
Storing the finished cake
Once the cream, peach filling, and piping are on, the cake belongs in the fridge. Loosely tent it with foil so the cream does not pick up odors, and plan to finish it within about two days. Cut slices with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry, and keep a few extra cherries and peach pieces aside to patch the top as it gets eaten down.
Two quick questions
Can I use an 8-inch pan instead of the 6-inch one? You can, though the layers come out thinner and the bake runs shorter. Start checking for doneness around 45 minutes instead of the full hour.
Why did my cake pull away from the pan? A slight shrink while it cools upside down is normal. Heavy shrinkage usually points to underbeaten whites or an underbaked center, so test with a thin skewer before the mold leaves the oven.
