Rainbow Mardi Gras Chiffon Cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8
- 6 egg whites (around 240g/8.8ozs)
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup/210g/7.4ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 6 egg yolks (around 110g/3.9ozs)
- 1/2 cup/105g/3.7ozs. caster or superfine sugar
- 180ml/6flozs. milk
- 120ml/4flozs. oil
- 1.5 cups/225g/8ozs. cake flour, sifted twice
- Edible colouring gel in indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red
Vanilla Buttercream
- 120g/4ozs. butter, softened
- 4.5 cups/600g/21ozs. icing or powdered sugar, sifted
- 5 tablespoons cream or milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
Step 1 - Have a 21cm/8.2inch chiffon cake tin ready (must not be a non stick tin). Also it's important that the whisk and bowl are very clean and have no traces of fat on them. Also have six bowls, spatulas and spoons. Because you want to divide the mixture into six portions to colour them, weigh your mixing bowl and separate bowls.
Step 2 - Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until you get soft peaks. Add the first lot of sugar in a stream and whisk until firm peaks form and you can tip the bowl upside down without the meringue moving. Scoop the meringue out and set aside in another bowl (at this point, it's useful to weigh the total weight of the meringue mixture because you'll divide it into six portions). Using the same bowl (mainly because I hate washing up) whisk the egg yolks, tea and second lot of sugar for 3 minutes. Add the oil and milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the already sifted cake flour in in four lots and fold gently until smooth and there are no lumps.
Step 3 - Preheat oven to 170C/340F. Divide the yolk and flour mixture into six bowls evenly (I weigh the total mixture and then divide and weigh). Colour with gels. The divide the meringue into six lots into each bowl. Make sure to gently fold the mixture in trying not to deflate the mixture. Make sure that the egg whites are incorporated well and there are no streaks.
Step 4 - Spoon into the tin and start with red then orange, yellow, green, blue and finish with indigo leaving 2cm or 3/4 an inch space from the top. Smooth over with an angled spatula between each layer. Then bake for 50 minutes or until the top springs back when touched.
Step 5 - As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, immediately turn it over onto a plate and allow to cool upside down.
Step 6 - Run a thin knife along the sides of the cake tin and then run it across the top to dislodge it from the tin (you can also use dental floss for the top). Place on a cake disc or a serving plate.
Step 7 - Beat the butter until smooth for around 2 minutes. Then on slow speed add the icing sugar, cream or milk and vanilla and once added, increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes or until the sugar doesn't feel gritty between your fingers. Separate it into two bowls with 1/3 of the mix in one and 2/3 in another.
Step 8 - With the 1/3 of the frosting make a crumb coat-this catches all the crumbs because chiffon cake has lots of crumbs. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until the buttercream has set.
Step 9 - Then spread around the 2/3 quantity of the buttercream smoothing it on the sides, top and inside the centre. Sprinkle with confetti sprinkles. This cake can sit at room temperature.