The cocoa chiffon cake is a very soft and delicious dessert, the chocolate version of the famous American ring cake, taller and fluffier than any other. Whether you use it as a breakfast cake or as a base for a birthday cake, the cocoa chiffon cake will give you great satisfaction: garnished with simple powdered sugar and chocolate curls, or glazed with chocolate ganache, or filled with Italian chantilly cream or whipped cream… it will always be a success.
The recipe for the cocoa chiffon cake is similar to the classic one, except for replacing a part of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder: you always need to whip egg whites and yolks separately and combine them gently, so as not to deflate the batter. Also for the chocolate chiffon cake, both baking powder and cream of tartar are used as leavening agents that – together with the whipped egg whites – ensure a very soft batter. The mold is the specific chiffon cake mold, indispensable for preparing this typical American dessert.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for a 9.5-inch (24 cm) diameter cocoa chiffon cake
To make the gluten-free cocoa chiffon cake, I replaced 1 cup (220 g) of all-purpose flour with 1 cup (180 g) of rice flour and 1/3 cup (40 g) of cornstarch. If you are celiac, remember that the following ingredients must be labeled “gluten-free”: rice flour, cornstarch, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, cream of tartar, powdered sugar, dark chocolate.
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (for the gluten-free version I used 1 cup of rice flour and 1/3 cup of cornstarch)
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups sugar (preferably superfine)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup sunflower seed oil
- 1 packet baking powder for desserts
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed powdered sugar (for decoration)
- as needed dark chocolate (for decoration)
Tools
- 1 Mold chiffon cake mold of 9.5 inches (24 cm) diameter
- 2 Bowls large
- 1 Spatula
- Electric Whisks
- 1 Hand Whisk
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Peeler for chocolate curls
How to Prepare Cocoa Chiffon Cake
For the English version of this recipe click here!
To prepare the cocoa chiffon cake, you will need 2 very large bowls, because the batter will be quite voluminous. Keep the eggs at room temperature so they will whip better. Start by separating the yolks from the whites (1). Be very careful not to let any yolk get into the whites, or they won’t whip properly.
For now, set the egg whites aside. In the bowl of yolks, add the sugar (2) – if you have it, use the superfine one that dissolves more easily – and start mixing with a hand whisk or a wooden spoon. It is not necessary to whip them excessively. Also add the oil (3).
Continue mixing and also add the water (4). In the end, you’ll get a semi-liquid batter. Place a sieve over the bowl and add the flour (or rice flour and cornstarch), the baking powder, and the cocoa (5).
Carefully sift the powders into the bowl and mix them well into the batter using the whisk. In the end, you should get a homogeneous and rather thick mixture (6).
Now focus on the egg whites: add a pinch of salt and start beating them with the electric whisks. When they are slightly foamy, add the cream of tartar (7). Continue beating them for a few minutes until they are white and frothy (8).
To check if they are whipped to stiff peaks, try turning the bowl upside down: if they stick to the bottom and sides, they’re ready, if they start to slide, they need to be whipped a little longer.
Now it’s time to combine the egg whites with the batter. Since the batter is quite thick, it’s best to slightly lighten it by adding just a spoonful of egg whites at first and mixing vigorously to incorporate them (9).
At this point, you can add the remaining egg whites in two or three batches, gently incorporating them with a spatula, with slow movements from bottom to top so as not to deflate them (10). Do this operation carefully and without rushing.
In the end, you will have a homogeneous and frothy mixture (11). Pour it into a 9.5-inch (24 cm) diameter chiffon cake mold (12). Remember that there is no need to butter and flour it, nor line it with parchment paper.
If you have a mold of a different size, refer to this article to help you adjust the quantities based on your mold’s size. Bake the cocoa chiffon cake in the preheated oven at 320°F (160°C) for 1 hour, taking care to place the cake on one of the lower racks of the oven.
Never open the oven door during the first 50 minutes of baking; then, if it seems cooked, you can check by inserting a long skewer. Generally, however, it takes an hour of baking. When it’s done, take it out of the oven (13) and cool it upside down, placing a plate underneath (14).
The peculiarity of the chiffon cake mold is precisely those feet that allow the cake to cool upside down and let all the moisture escape without it deflating. The one I used also has a removable bottom that makes it easier to unmold the chiffon cake. Normally, it detaches on its own from the sides when it is cold (15).
With your hands or with the help of a knife, gently detach the bottom as well (16). Sprinkle the cocoa chiffon cake with plenty of powdered sugar (17). If you like, you can decorate the cake with dark chocolate curls, simply obtained by passing a peeler over the edges of a piece of chocolate.
Serve the cocoa chiffon cake for breakfast or as a snack, or use it as a base for filled and decorated birthday cakes.
How to Store the Chiffon Cake
The chiffon cake stays soft and fragrant for up to 4 or 5 days, stored in a cake container.
Tips and Variations
You can flavor the cocoa chiffon cake batter with two tablespoons of rum or another liquor of your choice. You may also opt for rum flavoring in a vial, which contains no alcohol.
For the gluten-free chiffon cake, I used a blend of rice flour and cornstarch, but you can also use 1 cup (220 g) of a gluten-free cake mix. However, make sure it does not already contain baking powder.
