Orange Chiffon Cake Recipe With Frosting

Today, I’m thrilled to share one of my all-time favorite desserts, Orange Chiffon Cake. This cake is the perfect blend of light, airy texture, with a citrus flavor, making it an ideal treat for any occasion. Whether you’re looking to impress guests at a dinner party or want to enjoy a delicious homemade dessert, this Orange Chiffon Cake is sure to become a go-to recipe in your kitchen.
We have Grayson’s high school graduation party coming up and if I have enough time I will be making this, it’s everyone’s favorite and a must-have on special occasions!

  

Chiffon cakes are known for their unique texture, which is a cross between a butter cake and a sponge cake. The secret lies in the combination of oil and whipped egg whites, resulting in a cake that’s both moist and fluffy. The addition of fresh orange juice and zest gives this cake a refreshing and tangy twist that’s so good, it’s the perfect treat on a summer day!

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 Equipment

Tube pan or 2 9-inch cake pans
Cooling rack
Rubber spatula
2 large bowl
Medium bowl
Whisk
Hand mixer or stand mixer
Strainer
Sharp Grater

Ingredients For Cake

6 large eggs, separated into yolk & whites
2 cups cake or all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup fresh orange juice (3 large navel oranges)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Ingredients for Orange Glaze 

1/2 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

Instructions for cake

Preheat the oven to 350
Bring eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 10 mins.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl add orange juice, egg yolks, oil, and zest. Whisk together.
Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry and whisk until incorporated.
In a clean bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until firm peaks form.

Fold egg whites into the batter until no streaks are there.
Lightly grease only the bottom of the tube pan or 2 nine-inch pans.

Carefully and gently spoon the orange chiffon cake batter into a tube pan or cake pans.

Drag a butter knife through the batter to release any air pockets and bake in your preheated oven.  Baking time will be 45-50 mins. You
will know it’s done when the top springs back when lightly touched.

Gently set the cake (still in the pan) on a wire rack to cool completely (40-50 mins)
Gently glide a knife around the sides of the pan and center of the pan to release the cake.
Place the serving plate on top of the pan and flip the cake over.

Instructions for  Glaze 

Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
Whisk in the confectioner’s sugar, orange juice, and zest from the orange peel until smooth.
Pour or spoon over the top of the orange cake allowing it to drizzle down the sides.

Frosting for cake in 9-inch pans

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup orange juice
2-3 tbsp heavy cream
Mix powdered sugar, butter, cream, and half the orange juice.
Add more orange juice only if necessary.
Mix on high for 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy.

Spread between the layers.
Add the remaining frosting to a piping bag or ziplock bag.
Dust the cake with powdered sugar

Squeeze out dollops of icing around the top of the cake.

Serve and enjoy

Notes

This cake gets its light and airy texture from all ingredients at room temperature.

Chiffon cakes are typically baked in a tube pan but can also be baked as layer cakes which I did for this recipe.

Chiffon cakes are broken into three parts, thus the use of three bowls. 

All-purpose or cake flour can be used for this cake. However,  Cake flour results in a more fluffy cake crumb and I Highly recommend it.

A tip for a super fluffy cake: sift the dry ingredients to effectively remove any lumps and then whisk the dry ingredients to combine.

Make sure your beaters and mixing bowl are clean and dry. A speck of oil or egg yolk on either one can minimize the volume of the beaten egg whites.

Using cold eggs will change the texture of the cake.

Be sure not to overbeat the egg whites, and be very gentle when folding the beaten egg whites into the batter. Overmixing will deflate the cake batter.

Storage

You can keep the cake covered at room temperature in a cooler place for 1–2 days. If you want to keep it longer (I bet it will be gone in one day though) store in an airtight container for up to  3 days.

 

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.  If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section.  I promise to update this post as soon as the recipe card updates to a new version.