Passover Chiffon Cake

One year during the lead-up to Passover, I came across my friend Renee carefully studying the boxes of Passover cake mixes in the grocery aisle of our local supermarket . Renee was a bit nervous. She had a new son-in-law who was joining them for the holidays for the first time. Her son-in-law followed the custom of not eating cakes baked with any matzoh products and Renee was anxious to accommodate him. “Renee, you don’t need that cake mix”, I said. “I can show you how to make a Pesach cake from scratch in less time than it will take you to check out from the store”. And I did.

Passover Chiffon Cake

Fluffy chiffon cakes are the breakfast, dessert, or, “I don’t like anything that you’ve made for lunch” treat that my family associates with Passover. This recipe, shared generously by my friend Ruth, has a few key steps that are integral to its success:

• The egg whites must be beaten until stiff peaks form, but not more than that.
• The egg yolks, beaten separately, should triple in volume and become lemon-colored, and finally,
• The cake should be baked in an ungreased tube pan with a removable bottom. When the cake emerges from the oven after baking, the pan should be flipped upside down and placed on the counter in that position. Gravity is your friend (at least in this case) and will ensure that your cake does not collapse on itself as it cools.

Don’t attempt to remove the cake from the pan until it is completely cool. Walk away and don’t touch it. Your reward for a little bit of self-restraint will be a lofty chiffon cake with a light, moist crumb that will melt in your mouth. Serve it with fresh berries and a spoonful of lemon curd or au naturel. Either way, your family will enjoy a dessert that is sure to become a treasured holiday memory. Happy Passover!

Assemble your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Measure out the sugar in two 1/2 cup portions. Measure out the potato starch, salt, oil and open the package of instant vanilla pudding. Separate 9 eggs. Place the whites in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the salt. Using the whipping attachment, beat the whites on the highest speed until soft peaks start to form. Add 1/2 cup sugar slowly and continue to beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Scrape the whites out of the mixer bowl into a large bowl. Set aside. 

Add the yolks to the mixer bowl. You don’t have to wash out the bowl if you beat the whites first. Using the whipping attachment (you don’t have to wash it either), beat the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar on high speed until they triple in volume and appear light lemon-colored. Add the oil slowly while the mixer continues to run at high speed. Reduce the speed of the mixer to  low and add the premeasured potato starch and pudding mix. Mix just until blended.

Add 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to the yolk mixture, folding with large overhand strokes to lighten it. Pour the yolk mixture into the rest of the egg whites, folding gently until the batter is completely mixed and there are no streaks of egg white remaining. Be careful not to deflate the batter. The rise in this cake comes from the beaten eggs exclusively.

Pour the cake better gently into an ungreased tube pan with a removable bottom. Bake the chiffon cake on the middle rack of the oven for 60 minutes.

At the end of 60 minutes, remove the cake pan from the oven and in one fluid motion place the cake upside down on the counter. Walk away and allow the cake to cool completely. When the cake is completely cool (at least 4 hours later), set the cake right side up and using a knife, cut around the outer perimeter of the cake in order to release it from the pan. Don’t forget to cut around the tube in the middle of the cake as well. If you are freezing the cake for later use, lay out 2 large pieces of foil in an X shape. Place the cake upside down where the two pieces of foil intersect. Remove the outer part of the tube pan. Cut around the bottom part of the tube pan to release the cake. Flip the cake over. It is now ready to serve or wrap it in aluminum foil and freeze for later use.

Print Recipe

Passover Chiffon Cake

Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Desserts

By Shared by my friend Ruth – Serves: 12

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Cooking Time: 60 minutes – Total Time: 90 minutes

Towering chiffon cake with a moist, delicate crumb that will melt in your mouth.

Ingredients

• 9 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup sugar, divided, 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup
• 3/4 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 3.3 ounce package of instant vanilla pudding (4 serving size)

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Measure out the sugar in two 1/2 cup portions. Measure out the potato starch, salt, oil and open the package of instant vanilla pudding.

2

Separate 9 eggs. Place the whites in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the salt. Using the whipping attachment, beat the whites on the highest speed until soft peaks start to form. Add 1/2 cup sugar slowly and continue to beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Scrape the whites out of the mixer bowl into a large bowl. Set aside. 

3

Add the yolks to the mixer bowl. You don't have to wash out the bowl if you beat the whites first. Using the whipping attachment (you don't have to wash it either), beat the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar on high speed until they triple in volume and appear light lemon-colored. Add the oil slowly while the mixer continues to run at high speed. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the potato starch and pudding mix. Mix just until blended.

4

Add 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to the yolk mixture, folding with large overhand strokes to lighten it. Pour the yolk mixture into the rest of the egg whites, folding gently until the batter is completely mixed and there are no streaks of egg white remaining. Be careful not to deflate the batter.

5

Pour the cake better gently into an ungreased tube pan with a removable bottom. Bake the chiffon cake on the middle rack of the oven for 60 minutes.

6

At the end of 60 minutes, remove the cake pan from the oven and in one fluid motion place the cake upside down on the counter. Walk away and allow the cake to cool completely.

7

When the cake is completely cool (at least 4 hours later), set the cake right side up and using a knife, cut around the outer edge of the cake in order to release it from the pan. Don't forget to cut around the tube in the middle of the cake as well.

8

Place the cake upside down Remove the outer part of the tube pan. Cut around the bottom part of the tube pan to release the cake. Flip the cake over. It is now ready to serve or wrap it in aluminum foil and freeze for later use.

Notes

This cake is delicious plain. You can also serve it with berries and lemon curd for an elegant dessert.