CHOCOLATE CHIFFON LOAF CAKE

by Shumaila

So, we are back to just the two of us in our house. Said bye to V’s parents on Sunday and came back home to an empty house. After one month of Mom’s cooking lessons, catching up on family gossip, Papa’s watering the garden, and celebrating festivals together, V and I are both alone again in the house. From being so busy to not find time to log on to the net, I now have ample time on hand, and of course, back to having nothing to do in the afternoon. Which means- I am back to blogging :)! And, that too with a chocolate chiffon cake! There couldn’t be a better way to come back!

This cake is very, very soft- like the name suggests its like chiffon- light and soft. I couldn’t find vanilla essence in my house, which came as a shock to me, because its never happened that I don’t have a bottle of vanilla essence in my pantry. So, instead I used a teaspoon of Godiva chocolate liqueur (like I needed an excuse for doing that!), notching up the cake a little.

I would use a bigger pan the next time I try making the cake, because the batter did overflow a bit, as a result the cake fell while baking. But, besides that, the cake turned out great- really moist and perfectly chocolaty.

CHOCOLATE CHIFFON LOAF CAKE

Ingredients

1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch- process cocoa powder (in case, not using dutch process cocoa, replace baking powder with 1 tsp baking soda)

1/2 cup boiling water

1 tsp instant coffee powder

3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup bland vegetable oil

2 large egg yolks

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 large egg whites

Pinch cream of tartar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment or wax paper cut to fit; set aside.

2. Combine the cocoa, boiling water and instant coffee until blended; set aside. Sift the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in the cocoa mixture, oil, egg yolks and vanilla until combined.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they form soft peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until the meringue forms stiff peaks. Vigorously fold about 1/4 of the meringue into the batter; gently fold in the remaining whites. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan; smooth the top.

4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake emerges clean, about 55 minutes.

5. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake, remove the pan and carefully peel off the paper; let cool to room temperature. Slice and eat!