This Strawberry Chiffon Cake is a show-stopping vintage dessert, with layers of light and airy sponge cake, fresh strawberries, and real whipped cream.
Strawberry Chiffon Cake
Every once in a while, I like to try something fancy, like a gorgeous cake from scratch. I found this recipe that looked beautiful and that I thought would also be delicious for the whole family to enjoy.
This strawberries and cream chiffon cake starts with a moist vanilla cake that is cut into three slices and layered with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream. It is both light and fluffy and cool and creamy, all at the same time, with bursts of fruitiness from the berries.
If you’re looking for a unique special occasion cake, this is a must-try!
What is Chiffon Cake?
Chiffon cake looks a lot like an angel food cake or a sponge cake but it differs in two ways:
- More Fat Content: Chiffon cake has egg yolks and oil which provide a moist, dense crumb and a richer flavor.
- Egg Whites For Leavening: To make a chiffon cake, you will first make a meringue and incorporate this into the cake batter. The egg white meringue adds lift and fluffiness, without drying out the cake.
For this recipe, the chiffon cake works well because it can hold up to the strawberry juice in the layers. The dense cake also makes it easy to slice into three layers.
This cake also has an unusual step for cooling. You do NOT grease the pan and after you take it out of the oven, you turn the pan over the top of a bottle. Fortunately I had a bottle with a thin neck that worked.
This step is important because it is what creates the correct texture for the cake. The first time I made this cake I did grease the pan and when I turned it over, it fell out and the cake fell in parts to make it lopsided. By inverting it over a bottle for an hour, the texture stays even. So do not skip this step!
Ingredients
Full ingredient amounts and instructions available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
For the Cake:
- Cake flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Safflower oil
- Egg yolks AND egg whites, separated
- Whole milk
- Cream of tartar
- Vanilla extract
For The Strawberries:
- Fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- Granulated Sugar
- Fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
For The Whipped Cream:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar (You’ll also want some powdered sugar for sprinkling on top of the cake)
For your convenience in re-creating this recipe at home, we’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products and supplies used. Read our disclosure policy here.
Helpful Kitchen Tools:
- Tube pan or angel food cake pan
- Mixing bowls
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Cake stand
Instructions
First, Bake the Chiffon Cake
To Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Make the Batter Base: Whisk together the dry ingredients (except cream of tartar and 3/4 cup of the sugar). Whisk together oil, egg yolks, and milk in a separate large bowl. Add the flour mixture to the egg-yolk mixture, whisking to combine.
- Make the Meringue: Beat egg whites with mixer on high speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and vanilla and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining ¾ cup sugar beating until soft glossy peaks form, or about 5 minutes.
- Combine: Whisk 1/3 of egg-white meringue mixture into the cake batter. Gently fold in the remaining meringue mixture with a rubber spatula.
- Bake: Transfer batter to the UNGREASED tube pan. Bake until top of cake springs back when touched 48 – 53 minutes. Let cool upside down over a bottle for 1 hour.
Next, Prepare the Berries and Cream
- Strawberries: Combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt and let sit for one-hour.
- Cream: Just before assembling, beat the whipping cream and confectioner’s sugar until medium peaks form.
Last, Assemble the Cake:
- Prepare the Cake: Slide a paring knife around edges of cake pan to release the cake. Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers with a serrated knife.
- Layer on Serving Plate: Transfer bottom layer to cake plate. Spread with half the berries and drizzle with strawberry juice. Spread half the whipped cream over berries. Top with middle cake layer. Spread with remaining berries and whipped cream and top with the last piece of cake.
- Chill: Refrigerate 1 hour before cutting and serving.
- Serve: Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve with extra berries as a garnish.
Prep Tips
- Cake flour – This recipe calls for using cake flour and not all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour has a higher protein count and isn’t milled as fine, so these two flours create different kinds of cakes. For this cake, cake flour will create the right kind of texture.
- Cooling – This cake has an unusual step for cooling. You do NOT grease the pan and after you take it out of the oven, you turn the pan over the top of a bottle. Fortunately I had a bottle with a thin neck that worked. This step is what creates the correct texture for the cake. The first time I made this cake I did grease the pan and when I turned it over, it fell out and the cake fell in parts to make it lopsided. By inverting it over a bottle for an hour, the texture stays even.
What To Do If Your Cake Breaks Or Falls
My first attempt at this cake ended up looking less than perfect. I overcooked it a bit, the top was uneven, and it had a big crack in it. I was able to assemble it to look nice though by evening up the layers when cutting and using the whipped cream and berries to cover the problems.
If your cake is beyond fixing when you take it out, you could break it up and make a beautiful trifle with it. Or cut individual pieces that you top with the strawberries and whipped cream.
More Berry Desserts To Try
- Copycat Shoney’s Strawberry Pie
- Bisquick Blackberry Cobbler
- Blueberry Jello Salad
- Bisquick Blueberry Cobbler
- Blueberry Buckle Cake
Strawberry Chiffon Cake Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
If you tried this recipe and loved it too, please rate it!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Granny's in the Kitchen
Strawberry Cream Chiffon Cake
Equipment
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
- 2 Mixing bowls
- whisk
- Tube cake pan
Ingredients
Chiffon Cake
- 2 ¼ cups cake flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup safflower oil
- 7 large egg yolks plus 9 egg whites
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Strawberry Filling:
- 2 pounds strawberries hulled and halved
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Pinch salt
Whipped Cream:
- ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar plus more for sprinkling on top of cake
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Chiffon Cake Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Whisk together flour, ¾ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together oil, egg yolks, and milk.
- Whisk the flour mixture into the egg-yolk mixture.
- Beat egg whites with mixer on high speed until frothy.
- Add cream of tartar and vanilla to the egg whites and beat until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add the remaining ¾ cup sugar, beating until soft glossy peaks form, or about 5 minutes.
- Whisk 1/3 of the egg-white mixture into the cake batter.
- Gently fold in the remaining egg-white mixture with a rubber spatula.
- Transfer batter to an UNGREASED tube pan.
- Bake until top of cake springs back when touched 52 – 55 minutes
- Let cool upside down over a bottle for 1 hour. (Place the pan upside down, so that the neck of a bottle is inside the hole in the middle of the tube pan, holding it up).
To Make The Strawberries:
- Combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt and let sit for one hour.
To Make The Whipped Cream:
- Just before assembling, beat together the whipping cream and confectioner’s sugar until medium peaks form.
To Assemble The Cake:
- Slide a paring knife around the edges of the cake pan to release the cake.
- Cut the cake horizontally into 3 even layers with a serrated knife.
- Transfer the bottom layer to a cake plate or cake stand.
- Spread half the berries on top of the bottom cake layer and drizzle with soe of the strawberry juice.
- Spread half the whipped cream over the berries.
- Top with middle cake layer.
- Spread with remaining berries and whipped cream on the middle layer of cake.
- Place the final cake layer on top.
- Refrigerate 1 hour
- When ready to enjoy, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve with extra berries.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin this Strawberry Cream Chiffon Cake Recipe On Pinterest:
You might also like:
