Nyob Zoo All!
As some of you may know, I’m a full time Pastry Chef. Since a lot of you wanted me to show my version of a sponge cake that’s not too sweet, here we are! My strawberry vanilla chiffon cake that’s super soft, light, and goes perfectly with the NOT TOO sweet filling and whipped cream frosting or also known as Chantilly cream. It’s the perfect dessert to make as a gift or to bring to a party. So Happy Baking and Happy Holidays to you all! 🙂
Main Ingredients
The cake: The cake I like to make is a chiffon cake. A chiffon cake is a sponge cake that consist of whipped egg whites to give it that fluffy, light, and spongy texture. It’s also rich in flavor because of the egg yolks, oil and whole milk added to the batter. Since this cake is so light, it’s amazing paired with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
Cake flour: Cake flour is important when making a cake. Cake flour is specifically made for cakes because it has a lower % of protein, meaning it creates a much tender & lighter crumb compared to if you were using all purpose flour and or bread flour. Cake flour usually contains 2% protein vs all purpose flour containing around 8-11% and with bread flour reaching to 12-14%.
These three brands of cake flour are my favorites to use. If you can find the Korean brand (the far right), I highly recommend using this one because the flour is a lot finer and it creates a super cotton like cake. The cake also stays super soft as it sits in the fridge. Swans Down works well, however, it does get a little dry the longer it sit. King Arthur makes for a very tall and consistent cake, however, it also gets a little dry the longer it sit. My ranking for the cake flour is
- Korean Brand (Can easily be found at H mart, other Korean grocery stores or online)
- King Arthur (Can be found at your big supermarket)
- Swans Down (Can be found at your big supermarket)
Mixing the egg yolk mixture and whipping up the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold in the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture.
The cake pan:
I’m using an 8 inch round non-stick cake pan with a removable bottom to help remove the cake a lot easier. This pan works the best for chiffon cakes as it helps keeps the shape of the cake intact. The cake pan is also 3 inches tall.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT SPRAY OR LINED THE PAN WITH OIL/BUTTER/ and or PARCHMENT. WHY? Since this is a chiffon cake made with whipped egg whites, this cake does like to slightly deflate when it cools. When the cake deflates, it will lose a bit of it’s structure/form. The best way to help keep the cake structure intact, it’s best for the cake to stick onto the pan. If you spray it or lined it with parchment, the cake will detach, loose its structure, & most likely shrink and get all wrinkly.
Baking
Bake for 45 minutes at an oven temperature of 325’F. Once cooked, remove and flip it UPSIDE DOWN to cool. Cooling it upside down helps keep the cake from collapsing. It’s normal for chiffon cakes to deflate a bit as it cools.
Once cooled, remove the cake by pulling the cake away from the side of the pan. Then lift the bottom tin and push the cake out. You can use a butter knife to detach the sides of the cake first before pushing the cake out so you have a more clean removal. For the bottom of the pan, I like to use my offset spatula to detach the cake cleanly.
Cut the cake into 3 equal pieces. You can make this a 2 layer cake but 3 is best 🙂
THE FILLING
Most people will just add fresh chopped strawberries and whipped cream as the filling. But I do like a little more flavor and texture so I do enjoy making a quick strawberry jam and also mix in fresh chopped strawberries. The quick strawberry jam can be done a day ahead and be put in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. Just add in fresh diced strawberries the day you are filling the cake. 
THE FROSTING
I love a good chantilly cream or also known as whipped cream frosting. I do like to add a few more ingredients to a basic whipped cream frosting for extra flavor and texture.
Heavy whipping cream: Use HEAVY whipping cream since it contains a higher % of fat. The higher % of fat, the more creamier and stabilize the cream will be. I like to use around 38-40% heavy whipping cream.
Mascarpone: Mascarpone is also great in whipped cream frosting for stability and extra richness. Cream cheese can also be used, but I don’t care for the sour taste cream cheese gives compared to mascarpone. Mascarpone is much more subtle but with an added richness which I love.
Kirsch: Kirsch is a cherry flavored brandy. Don’t worry, it doesn’t make your cream taste like the artificial cherry flavor you’re thinking of. It’s made from distilling fresh sour cherries which has a more subtle natural cherry flavor compared to artificial cherry flavor. I like to add it to the whipped cream for another depth of flavor. It’s optional if you can’t find it or don’t want to use. But I do like it for an extra boost of flavor.
Pure vanilla extract, powder sugar, and sea salt are important for flavor. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Add powder sugar for sweetness, and a bit of sea salt to help balance the sweetness. 
The garnish
Use fresh fruit and add a bit of edible flowers or sprinkle to elevate your cake
EQUIPMENTS
Here are a list of equipments I like to use when decorating a cake
- Bench Scraper: Helps smooth out the side of the cake when frosting.
- Offset spatula: Both small and large size to help smooth out the sides and top of the cake.
- Cookie scooper: It’s optional but great to scoop out frosting equally.
- Piping tips: I like to use a 789 piping tip to frost the cake. I like to use a 824 piping tip to fill the cake with frosting and to make rosettes.
- Piping bag: Helps with piping frosting with ease.
- Serrated knife: Have a good serrated knife so you can cut the cake easily. Serrated knife has ridges to help you cut through the cake easier.
- Cake turntable: Helps with frosting the cake evenly and to decorate with ease.
- Cake boards: I like to use 9 inch or 10 inch round or square cake boards to place the cake on before decorating. Cake boards will help make a cleaner decorated cake and will also help transfer the cake to box a lot easier.
Decorating the cake
When frosting and decorating, the bottom layer of cake should be the top layer of the cake that you cut. Pipe frosting around the circumference of the cake and then fill it with half the strawberry filling and a little bit more whipped cream. Repeat with the middle layer of cake, frosting, and the last of the strawberry filling. Then layer the top of the cake with the bottom layer of the cake since it has a much more even and leveled surface to work with. 
Then finish with frosting the outside and top. Decorate the top with rosettes, fresh fruit, and edible flowers. I like to also add round slices of strawberries to the sides of the cake. But decoration is all your creation so have fun with it! 
ENJOY!
And that’s it! Cut it and enjoy it right away OR keep in it in the fridge covered overnight and enjoy it the next day. I do like to eat it the next day since the cake was able to absorb the moisture of the strawberry filling and frosting, making it a much tender cake to enjoy. This cake will last in the fridge for at least 3-4 days if stored correctly.
List of all the tools I like to have when making a cake
- Cake pan
- Cake turntable
- Offset spatula
- Spatula
- Scale
- Sifter
- Whisk
- Cake boards
- KitchenAid mixer
- Bench scrapper
- Piping bag
- Piping tips
- Serrated knife
- Baking sheet
HAPPY BAKING!
-Cindy Her (C.HerCreations)
STRAWBERRY VANILLA CHIFFON CAKE w/ Whipped Cream Frosting [Chantilly Cream]
Equipment
- 1 8 inch round 3 inch tall cake pan w/ removable bottom
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
For the egg yolk batter
- 140 grams cake flour about 1 cup [I like to use Korean brand soft/cake flour or you can use either King Arthur or Swans Down]
- 7 grams baking powder (1 1/2 tsp)
- 1.5 grams salt (1/4 tsp) (I like to use Himalayan salt)
- 60 grams egg yolks (3 whole egg yolks)
- 50 grams sugar (1/4 cup)
- 72 grams vegetable oil (1/3 cup)
- 125 ml whole milk (1/2 cup)
- 3 grams vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract (1 tsp)
For the whipped egg whites
- 144 grams egg whites (5 egg whites)
- 1 gram cream of tartar (1/4 tsp)
- 50 grams sugar (1/4 cups)
FOR THE STRAWBERRY FILLING
- 230 grams strawberry (pulsed)
- 50 grams sugar (1/4 cup)
- 16 grams lemon juice (1 Tbsp)
- 9 grams cornstarch (1 Tbsp)
- 230 grams fresh chopped strawberries
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING
- 683 grams heavy whipping cream ( I like to use Dairygold 40% milkfat)
- 168 grams mascarpone
- 84 grams powder sugar (sifted)
- 12 grams pure vanilla extract
- 18 grams Kirsch (optional if you can't find it but I recommend)
- 1.5 grams salt (I like to use Himalayan salt)
Instructions
Mixing and baking the cake
- Preheat oven to 325'F or 162'C
- In a bowl, sift all the dry then add in all the egg yolks, 50g sugar, vegetable oil, whole milk and vanilla paste or extract. Whisk well until there are no lumps. Set aside
- In a separate bowl or mixer bowl (if using KitchenAid), add in the egg white and cream of tartar. Whisk on level 4 for about 2 minutes until you see foams forming or soft peak stage, then bump the speed up to 6 while adding 50grams of sugar slowly until you have just reached stiff peaks. DO NOT OVERWHIP or else your cake will rise very big and then deflate a lot as it cools. Then pour the egg whites into the yolk batter. With a spatula, fold the whites gently in with the yolks until it has fully combine.
- Transfer the batter onto a an UNGREASED 8 inch non-stick removable bottom round cake pan. Tap about 10 times on your work surface to release air pockets. Then transfer to the oven.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 50 minutes until the center is fully cooked. Mine took exactly 45 minutes. Take it out and let it cool upside down before releasing the cake from the edges of the pan.
For the strawberry filling
- In a food processor add in 230g strawberry. Puree with some texture. Then transfer to a good nonstick pan and add in the sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Turn on the heat to medium and cook while stirring constantly until the filling has thicken and becomes translucent. Transfer the filling to a clean bowl and place plastic wrap touching the top and put it in the fridge to cool before using. Once cooled, add in 230g of freshly chopped strawberries. Mix well and it's ready to use.
For the whipped cream frosting
- In a mixing bowl, add in the mascarpone, powder sugar, vanilla, salt, and krisch. With a whisk attachment, whisk until you see no lumps. Then add in the heavy whipping cream and whip until you just reached medium stiff peaks. DO NOT OVER MIX since it will too stiff to work with. Divide the frosting into two piping bags [one bag with a 789 piping tip and the other with a 824 tip]
LAYERING/FROSTING
- Cut the cake into 3 equal pieces with a serrated knife. You can trim a little bit of the top if it has a dome like shape so you can work with more of a flat surface cake.
- Place a slightly wet paper towel (this helps stabilize your cake board) onto your cake turner along with a 9 or 10 inch round cake board. Then place 1 layer of cake on it. With the 824 tip, pipe the cream around the border of the cake. Then add in half the strawberry filling and spread evenly w/ an offset spatula. Place the second layer of cake on top & repeat again with the frosting on the border of the cake. Then add in the rest of strawberry filling and spread evenly. Then place the last layer of cake on top (I like to use the bottom layer of the cake as the top since it's flatter). With the 789 tip, pipe the cream on the sides and on top of the cake. With a bench scrapper, smooth out the sides at a slight angle until it has reached your desire look. With an offset spatula, smooth and level the cream on the top of the cake
- Finish making rosettes with the 824 tip on the top of the cake and decorate with more fresh fruit and fresh flowers if you like. Decorating is all up to you now. Finish with a cake topper or a written note on it.
- Enjoy it fresh or be like me, I like to wrap it, put in the fridge and eat it the next day since it does get softer as the cake is able to absorb some of the moisture from the filling and cream.
