Light as air, wonderfully moist, and delicately rich, this classic chiffon cake is one of the most elegant cakes you can bake from scratch. It combines the lofty softness of angel food cake with the richness and tenderness of a traditional cake, thanks to whipped egg whites and oil working together in the batter. Whether served simply with berries and whipped cream or transformed into an impressive layer cake, this timeless recipe bakes up tall, fluffy, and beautifully soft every time.
What Is Chiffon Cake?
If you’ve never had chiffon cake before, you’re in for a treat. Chiffon cake is an incredibly light, airy sponge cake with a soft, tender crumb and rich flavor. It’s basically a hybrid between angel food cake and traditional butter cake, borrowing the best qualities of each.
Like angel food cake, chiffon cake gets much of its lift from whipped egg whites, which are folded into the batter to create its signature fluffy texture. But unlike angel food cake, today’s chiffon cake also includes baking powder, egg yolks, and milk. The fat (yolks and milk) add richness, tenderness, and flavor, making the cake taste more buttery… even though there’s no butter in the batter!
The other ingredient that sets chiffon cake apart is oil. While sponge cakes typically rely on only eggs, sugar, and flour; chiffon cake also includes oil, which keeps every bite exceptionally moist and soft. And because it’s made with oil rather than butter, chiffon cake remains soft even when refrigerated. The cake stays tender for days and has a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s hard to resist.
The result is a cake that’s light enough for spring and summer gatherings, yet rich enough to feel like a special dessert. If you’re looking for a cake that isn’t overly sweet or heavy, chiffon cake is a fabulous choice!
Why You’ll Love Chiffon Cake
- Exceptionally light and fluffy without tasting dry
- Moist, tender texture that tastes fresh for days
- Made with oil instead of butter for an incredibly soft crumb
- Delicate vanilla flavor that pairs beautifully with fruit, whipped cream, citrus, chocolate, and more
- Perfect for birthdays, showers, Easter, spring and summer gatherings, and celebration cakes
Chiffon Cake Ingredients You Need & Why
A handful of pantry staples transform into a cake that’s incredibly tall, impossibly soft, and wonderfully light.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, producing a finer, softer crumb. In a pinch, you can use this cake flour substitute, but real cake flour produces the best texture.
- Sugar: We’re sweetening the cake with white granulated sugar. You could also use caster sugar or superfine sugar instead.
- Baking Powder: While the whipped egg whites provide the primary lift, baking powder gives the batter extra insurance for a beautifully tall cake.
- Salt: Always important for flavor enhancing and balancing.
- Eggs: You need 6 eggs. Note that eggs are easier to separate when they’re cold (the yolks are less likely to break), but egg whites whip into greater volume when they’re room temperature; so separate the eggs ahead of time, and then let them come to room temp before you begin.
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar stabilizes the whipped egg whites, helping them hold maximum volume while they’re folded into the batter.
- Milk: Some chiffon cake recipes call for water, but I like to use whole milk for an extra touch of richness. The proteins and sugars in milk help soften the crumb and contribute to a finer texture. Fun fact: lactose promotes browning, so a chiffon cake made with milk often develops a slightly deeper golden color than one made with water!
- Canola or Vegetable Oil: Oil coats the flour proteins, limiting gluten development and creating an exceptionally moist, tender cake. Unlike butter, oil remains liquid at cooler temperatures, which helps the cake stay soft even when refrigerated. Use an oil that’s neutral in flavor, so the vanilla can shine. 🙂
- Pure Vanilla: This is the main flavor in today’s cake, so reach for the good stuff! I especially love using vanilla bean paste in this recipe, but you can use pure vanilla extract instead.
Key Steps in This Classic Chiffon Cake Recipe
First, separate your eggs:
Sift together the dry ingredients, including half of the sugar. You need a sieve for this recipe; here is a set that I own and love.
Next, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. With the mixer running, slowly add the remaining sugar, then beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. This step creates much of the cake’s signature lift and airy texture:
Set this meringue aside and beat together the remaining wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until combined.
Finally, fold in the meringue. Start with half to lighten the batter, then gently fold in the rest until combined. A few streaks are fine at first—just be careful not to overmix or deflate the whipped egg whites.
Bake in an Ungreased Tube Pan
If you don’t have one, I recommend this tube pan.
And this might surprise you, but don’t grease the pan.
Why? The batter actually needs to cling to the tall sides as it climbs upward during baking, to produce the cake’s impressive height.
If the pan is greased, the cake may slide downward instead of rising tall.
Additionally, the center tube helps heat circulate evenly through the thick layer of batter. Without it, the outside would finish baking long before the center.
Cool the Cake Upside Down
Once baked, immediately invert the pan. Cooling upside down prevents the delicate structure from collapsing while it finishes setting.
Serving Suggestions
Classic chiffon cake is delicious all on its own, with a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar, but I especially love serving it with whipped cream and fresh berries.
I’ve included a cream cheese whipped cream topping in the recipe below that’s a bit sturdier and more stable than classic whipped cream. It’s very similar to my recipe for not-so-sweet whipped frosting.
The cream cheese whipped cream is light yet pipeable, and pairs perfectly with delicate chiffon cake. Today’s cake would also taste wonderful with:
- Classic homemade whipped cream
- Lemon curd
- Vanilla mascarpone cream from this fruit tart
- Chocolate ganache
- Strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce, raspberry sauce, or raspberry cake filling
It’s also an excellent base for layered celebration cakes because it’s sturdy enough to stack while remaining incredibly light. You can bake the cake in 3 round cake pans or slice the cooled tube cake horizontally and fill and assemble the cake that way.
Can I Make a Chiffon Cake Without a Tube Pan?
Yes! If you don’t have a 10-inch tube pan, you can bake this batter as a layer cake in three 8-inch round baking pans. (Pictured below!)
- Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper rounds, but don’t grease the pans. Divide the batter evenly among the pans.
- Bake time will be about 20–23 minutes, and you’ll still cool the cakes upside down (so they don’t collapse).
- Full details can be found in the recipe Notes below.
Do not use a Bundt pan for chiffon cake. You’ll have a very hard time getting it out in one piece. You need a tube pan, which has a flat bottom and straight sides.
Chiffon Cake Success Tips
- Use room-temperature egg whites for maximum volume. Separate the eggs while they’re cold, then let them come to room temperature before using.
- An ungreased aluminum tube pan works best.
- Weigh your ingredients whenever possible for the most accurate results.
- Bake at a lower temperature than most cakes: 325°F (163°C) is the sweet spot for chiffon cake because it allows the delicate foam structure to expand, set, and bake evenly without collapsing.
- Don’t open the oven during the first 30 minutes of baking.
- Cool completely (upside down!) before removing from the pan to preserve the cake’s lofty texture.
- Use a serrated knife to slice the cake—it will glide right through!
In short, take your time whipping the egg whites, fold them in gently, and don’t skip cooling the cake upside down. Master those simple techniques and you’ll have a dependable classic that always earns a few surprised “You made this?!” reactions.
Both cakes rely heavily on whipped eggs for structure, but chiffon cake also contains oil and baking powder. The oil makes chiffon cake much moister and softer than most sponge cakes.
Angel food cake uses only egg whites and contains no fat. Chiffon cake uses both egg whites and egg yolks plus oil, giving it a richer flavor and softer crumb. My version uses whole milk as well.
Common reasons include: over or under-whipped egg whites, folding too aggressively, greasing the pan, under-baking, and/or not cooling the cake upside down.
No, do not use a Bundt pan for chiffon cake. You’ll have a very hard time getting it out in one piece. You need a tube pan, which has a flat bottom and straight sides. If you don’t have one, I recommend this tube pan. Or see recipe Notes for how to bake this as a layer cake.
Classic Chiffon Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to make classic chiffon cake from scratch. This light, fluffy, moist vanilla cake is easy to make and stays soft for days. This recipe relies on a few key techniques for success, so I recommend reading through the instructions before you begin. See the recipe Notes for details on baking the cake as a layer cake in three 8-inch round pans.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 and 2/3 cups (200g) cake flour*
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature*
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2/3 cup (160g/ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113g/120ml) canola oil or vegetable oil*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream (Optional)
- 3 ounces (85g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (240g/ml) heavy cream, cold
- 3 Tablespoons (23g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- fresh berries, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, 1/2 cup (100g) of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the remaining 1/2 cup (100g) of sugar. Increase to high speed and whip until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Set aside. (If you used a stand mixer bowl, transfer the meringue to another bowl and reuse the mixer bowl in the next step.)
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the egg yolks, milk, oil, and vanilla on medium-high speed until pale and frothy, about 2 minutes.
- Sift the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, and whisk to combine. Add half of the meringue to the batter and use a spatula to gently fold it all together to incorporate. Then fold in the remaining meringue. Work slowly and gently so you don’t deflate the egg whites. The batter should be light and fluffy. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 45–55 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Insert a toothpick near the center; if it comes out clean, the cake is done. (Our test cakes always took exactly 50 minutes.)
- Immediately invert the cake pan onto a cooling rack and leave the cake upside down until completely cool. Run a thin knife around the edges to help loosen the sides. Gently tap the pan, upside down, on a serving stand or plate to release the cake.
- Make the cream cheese whipped cream, if using: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, and beat until completely smooth (absolutely no lumps!). Add a few Tablespoons of the cold heavy cream, and beat until the mixture loosens and smooths out. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly stream in the remaining heavy cream. Increase to medium-high speed and whip until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Spread or pipe on the cake. In the pictured cake, I used Ateco 808 large round piping tip. Garnish with fresh berries, if desired. Slice and serve.
- Store leftover cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If topped with the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream, store the cake covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The baked and cooled cake can be covered tightly and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If serving with whipped cream and fresh berries, garnish the cake on the day you plan to serve it. The cake freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving. If using the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream topping, you can prepare it up to 1 day in advance and refrigerate it until ready to use.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Egg Separator | Glass Mixing Bowls | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Fine Mesh Sieve | 10-inch Tube Pan | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco 808 Round Piping Tip
- Cake Flour: Cake flour is ideal for chiffon cake because its lower protein content creates the softest, most delicate crumb. In a pinch, you can use this cake flour substitute, but real cake flour produces the best texture.
- Eggs: Eggs separate more easily when cold, but egg whites whip to greater volume when at room temperature. I recommend separating the eggs while they’re cold, then covering and letting them sit at room temperature for about 30–60 minutes before beginning the recipe.
- Best Oil to Use: Use an oil that’s neutral in flavor, so the vanilla can shine, such as canola oil or vegetable oil. I also love using avocado oil in this cake. I have not tested it with other oils. Do not substitute with butter.
- Milk: Whole milk is ideal because its fat content contributes richness and a soft, tender crumb. In a pinch, 2% or 1% milk will work, though the cake won’t be quite as rich. I do not recommend nonfat milk. I have not tested this cake with nondairy milk. Some chiffon cake recipes use water instead of milk, but I prefer milk for its flavor and texture benefits.
- Do Not Use a Bundt Cake Pan: Do not use a Bundt pan for chiffon cake. You’ll have a very hard time getting it out in one piece. You need a tube pan, which has a flat bottom and straight sides. Or try this as a layer cake (see next note).
- Layer Cake Instructions: Line three 8-inch round pans with parchment paper rounds; do not grease the pans. Bake time is around 20–23 minutes. The cakes are done when the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Invert the cake pans onto cooling racks and cool the cakes in the pans upside down for 45 minutes, or until completely cool. Run a knife around the edges to help loosen the sides, remove the cakes from the pans and peel off the parchment rounds, and place right side up on the cooling racks. If using the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Topping to fill and frost the cake, double the topping recipe. This yields enough for a filling between the layers and a light coating on the top. Refrigerate the assembled cake until ready to serve.
As I developed this recipe, I relied on many of the chiffon cake techniques and baking principles I’ve learned from King Arthur Baking over the years.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Super easy recipe to follow, and it came out great. I didn’t have any fruit to garnish, but I think it definitely could use that fresh berry addition to level up the flavors. Otherwise the cream cheese topping helps to add a little zing.
The instructions were very good. It’s a very light and airy cake. But it’s not my favorite, I find it too bland.
This makes a cake with a great consistency. Light and airy but also a little more dense than angel food cake. I swapped the frosting to a cream cheese frosting sure to weather making the whipped cream not work well and it was a great pairing still.
Sally would I be able to use buttermilk in place of whole milk? Or part heavy cream part water?
Hi Jamie, Whole milk is ideal because its fat content contributes richness and a soft, tender crumb. You could try a combination of heavy cream and water, but be careful not to go too heavy on the heavy cream, as it would weigh down the cake.
This cake is among my favorite category of baked goods, I love cake over all else. Vanilla, no frosting just sweet enough – this is it! A lovely recipe, easy to pull together, resulting in a delicious cake.
This recipe goes up in a snap. Can’t wait to share with friends!
I’m so excited about this cake! Quite literally the perfect texture. I didn’t have luck piping the whipped cream but it tasted spectacular and spread just fine.
Love’s this slightly challenging recipe! Easy to follow steps to take it on without being too intimidating.
Turned out great! The fruit pairs very well – nice and light for summer!
Out of 42 delicious baking challenges, this is my favorite!
This was easy to make and turned out beautiful. The flavor wasn’t what I was expecting. Definitely not a very sweet dessert, sort of a sour flavor when combined with the icing. Not something I would make again, but great if you’re looking for something not too rich.
The cake turned out so light. The recipe was easy to follow and yielded perfect results.
I made this for my husbands birthday! It is a perfect birthday cake or summer dessert. I used my tube pan but next time I think I may try it with 3 8inch round layers so I can add extra fruit and the creamy frosting between each layer.
Love this recipe! It came out so light, fluffy and delicious! A perfect recipe for summer. Will definitely be making again
Who knew making a cake from scratch could be so easy? We loved following the step by step instructions and being rewarded with a beautiful cake. It tasted great and stored well in the refrigerator. We are still trying to perfect folding beaten egg whites into recipes and this gave us more practice.
First time making a chiffon cake and it turned out perfectly and was so good. The cake is light and even with the cream cheese whipped cream it wasn’t too sweet.
Easy recipe to follow, and relatively quick, for what is a visually appealing and tasty cake. The whipped topping and fruit are necessary in my opinion.
Fabulous recipe with very clear and helpful instructions.
The cake was perfect for a fourth of july dessert! It was a hit at my party! I will definitely make it again do good!!
The flavor of this cake was very good. And really loved the cream cheese light icing. I added strawberries also which was yummy. I think I used older baking powder as the cake only rose 1/2 way up the tube pan. And it looked pretty dense when cut. Overall a yummy cake.
I bought a tube pan many months ago because this cake was on my bucket list. I finally made it and it was totally worth the wait. This cake is perfectly light and airy. I love it so much. Big hit with the family too.
I’ve been dreaming of this cake ever since I made it, don’t hesitate to make it! You won’t regret it!!
This is a great recipe and it tastes wonderful. My husband loved it and said I need to make it again. The recipe was not to difficult either.
I have a question, have you ever used White Lily flour as a substitute for cake flour? I use this flour for biscuits and I was tempted to try it in this recipe.
Hi Margaret, we haven’t tested it to be able to weigh in. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it turns out!
Such a lovely, delicate and elegant cake, yet so simple to make.
I have always wanted to try making a chiffon cake and I was so happy it was this month’s challenge recipe. I was surprised that it was pretty easy to make. It was delicious and not overly sweet. So soft and fluffy, too!