Best Chiffon Cake Bake Off

Searching for the most delightfully airy and fluffy chiffon cake recipe? We tested 9 different chiffon recipes in one day in search of the best!

Searching for the best chiffon cake recipe was not at all on my radar for years. Previously, I associated chiffon cake with the typical Asian bakery cakes: think glazed fresh fruit and suspiciously bland (to me) whipped cream on top of fluffy but equally bland sponge cake. But as I learned from this bake off, sponge cake and chiffon cake are actually NOT the same!

And this bake off changed my whole perspective on chiffon cake: it’s actually a miraculous hybrid between butter cakes and angel food cake. You get the richness of a butter cake AND the lightness of a sponge cake for an incredibly fluffy texture that also melts in your mouth. The perfect vehicle for more subtle flavors and lighter textures!

In this bake off, I tested 9 chiffon cakes with different techniques and ingredients in one day and it might honestly be one of my favorite bake offs yet. Let’s dive in!

Metholodology

• I baked all 9 chiffon cakes in one day
• 47 total tasters rated samples of all 9 cakes
• Each taster rated each cake on a scale from 0-10 for flavor, texture and overall as a whole (see Results section below for the ratings)
• All recipes were baked the same day of tasting for freshness
• Most cakes were baked in half sheet pans for ease (King Arthur and Cook Til Delicious both indicate chiffon cakes can successfully be baked in half sheet pans.) Only Preppy Kitchen and Cook Til Delicious were baked in tube pans (randomly selected based on my baking schedule).
• Ingredients were measured by weight according to King Arthur (unless the recipe specified weights)

Ingredients

• Gold Medal bleached all-purpose flour
• Swan’s Down bleached cake flour
• Kirkland unsalted butter
• Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt

What is chiffon cake?

Are sponge cake and chiffon cake the same thing? The short answer is no.

You can think of foam cakes as the parent category to many cakes leavened mainly by whipped eggs: chiffon, sponge, angel food cake, genoise, hot milk, etc. A primer on a few types of foam cakes:

• Sponge cakes: Generally composed of eggs, sugar and flour with no fat or chemical leaveners. Sponge cakes are leavened solely by beaten egg whites.
• Angel food cake: Similar ingredients and technique to sponge cakes except these use no egg yolks! Again, angel food cake contains no fat or chemical leaveners; these are leavened solely by beaten egg whites.
• Genoise: Unlike a sponge cake cake which uses separated, whipped egg whites to leaven, genoise uses beaten whole eggs and does contain fat (usually butter). Typically, genoise cakes don’t contain chemical leaveners and are leavened with the beaten eggs and sugar mixture.
• Chiffon cake: Like a genoise, chiffon cakes also contains fat (typically oil instead of butter). However, a chiffon cake is more similar to a sponge cake, using whipped egg whites and sometimes a chemical leavener to leaven the cake rather than whipped whole eggs. Per Ruth Tam, “Western chiffon cakes usually include a chemical leavener while Asian-style chiffon cakes may or may not.”

In short, chiffon cakes are different from sponge cakes thanks to a generally higher proportion of fat and liquid, which makes them more rich and moist.

As I mentioned above, you can think of chiffon cakes as a hybrid of a butter cake and angel food cake. You get the higher-fat richness of a butter cake with the spongy texture and airiness of a sponge cake thanks to the whipped egg whites. The common technique of beating the oil, egg yolks and flour together also serves as a kind of reverse creaming method. This helps coat the flour proteins in fat, reducing gluten formation and leading to a more tender cake. All in all, a winning formula for a light and airy cake with a cloud-like texture!

Results

In my mind, there was a clear winner in this bake off–a cake where I took a bite and thought: THIS is my ideal chiffon cake in terms of what it should feel, smell and taste like. And that recipe, Preppy Kitchen, actually came in second–absolutely neck and neck with our crowd favorite, Cook Til Delicious, trailing by just a tiny flavor point.

This goes to show that, as always, everyone has different flavor preferences. One person’s clear favorite might be another person’s least favorite. For that reason, I always encourage you to read through the entire post and try the recipe that sounds like it will fit your ideal preferences.

I had several other favorites in this bake off that can all be applied to different use cases–find my recommendations at the bottom of the post!

Factors affecting chiffon cake

The ingredients in a typical chiffon cake are pretty simple: flour, sugar, eggs, vegetable oil (or in rare cases, butter), water or milk, salt, baking powder, cream of tartar and vanilla. Below you can see a rough ingredient percentage breakdown of the 9 chiffon cakes I tested:

Interestingly, the ratios for the top two cakes are quite similar with deviances mainly in the liquid and fat content. One through line I noticed: in general, tasters tended to rate the cakes with a higher flour ratio lower than the cakes with a more moderate flour ratio.

Here are a few takeaways I learned from testing all 9 recipes side by side!

Use oil for a classic airy texture, butter for a richer crumb

Using oil is commonly mentioned as one of the characteristic ingredients of chiffon cake. But when Nicola Lamb mentioned her new and improved chiffon sponge cake using all butter, I had to try it!

All of the recipes I tested used oil as the fat besides Nicola and I Bake Mistakes (which used butter and oil). The cakes that used butter were instantly noticeable with a definitively richer, heavier texture and shorter bite compared to the airy, cottony crumb of other oil-based chiffons. Some tasters preferred this (very tasty and felt closer to a true butter cake) while some didn’t (didn’t feel like a true chiffon cake).

Ultimately, my takeaway is that using oil is best if you want a truly classic, light and airy chiffon cake (that will still melt in your mouth). However, using butter will push what’s already a hybrid butter/foam cake closer to the butter cake end of the spectrum while still maintaining a delightfully light texture.

Use cake flour for the lightest texture and sweet flavor

A slight majority of the chiffon cakes I tested used cake flour while the remaining four (Nicola Lamb, I Bake Mistakes, Serious Eats, King Arthur) used all-purpose flour. I was curious to see if the flour choice would make a significant difference.

Cake flour is a lower protein flour (typically 6-8% protein vs. 9-12% protein in all-purpose flour), which is ideal to use in a chiffon cake where you want less gluten development and a more soft and delicate cake.

Note that cake flour can come bleached or unbleached. Bleached flour (which I used in this bake off) reportedly helps reduce gluten formation even more as the flour proteins are weakened, which helps absorb more water and leads to thicker batters. (I recently tested Sugarologie with unbleached cake flour and didn’t notice a huge difference.) Using bleached vs. unbleached cake flour can also lead to a flavor discrepancy. Personally, I love the flavor of bleached cake flour because the very distinct sweetness reminds me of the nostalgic flavor of boxed cake mix.

You can find an amazing comparison of all-purpose vs. bleached/unbleached cake flour in Handle the Heat’s Cake Flour 101 post. (Spoiler alert: she recommends using Swan’s Down bleached cake flour for the best results, which is what I used in this bake off.)

Overall, the cake flour recipes tended to rate higher than the all-purpose flour cakes, which all landed towards the bottom except for I Bake Mistakes. This could be due to confounding factors (King Arthur used olive oil, Nicola Lamb used all butter, Serious Eats probably should have been baked in a different pan for structure), but generally it’s clear that cake flour will likely yield the best results for a chiffon cake. Personally, I really noticed the cake flour flavor come through in a positive way in Preppy Kitchen and Sugarologie, and I wonder if others also boosted their flavor assessments for the same reason.

But it’s nice to know that you can still bake a perfectly nice chiffon cake with all-purpose should you run out of cake flour! (I’d happily make any of the all-purpose flour cakes again.)

Use cornstarch for an even shorter bite

Sugarologie was the only cake that used cornstarch in addition to cake flour. Adriana explains this “decreases the amount of gluten forming proteins in the total amount of starches needed for the cake.” This addition gave the cake a uniquely short bite which I really liked.

However, the higher overall ratio of starch may have given this cake a slightly drier texture compared to others. She actually has an updated version of her cake that uses potato starch which I’m curious to try!

Use cold eggs and sugar up front for a more stable meringue

Room temperature eggs are generally preferred when it comes to meringue because they can foam up more quickly and to a greater volume. However! Ruth notes that a many Asian chiffon recipes call for cold egg whites. Why? You’ll need to beat cold egg whites for slightly longer, and if you beat them at lower speeds, you’ll build up a stronger network of air bubbles that are more stable and less likely to collapse when you fold them into the batter.

I successfully used cold eggs in all of the recipes I tested. Would recommend, especially because it means you don’t need to think about tempering them before you start!

Along the same lines of creating a more stable meringue, Devil’s Food Kitchen notes that adding sugar early into your whipped eggs leads to a dense, firm meringue. Serious Eats was the only recipe that did this–adding sugar early allows it to melt into a syrup once it meets the egg whites. This adds bulk and stability to the foam, but also weighs the meringue down, creating a denser and less voluminous foam–and this was apparent in Serious Eats’ very finely-crumbed cake.

Meanwhile, adding sugar towards the end leads to a “light, fluid meringue.” The sugar will still melt into a syrup once it meets the foamed egg whites, but it will help add bulk to the foam that’s already been generated. This can lead to super fluffy, slightly bigger-crumbed cakes like Cook Til Delicious.

Interestingly, Preppy Kitchen (which looked almost identical to Cook Til Delicious) was the only recipe that didn’t use a whipped meringue. Preppy Kitchen simply calls for folding plain whipped egg whites into the batter, which is a less stable way to incorporate the egg whites but apparently still works well!

Do you need baking powder for lift?

The majority of the recipes that I chose are Western recipes and include baking powder. Just two recipes (Cook Til Delicious and Sheldo’s Kitchen) omit chemical leavening. Ruth’s explanation: chemical leaveners only expand existing air pockets rather than creating new ones. So while it can help with lift, she also believes it can lead to a more uneven crumb with bigger holes, so she skips it.

It’s quite hard to see in the photos, but if we compare two very similar-looking recipes like Preppy Kitchen and Cook Til Delicious, I did think the holes in Preppy Kitchen’s cake were slightly larger. However, I didn’t see a big difference in the evenness of the crumb, so I don’t think baking powder actually leads to a more uneven crumb. By the same token, I don’t think you NEED baking powder for lift since PK and CTD had almost identical height.

In summary, I couldn’t really tell the difference in lift or structure between recipes with baking powder vs. without, but I think it’s nice to have in a recipe for extra insurance.

No milk? No problem! (Use water)

I’m always of the mind that using more fat leads to a superior cake texture, so to me using milk instead of water in a cake makes sense. However, Adriana from Sugarologie notes that she’s transitioned from using milk to water in her cake for a softer crumb because it’s “pure moisture and no milk proteins.” She also didn’t find any flavor benefit from using milk.

Ultimately, the cakes that used milk were: Cook Til Delicious, I Bake Mistakes, Sheldo’s Kitchen and Nicola Lamb. There was no correlation in the ratings (and lots of confounding factors), so my takeaway is that milk or water can be used fairly interchangeably. Serious Eats calls for seltzer for extra lift, but I honestly doubt it makes a huge difference!

Who needs a water bath?

I didn’t test any chiffon cakes with water baths and honestly after testing these 9 recipes, I don’t think any of them really need one! They’re super soft, cottony and spongy without one.

Analysis

Now for a breakdown of each individual cake, starting with the lowest-rated cake (which was still delicious) and ending with the highest-rated. All recipes are linked below.

King Arthur: a very finely-textured, delicately spongy cake with a slightly savory quality

While perhaps not fair to throw in an olive oil cake against cakes using neutral oil, this King Arthur recipe caught my eye for several reasons. It was one of four cakes that used all-purpose flour and was the only cake to use light brown sugar and olive oil. It also uses water (not milk) and is baked in a sheet pan, which inspired me to bake most of the other cakes in a sheet pan for ease as well.

When I was tasting through the cakes, the olive oil flavor immediately came through in this cake, and I suspect that didn’t help this cake’s ratings. This cake felt very similar to Serious Eats with its very fine network of holes in the crumb that looked like it would be dense but actually yielded a pretty foamy, delicate and moist crumb. I found the crumb fascinating for how tight yet light it was. Overall, this flavor was one of my least favorites RELATIVE to the other cakes. But as someone who just made and loved an olive oil chiffon cake, I’m positive I’d really enjoy the savory-adjacent flavor if made as a standalone cake. This is a great overall chiffon cake for most applications–it feels sturdy, yet light.

Taster comments:

• Flavor feels off- too salty? and texture was very dense and deflated
• Everything about it is just okay- nothing stands out
• I didn’t like this one cause texture wise it was dense and heavy. The flavor had a weird bitter aftertaste that I found unappealing.

Nicola Lamb: a richer, vanilla and egg-forward cake that feels closer to a true butter cake

When Nicola Lamb says she has a new favorite chiffon cake, you pay attention! The recipe I tested is paywalled, but you can find her previous favorite (and fairly similar) chiffon recipe un-paywalled. The updated cake has a little less butter, more flour and slightly more baking powder. I was most curious to test Nicola’s recipe because I couldn’t find a single other chiffon cake recipe that uses solely butter (no oil) as the fat. Nicola also uses all-purpose flour and whole milk in her very straightforward recipe.

Ultimately, Nicola’s cake baked up most similar to I Bake Mistakes which, no surprise, was the only other cake that also used butter (along with oil). Relative to the other cakes, this cake definitely had a coarser, heavier, richer crumb. It had just a hair more chew and density compared to I Bake Mistakes while still having a slight cottony feel that reminded me of Food52. Of all the cakes I tested, this was definitely closest to a true butter cake with a nice vanilla/eggy flavor, though I thought it was a bit blander compared to the well-salted I Bake Mistakes. This cake was probably the sturdiest out of this group of cakes and would stand up really well to heavier fillings (I almost think it could pair with an American buttercream).

Taster comments:

• Really liked this one! I thought this was similar to cornbread but in the best way. Not sure if that is desirable in a chiffon cake but I thought it was really tasty.
• More dense and not as airy, but moist with a honey (?) undertone — I liked this one!
• Slightly oilier but that wasn’t unpleasant, really nice plush crumb
• Tight, dense crumb; not much flavor; reminded me of cornbread texture
• Ok actually this is dense. Borderline like cornbread. Super tight crumb. The flavor isn’t offensive though I enjoy it. Not airy fluffy enough to be a perfect chiffon cake but it tastes good.
• Very dense and spongy. Does not have the same spring back when touched as the other samples do. Pretty bland in flavor.
• Not giving chiffon cake, dense and not really moist, flavor particularly bland

Serious Eats: a foamy, fine-crumbed cake that’s light and eggy

This recipe by Bravetart/Stella Parks promises to be delicate and soft thanks to seltzer water and a meringue whipped in stages. While most chiffon cake recipes call for foaming the egg whites before adding sugar gradually, Stella calls for combining the egg whites, sugar and vanilla all at once for a dense, stable meringue that eliminates over-whipping. She also calls for lemon juice instead of cream of tartar to stabilize the meringue, and slowly increasing the whipping speed until you achieve soft peaks. This was another recipe that uses all-purpose flour instead of the more popular cake flour.

Similar to King Arthur, this cake had one of the tightest, finest crumbs when baked in a sheet pan. Though it looks dense with the tiniest of air holes, but is surprisingly almost foamy light when you bite into it. You can see a slightly compressed, almost gummy line in the above photo and I suspected that the cake might have turned out differently if baked in a regular cake pan.

Update: I re-baked it in a few 6-inch cake pans and you can see the resulting crumb in the photo below. Still relatively fine air holes likely thanks to the egg whipping method, but no weird compression. So, apologies to Serious Eats for the baker error on my part–I’m sure this cake would have received better textural ratings if baked in a regular cake pan or tube pan to begin with! But good to know that this cake doesn’t work well baked in a sheet pan, unlike most other cakes in this bake off. (I wonder if something about the egg whipping method requires more pan space to climb). In either case, this cake had a really nice egg and vanilla-forward flavor that some tasters likened to pound cake. It’s a light yet relatively sturdy feeling cake that reminded me of Sugarologie but with a slightly more cottony crumb (and obviously none of the cake flour flavor).

Taster comments:

• Dense buttery flavor and amazing soft texture
• I liked the flavor the most so far – super vanilla-y. The texture was a little off, with a layer of denser cake at the bottoms Wished it was a taller crumb because this was like a layer cake base almost. Really tasty though.
• Noticeably thinner than most of the other samples, this cake had a strong, balanced vanilla flavor and an appealingly dense texture, even if it didn’t resemble the chiffon cake of my imagination.
• More dense and flat, with a slightly sticky top. Has a flavor that wasn’t just sweet/sugar but I couldn’t identify it, though I enjoyed it
• Nice vanilla flavor; more dense than others, but overall not bad and would eat again!
• Although it is thin, doesn’t feel like it collapsed. It reminds me of Hungarian piskota.
• The crumb in this looks the most dense of all of them (2nd maybe being [King Arthur] which looks close in density); I think this cake reminds me of pound cake or something else cause of how dense it is; tastes good but not something I would think of for sponge cake
• Reminds me of a pound cake flavor. But more dry and compact

Sugarologie: a lighter-than-air powdery texture with a short bite and sweet flavor

Adriana’s recipe is one of three recipes that uses cake flour and water in the batter. This was also the only recipe that used cornstarch (and a full half cup of it!). I thought this would be an interesting comparison against the Food52 recipe as they both use 4 whole eggs but Sugarologie uses a higher ratio of starch and water while Food52 has a higher ratio of eggs and sugar.

The two recipes happened to placed side by side in the tasting and I was blown away by the supremely airy, melt-in-your-mouth cottony cloud texture of this cake. While Food52 had a more well-rounded chiffon cake flavor that I loved upon first bite, this cake took a few bites for me to absorb the flavor–sweet, with more distinct cake flour notes that I loved (but some tasters didn’t love the floury aftertaste).

This had one of the most unique textures to me: there’s almost a short, rich bite but the airy texture of a cloud. It feels almost dry and powdery on your tongue (especially relative to some other cakes), but then just melts in your mouth. This was one of my favorites, and I could see it working really well in an Asian-style fruit chiffon cake. It lacks the spongy chew/resistance of a truly cottony sponge cake and just kind of breaks off and dissolves rather than a satisfying rip (if you squished it, this would crumble rather than bounce back). I think this would be amazing as a layer cake with light fillings. One of my favorites!

Taster comments:

• Light and airy with a good amount of moisture. It could have had a bit more flavor, but overrall pretty good.
• I felt this one was lightly sweet which I liked. I felt however that it felt more airy and less bouncy and I felt the texture “sunk” more which I didn’t like as much as [Food52].
• The crumb was nice, and the cake was springy, but it was a bit dry. Vanilla flavor was a bit sweet but recalled the platonic ideal of a supermarket birthday cake.
• Crumb was a little too delicate, nice vanilla flavor
• Very fluffy! Tasted …powdery? Like a box mix somehow. I appreciated the height especially compared to the first sample but it lacked a depth of flavor. Just like plain yellow cake.
• Very fluffy, almost angel food cake. Really nice foundational flavor for whipped cream and berries.
• Dry, crumbly texture that fell apart in my mouth, almost powdery once I chewed it. Flavor is pretty basic, bland, but inoffensive.

Sheldo’s Kitchen: an irresistibly light and cottony not-too-sweet sponge that melts in your mouth

Sheldo’s recipe came recommended on Instagram and if you’re new to baking or chiffon cakes, I think you’ll find his video extremely helpful! Sheldo’s recipe was one of two recipes that used cake flour and milk (not water). More notably, his recipe had the lowest ratio of flour (14%) and sugar (14%). Where does that loss get made up? In the hydration, where he has double the percentage of milk (22%) compared to Cook Til Delicious, for example, at 10%. This was also the only recipe aside from Cook Til Delicious that didn’t call for any chemical leavening (I.e. baking powder).

This cake baked up extremely pale and quite tender–this was the only cake that didn’t quite get up to 205F before I pulled it from the oven for fear of overbaking the delicate crumb. I know I’ve mentioned cottony as an adjective before, but this cake was the dictionary definition of cottony. It’s so spongy, it almost tastes like there’s no fat in the cake and just melts away like a vanilla-flavored cotton ball (in the best way).

With its low ratio of sugar, this is the perfect pick for those who like things not too sweet. This felt similar to both Preppy Kitchen and Cook Til Delicious but with a finer crumb. To me, this is the platonic ideal for an Asian-style chiffon fruit cake. This feels like it would be best served with the lightest of toppings only–any heavier fillings, and the airy crumb might get squished.

Taster comments:

• Very delicious, again a toss up between [Nicola Lamb] and [Sheldo’s Kitchen] for my favorite! I think personally I really like [Sheldo’s] for the flavor. It tastes like an Asian bakery cake and is very much “not too sweet” with a general well-rounded, crowd-pleasing flavor and sweetness.
• Lightly sweet delightful flavor. Light airy texture with an extremely fine crumb. I liked this one quite a bit.
• Surprisingly moist texture. I enjoy it. Is there vanilla pudding mix? Tastes like there is/like the same flavor profile. Interesting. Wish there was more height but I love how moist it is and consistent in texture.
• Flavor is quite eggy with some cake flour. Very spongy quality, not my fav but feels most authentic to an Asian chiffon cake
• I wish it were airier and risen more, but I do like the flavor. It’s got a foam mattress quality, but the flavor saves it. It’s straight down the middle for me.
• I liked the texture. It was like [Cook Til Delicious] except it felt a bit moister. The flavor was kind of bland to me but it complimented the texture so it was ok.

Food52: an airy, bubbly sponge with a rich flavor and slightly short texture

Shilpa’s recipe is, ratio-wise, more similar to Preppy Kitchen than any other recipe (like Sugarologie, all three recipes uses cake flour and water)–but Shilpa’s uses a higher ratio of sugar and lower ratio of water. In comparison to Sugarologie, Shilpa also uses less fat (though it shakes out to just 2% different ratio-wise), so I was curious to see how this would affect the overall cake.

My first impression of this cake was how perfect the flavor is. The balance between vanilla, egginess, sweetness and a hint of cake flour all led to what I think of as the platonic ideal of a chiffon cake flavor. The fine network of holes might look similar to Sheldo’s Kitchen, but this had a slightly more springy, richer bite (i.e. more resistance when you bite down). You can see from the bottom that I slightly overcooked this cake which might have contributed to the drier texture, but overall I thought this cake was perfect flavor-wise. I’d use this recipe over Sugarologie if you want a less powdery, more spongy-soft cake that feels like it would be extremely versatile for layering.

Taster comments:

• Very buttery flavor, soft and spongy, perfectly moist! Reminds me of pound cake in flavor. Great balance of salty and sweet.
• More flavorful than most – Stands out in taste; flavorful overall.
• I enjoyed the buttery flavor and the soft texture. I like that it wasn’t too dense, but it could have been more fluffy. The moisture was appreciated. Would be great as a swiss roll.
• I liked the texture and density. I found the flavor light and airy and liked it. I felt that it was a little sweet for me personally but overall a good sample.
• I like how it’s the right amount of sweet and has nice small bubbles. I dislike that the texture is a little too spongy/chewy.
• I like how spongy it is and the taste of birthday cake. Not sure why it’s a bit sticky, but the moisture content isn’t too bad
• A little dry, but nicely sticky. Moist but delicious flavor!

I Bake Mistakes: a coarser-crumbed but still fluffy cake with a rich, well-salted flavor

Kassie notes that she specifically developed this cake to use both butter and oil for a texture that was light but structurally sound enough to hold denser fillings–think pastry creams or a rich mousse. I’m so glad she did, because it’s rare to find a chiffon recipe that uses both butter and oil! This was an interesting comparison point against Nicola’s all-butter chiffon cake, especially since both recipes use all-purpose flour and milk. Ratio-wise, these two recipes are nearly identical–Kassie’s just uses a bit more fat overall.

As you might guess, these cakes definitely shared some similarities. Both feel like they err closer to the butter cake end of the spectrum rather than closer to a sponge cake, which makes sense. While some other chiffon cakes were extremely light, airy and cottony, this cake has a coarser crumb with a moist, denser, richer bite similar to Nicola (but lighter!). But it still feels relatively soft, light and fluffy compared to a typical butter cake.

This had a beautifully rich flavor that balances the salt, egg, butter and vanilla in equal measure. I can definitely see this standing up to heavier cake components without sinking. As a side note: this is the cake that Capitol Jill (one of my favorite cake bakers) bases her chiffon cake on, which is quite a testimonial! As someone who formerly exclusively baked butter cakes, I could easily see this becoming my go-to chiffon layer cake recipe.

Taster comments:

• Great flavor and texture. Fluffy yet moist with a satisfying chew. Buttery flavor that is pleasant but not overpowering. I would want more of this one.
• Really liked this one! Thought it had a rich vanilla flavor, almost a hint of marshmallow, and a great cakey texture. Texture feels more similar to a traditional cake but lighter
• Very moist. Not as egg forward compared to others but in the best way possible. Perfect balance of flavors and textures
• Great!! Hits all the notes. Similar taste to [Food52], but better texture. Would be great with whipped cream and fruit. I’d prefer a fluffier/bouncier chiffon cake though, and this was not that.
• The densest texture so far. I enjoyed the creamy eggy flavor and texture. It’s wasn’t as light as the others but I liked that. It was still spongy and bouncy but had more structure and integrity.
• Tastes like a softer version of a boxed vanilla cake mix, which isn’t a bad thing but doesn’t seem like a chiffon. Pretty sweet.
• More cakey than spongey, with a heavy, almost stodgy crumb that reminds me of cornbread. Quite dense compared to others; decent vanilla flavor

Preppy Kitchen: a fluffy, cottony cake with the perfect moisture and sweetness level

I originally chose Preppy Kitchen as one of three recipes that used cake flour and water (like Sugarologie and Food52). But as I was making the cake, I realized another unique quality–this is the only recipe that doesn’t call for making a French meringue before folding in the egg whites. So rather than whipping the sugar into the egg whites, the sugar goes directly into the batter, and the plain whipped egg whites get folded in later.

To me, this was the standout chiffon cake. The texture is so incredibly fluffy, springy and soft, like biting into a cloud. You can really taste the sweetness of the cake with notes of the cake flour coming through, which I personally loved. I went into this bake off expecting chiffon cake to be kind of dry, but not with these cakes! This was perfectly moist and sweet but with a bite, shortness and tenderness similar to Sugarologie (though unlike Sugarologie, if you squished this cake between your fingers, it would spring back).

This cake looked almost identical to Cook Til Delicious but has just slightly larger holes if you really inspect closely (perhaps due to the baking powder?). To me, this feels like the perfect chiffon cake to service a more American palate (I.e. prefers sweeter things) whereas Cook Til Delicious is a very similar cake that’s better for a not-too-sweet palate.

Taster comments:

• Best one yet. Wow! Very thick, fluffy, and springy but still moist – this was my favorite texture. Sweetness is also perfect.
• This is the one! Fluffy, sweet, and tall, this is the chiffon cake of my dreams! It tastes like eating a cloud and doesn’t need any accompaniment.
• Favorite so far! Loved the texture. it was definitely the lightest / airest sample. Very springy when squished
• Excellent buttery flavor – this is what a chiffon cake should taste like. Excellent fluffy texture – this is exactly what a chiffon cake should look/be like. I loved this recipe and need to make it for myself.
• Best texture so far- super fluffy. Flavor is clean and basic. Very good overall.
• I loved how airy and bouncy this one was. I felt that the slice was sweet but not overpowering and really subtle. Good piece!
• Good light and fluffy texture but man was this flavor eggy! I liked it, it’s just heavily eggy.

Cook Til Delicious: the ideal fluffy, cottony cake that’s not too sweet

If you’re looking for a primer on chiffon cake, I found Ruth’s post to be one of the most informative. She explains exactly how she came up with this recipe–the goal of which was to use up a partial block of cream cheese. It’s based on her cookbook sponge cake, but uses cream cheese and milk to replace some of the eggs and fat. Aside from the process of melting the cream cheese, some sugar and milk together, this process follows a pretty typical chiffon cake recipe (with cake flour and whole milk). Like Sheldo’s Kitchen, Ruth doesn’t omits baking powder as she says it may lead to a more uneven crumb.

Texturally, I found this cake to be almost identical to Preppy Kitchen–just unbelievably light and fluffy with a delightfully spongy bite and a soft, cottony chew. Flavor-wise, it’s less sweet than Preppy Kitchen and I thought it was just a hair drier. Though I was talking to one of my repeat tasters who thought the opposite–that this slightly denser crumb yielded a more moist effect.

However, virtually all tasters agreed this had the perfect light, bouncy texture that’s both delicate yet structurally sound. If you want a classic, beautiful chiffon cake that’s not too sweet, this is the clear pick and this was our crowd favorite!

Taster comments:

• Objectively the best chiffon cake (texture and flavor)! We liked [I Bake Mistakes] more but that was less of a “chiffon cake.”
• Nice light, bouncy, airy texture with the right balance of vanilla for a perfect birthday cake flavor. This is my favorite!
• Is there almond extract??? There’s a flavor I can’t place but I like it. The texture is light and airy but still bounces and has a bite to it. Doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall apart, it’s sturdy yet delicate. My favorite sample so far because it’s best overall in flavor and texture and also is visually very beautiful. it also didn’t stick to my knife when i cut it like a lot of others.
• Really nice, best mix of lightness and flavor. Wished it was sweeter but know it would be great with fruit and whipped cream
• Perfect texture that holds its shape and crumb while still being light. Flavor is a little too delicate
• Super light and fluffy, bouncy, would love more vanilla flavor
• Soft pillowy texture, nice bounce. Reminds me of [Preppy Kitchen] in texture but not as soft and slightly more dry but wouldn’t notice if I didn’t have the two to compare

Recommendations

• Erika’s picks: Preppy Kitchen, Sugarologie, I Bake Mistakes
• Crowd favorite: Cook Til Delicious
• Best sturdier cakes for layering heavier ingredients (mousse, pastry cream): I Bake Mistakes, Nicola Lamb, King Arthur
• Best versatile, in-the-middle cakes: Food52, Sugarologie, Serious Eats
• Best for layering delicate ingredients (fruit, cream): Sheldo’s Kitchen, Cook Til Delicious, Preppy Kitchen
• Not too sweet: Sheldo’s Kitchen, Cook Til Delicious
• On the sweeter side: Preppy Kitchen, I Bake Mistakes, Nicola Lamb

Tips for making the best chiffon cake

After making 9 chiffon cakes in quick succession (actually 11 cakes counting my re-dos), here are my tips to set you up for success for making a chiffon cake:

1. Ensure your egg whites have no yolks: When whipping your egg whites, even a tiny bit of egg yolk can ruin the whole batch and prevent your egg whites from whipping up properly. When separating your eggs, make sure your whites don’t contain any yolks! (Though if you drop a tiny bit of yolk in the whites, you can fish it out using a piece of egg shell and they’ll still be fine–speaking from experience).
2. Use a completely dry and clean mixing bowl: Similarly to bits of egg yolk, any residual grease in your mixing bowl can prevent the egg whites from whipping up properly. Wash and dry your bowl very well! For extra insurance, you can wipe it down with a paper towel wet with a little lemon juice or vinegar.
3. Whip your egg whites on a lower speed: Per many of the recipes I tested, whipping your egg whites on a low speed to start (then shifting to medium speed) rather than blasting them on high helps create smaller bubbles and a more stable meringue.
4. Whip on the softer rather than stiffer side: The whipped egg whites will help provide volume in the cake, but you also generally have some baking powder for insurance. Most recipes suggest whipping the meringue (egg whites + granulated sugar) to soft peaks that just hold their shape, which are a dream to fold into the batter. If you whip to super stiff peaks, it will be harder to incorporate the meringue and you’ll risk either over-mixing or having chunks of too-stiff meringue in the batter.
5. Immediately whisk your egg yolks and sugar: Most recipes call for combining the egg yolks and sugar together in a separate bowl. Make sure you whisk them together immediately or else the eggs can “burn” as sugar reacts with the proteins in the yolk, changing the structure and causing it to have a bit of a curdled texture. Once you whisk the sugar and egg yolks together, you can let it sit around, no problem!
6. Finish your wet batter right before folding in the meringue: One helpful tip from I Bake Mistakes: Kassie specifically calls for whipping your egg whites BEFORE incorporating flour and baking powder into the egg yolk batter. This is because the longer the batter sits, the flour will begin to absorb liquid and the melted butter can stiffen the batter, making it harder to fold the meringue in.
7. Do not grease your pan (and use aluminum): Chiffon cake needs to climb the sides of the pan, so unlike most cake recipes–you should NOT grease your cake tins. Aluminum tube pans with removable bottoms are ideal, but you can also use aluminum cake pans. Don’t use a nonstick pan as this could potentially cause the cake to immediately collapse once it cools!
8. Cool upside down: Conventional wisdom says that chiffon cakes should be cooled upside down to avoid collapsing. This helps prevent the weight of gravity from pushing down on it as it cools and also allows air flow underneath it. You should ideally invert your cake as soon as you remove it from the oven onto a wire cooling rack. But if you’re baking a chiffon cake in a sheet pan, Ruth Tam says no need to cool upside down!

Good luck and happy baking!!