Meyer Lemon Chiffon Cake

Before You Start...

1. Gather all the ingredients. I highly encourage you to use metric measurements using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Click on the “Metric“ button at the top of the recipe to convert the ingredient measurements to metric. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need.
2. You will also need a 17-cm (7-inch) chiffon cake pan. If you have a different size pan, learn how to adjust the ingredient measurements in my post How to Make the Perfect Chiffon Cake. Make sure you use an aluminum pan with a removable base (read my blog post for more details). Please see my Notes at the end of this recipe for additional details on ingredients, equipment, and techniques.

To Mix the Batter

1. Preheat the oven to 340ºF (170ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Separate the egg yolks and egg whites of 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell), and keep the whites in a small bowl or a stand mixer bowl. Refrigerate or freeze the mixer bowl and the egg whites for 15 minutes until cold. (It‘s okay if the egg whites are partially frozen). Tip: In Japan, we chill the egg whites to make smooth, fine-textured meringue and do not use cream of tartar.
2. Start mixing the batter. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and one-third of the 85 g sugar (½ cup minus 1 Tbsp) with a hand whisk. Whisk vigorously until it‘s a creamy, pale yellow color.
3. Next, add 40 ml neutral oil (3 Tbsp minus 1 tsp) and the zest of up to 2 Meyer lemons. Tip: I love the intense fragrance and sweetness of Meyer lemons, so I use the zest of 2 lemons. You can use 1, if you‘d prefer.
4. Cut the Meyer lemons in half. Juice all 4 halves into a measuring cup.
5. Measure 4 Tbsp (¼ cup or 60 ml) lemon juice. If you don‘t have enough juice, add water to make up the difference.
6. Add the lemon juice to the egg mixture and whisk well.
7. To a flour sifter or fine-mesh sieve, add 75 g cake flour (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp) and 1 tsp baking powder. Sift one-third of this flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk by hand to incorporate the dry ingredients well. Check that there are no lumps in the batter, then sift another one-third of the flour mixture into the bowl. Mix to incorporate. Then, sift in the rest of the flour mixture and whisk until just combined; do not overmix. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter. Set aside while you beat the meringue.

To Make the Meringue

1. Take out the egg whites and the mixing bowl from the refrigerator or freezer. Set the bowl on the stand mixer with a whisk attachment (I used the KitchenAid Professional Series). Start whipping the egg whites on medium-low speed (Speed 4) until the egg whites are bubbly, opaque, and foamy. Add another one-third of the remaining sugar and continue whisking.
2. After 30 seconds or so, increase the mixer speed to high (Speed 10) and gradually add the remaining sugar in small increments. Beat vigorously until stiff peaks form (see the next step for how to check). It takes about 2 minutes of beating at high speed to reach stiff peaks. Tip: I usually pause beating when the egg whites are almost done. Take off the whisk attachment from the mixer and use it to hand-mix the looser egg whites near the bowl‘s edge into the stiffer whites near the center until it‘s homogeneous in texture. Then, put the whisk back on and continue beating.
3. To check for stiff peaks, pull up your whisk. The meringue in the bowl or on the whisk should be firm enough to hold a peak, pointing straight up (or maybe folding over a little bit just at the very tips). By this time, the meringue should have a glossy texture, too. Tip: If you overbeat the meringue, it will become very stiff and grainy and won't incorporate into the batter at all.

To Fold In the Meringue

1. Using a spatula or hand whisk, add one-third of the meringue into the batter. Mix well by hand until it‘s homogeneous.
2. Gently fold in the rest of the meringue in 2 or 3 increments. Take care not to deflate the air bubbles in the meringue and batter as you fold. Once it‘s well combined and homogeneous, fold the batter one last time and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there is no zest accumulation. The final batter should fall in ribbons when you lift the spatula or whisk.

To Bake

1. Prepare an ungreased 17-cm (7-inch) chiffon cake pan. From 6–8 inches high, pour the batter into the pan at just one spot to prevent air pockets from forming.
2. Run a wooden skewer through the batter to release any remaining air pockets. While holding the removable base in place, gently tap the pan a few times on the work surface to release any air pockets in the batter.
3. Put the cake pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake at 340ºF (170ºC) for 30 minutes. To check if it‘s finished baking, insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed, it‘s done. Tip: If the top of the cake gets dark too quickly, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning. (The cake may be too close to the heat source.)
4. Remove the cake pan from the oven and gently drop the pan onto the work surface to shock the cake. This stops the cake from shrinking. To cool the cake, prepare a tall, heavy bottle with a long neck, such as a glass wine bottle. Invert the center tube of the cake pan onto the bottle‘s neck and let the cake cool completely in its pan. Cooling the cake upside down helps it stretch downward and maintain its loft.
5. Once the cake is completely cool, run a long offset spatula around the outer edge of the pan and a small offset spatula around the inner tube. Tip: I used to use a knife for this step, but the tip of the knife tends to poke the cake while moving around, so I now recommend using offset spatulas.
6. Gently take out the removable base and cake from the outer pan. Then, run the offset spatula along the bottom of the cake to release it from the base. Invert the cake with the removable base onto a plate or cake stand. The cake will slide off the inner tube. Chiffon cake is served “upside down” with the flat bottom on top.

To Serve

1. Dust the top of the cake with 2 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar (optional), if you‘d like. Alternatively, you can top the cake with Meyer Lemon Icing Glaze (optional). To make the glaze, place ½ cup confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and stir in the juice of ½ Meyer lemon. The glaze should be thick, but pourable. Add more sugar or Meyer lemon juice as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. Drizzle over the cake using a spoon. Slice and enjoy!

To Store

1. I strongly recommend consuming the cake sooner for the best freshness. However, you can keep the cake covered on a plate or stand at room temperature in a cooler place for 1–2 days. To keep it longer, wrap individual slices in plastic wrap or put in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.