Chocolate chiffon cake

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 160°C with a rack in the middle, and have a clean, dry 20 cm tube pan ready, neither greased nor lined. Chocolate chiffon is heavier than vanilla, so it needs bare pan sides to cling to as it climbs. The oven is ready once it has held a steady temperature for at least fifteen minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Heat 80 g water until almost boiling, pour it over 30 g cocoa powder, stir until completely smooth and let it cool slightly. Hot water blooms the cocoa, releasing its aroma and dissolving every tiny lump. The mixture is ready when it's smooth and glossy like chocolate sauce and only slightly warm.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Put 90 g egg yolks, 30 g granulated sugar and a pinch salt in a large bowl and whisk them together, then add 60 g vegetable oil, 3 g vanilla extract and all of the cocoa paste and whisk well. The oil and cocoa blend into the yolks to form an emulsion that keeps the cake soft and moist for longer. The mixture is ready when it's an even, glossy brown with no oil floating on top.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Sift 80 g cake flour and 3 g baking powder into the cocoa mixture and whisk gently just until no dry flour remains. Brief mixing keeps gluten from forming, so the crumb stays soft and fine. The batter is ready when it's thick, falls from the whisk in a heavy ribbon and has no lumps of flour.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Whip 175 g egg whites with 1 g cream of tartar on medium speed until finely foamy, then add 70 g superfine sugar in three additions and increase the speed. The cocoa batter is quite heavy, so the meringue needs to be a little firmer to hold it up. The meringue is ready when it's glossy and supple and the peaks stand straight with just a slight curl at the tip.

   Suggested time: about 6 minutes.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Mix a third of the meringue into the cocoa batter to lighten it, then fold in the rest in two additions, working from the bottom up with a spatula. Folding in stages lets two mixtures of different thickness come together without breaking too many bubbles. The batter is ready when it's an even brown with no white spots and still light and airy.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Pour the batter into the pan, swirl a skewer through it to pop large bubbles, tap the pan lightly and bake at 160°C for about 45 to 50 minutes. The low temperature and long bake cook the cake evenly to the core without drying out the top. It's done when the top is slightly cracked but dry, springs back when pressed and a skewer comes out clean.

   Bake at 160°C for about 45 to 50 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, drop the pan on the counter once, then turn it upside down over the neck of a bottle and let it cool for about an hour and a half. Inverting it right away keeps the crumb from shrinking as the hot air escapes. The cake is ready when the whole pan, including the center tube, is completely cool.

   Suggested time: about 90 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Run a thin knife around the sides of the pan and the center tube, push up the base and release the bottom of the cake, then set it on a plate and dust with a little powdered sugar if you like. Working slowly keeps the dark brown crust intact on the cake. The cake is ready when it stands evenly tall and the cut surface is a fine, smooth brown with tiny air holes.

   Mark step 9 as done