Mango & Passion Fruit Chiffon

I woke up slightly early on a weekend morning (it was quite late as compared to a weekday though) to take photos of this mango and passion fruit chiffon cake which I baked the night before.

It was a good decision to scarify 15 minutes of my sleep. Although it was only 7.30am in the morning, the sun was shinning so brightly that it cast beautify rays all over the chiffon cake...making it looked just like a golden ring. The passion fruit seeds on the cake were actually dazzling under the sun ;) My 6-year-old point-and-shoot camera works great when there is plenty of natural light. It is only 4 mega pixels (even my not-so-high-end mobile phone is equipped with a 5 mega pixel camera), but it has been my companion for the past 4 years. All the food photos I posted here are taken with this humble idiot proof camera :')

I made this chiffon cake with my homemade mango and passion fruit jam (recipe here). Don't be fooled by the above images...those nice, clean edges and the golden crust certainly give the impression that the cake was dry and hard. No, it was not dry at all, in fact, the crumb was soft and tender, so moist that I could hear the 'squish' sound when I sink the knife into it. Try squeezing a damp sponge and you would know what I mean.

I added about 1 teaspoon of passion fruit seeds in the cake batter. The seeds give a very interesting crunch to the texture. You could hear the seeds 'popping' away in your ears when you bite into them...and it was like biting into some crispy shells!

As usual, my oven was not in the mood to corporate with me whenever I used it to bake a chiffon cake. The cake climbed almost to the top of the 'chimney', yet, before the baking time was up, it sank like Titanic. I knew it would happen, as the oven temperature dropped by 20degC, 10 mins after I popped in the pan. No, I did not open the oven door when the cake was baking. I should have preheat it 20degC higher, but I forgot...it was many months ago since I last baked a chiffon. When it was completely cooled, the cake was just hovering over the rim. My small 20 litres oven (it can't even fit in a 12" pizza pan!) works fine for other cakes and cookies...it could even churn out gorgeous breads, but it was only a couple of times I managed to get a nice domed chiffon cake :'(

I was lucky that the cake was nicely baked though...there wasn't any huge holes, or a slightly dense layer at the bottom. This time, instead of beating the egg whites to stiff peak, I stopped when it reached the 'soft peak' stage.

I have always thought that to make a chiffon cake, the egg whites have to be beaten to 'stiff peaks', which I have interpreted as beating the whites all the way to stiffness...that is, the peaks will have to hold up straight, at a 90 degree angle when I lift up the paddle. However, according to some other cookbooks, the egg whites should only be beaten to the 'soft peaks' stage...so that it would be easier to blend with the yolk mixture. It is a tricky business to identify the 'right' soft peak stage. It takes only seconds to cross from soft peaks to stiff peaks. As a guide, the soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. If the whites appear too liquid/runny or soft, you are not there yet, it should also stick to the sides of the bowl and appear glossy and silky. The best way to avoid over beating, is to check every few seconds and turn to low speed when you feel that it almost reaches the soft peak stage.

Although a little on the sweet side, I like how fresh and fruity this cake tasted. The fragrant from the passion fruit was very distinct. I would have baked another right away, but my younger child was strongly against the idea...he would rather save the jam for his breakfast toast. (*^^*)


Mango and Passion Fruit Chiffon Cake

Ingredients
(makes one 18cm cake)

100g cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 egg yolks
40g caster sugar
50ml vegetable oil
40ml passion fruit juice (from about 1 ~ 2 passion fruits)
3 tablespoons mango and passion fruit jam* (recipe here)

3 egg whites
40g caster sugar

Method:

1. Cut and remove pulps from passion fruits, drain and retain the juice. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the seeds.
2. Sieve flour and baking powder together, set aside.
3. Separate egg yolks/whites and bring to room temperature. (It is easier to separate eggs when they are cold.)
4. Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl, add sugar (in 3 separate additions) and with a manual whisk, whisk till the mixture becomes sticky and turns pale. Drizzle in the oil, whisking at the same time till the mixture is well combined. Repeat the same with passion fruit juice. Add in mango and passion fruit jam, and the passion fruit seeds, mix to combine. Sieve over the flour mixture and whisk until flour mixture is fully incorporated into the batter. (Note, this recipe yields a rather thick yolk mixture.)
5. In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Gradually beat in the sugar and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. (The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly.)
6. Add the beaten egg white into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula until just blended.
7. Pour batter into a 17cm tube pan (do not grease the pan). Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
8. Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 degC for 45 ~ 50mins or until the cake surface turns golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven and invert the pan immediately. Let cool completely before unmould. To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the pan and the center core. Release the cake and run the knife along the base of the pan to remove the cake.

*Note: you may use any of your favourite  jam, just replace the passion fruit juice with any fruit juice of your choice.