Sunny days are here with cool breeze in the air. Though we know, it will last for a couple of weeks, before hot and unbearable scorching days will hit us hard. And we all will see the characteristic shift in the seasonal produce. We don’t get to see the strawberries now. I have frozen a big bag for the days to come.

Oranges will probably stay for a couple of weeks more. I had bought an angel cake pan last year during Christmas, which I hadn’t used till now. Orange chiffon cake was already on my mind since the day I bought this pan. But I was longing for lighter sunny days to match up to the airy and summery feel of this cake.

And so recipes like coffee cakes with cinnamon and spices ruled the roost. I baked more with wholesome flours like cornmeal, semolina and whole wheat which were substantial for the colder days. But now the weather has completely changed and I don’t yearn for such stuff anymore. This airy and light cake complements the season pretty well.

With sun rising early in the morning now, I am back in the action for baking during early morning hours.  With no cream of tartar in the stock, I went on hunting for this essential ingredient for a nice chiffon cake on Friday evening after work. Yeah you read it right, we have to literally hunt for such baking ingredients here in India sometimes. But I was pretty confident to have found it in my most reliable grocery shop for baking ingredients. And when I reached there, Bang!!!

They were out of stock on it. Sad me reached home thinking how would I be getting that perfectly shaped chiffon cake. I didn’t want that sagging center of a badly baked cake and that too when I was baking it for the first time. So I started looking for substitute.

Right when I was in need of it, my dear blogger friend Mukta suggested that I could use an equal amount of lemon juice as well. She’s a great baker and I knew that I could trust her without any doubt. And voila! it worked like a magic. The orange rind made it so fragrant and summery. The lovely icing drizzled on the cake was oh so perfect! We all enjoyed it to the last bit. Especially my two year nephew liked it more than anything else. I really couldn’t have asked for more!

Recipe adapted from Joy Of Baking

Ingredients

Cake

6 large eggs plus one egg white
225 gm sifted cake flour
300 gm superfine sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp grated orange zest
120 ml vegetable oil
180 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cream of tartar or lemon juice

Icing

50 gm unsalted butter
200 gm icing sugar
50 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp grated orange zest

Directions

1. For cake, preheat the oven at 170 degree C.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, 250 gm sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Make a well in the center and add the egg yolks, oil, orange juice and vanilla extract. Mix well to make a smooth batter.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add the lemon juice and start beating until soft peaks form.
4. Gradually beat in the remaining 50 gm of sugar until stiff peaks form and egg whites look glossy.
5. Gently fold in the egg whites into the cake batter, taking care not to deflate the batter.
6. Pour the batter into the tube pan. Tap the pan on the work surface gently 2-3 times, to remove the air bubbles if any.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Immediately upon taking out of the oven, invert the cake pan on to flat surface of an inverted bowl, so that it is suspended into the air. Let it cool completely. When cooled completely, loosen the sides of the cake from the pan, using a sharp knife or long spatula. Invert the cake on to the serving platter.
8. For the icing, melt the butter and mix in all the remaining ingredients to make a pouring consistency.
9. Spoon the icing over the cooled cake and let it drizzle through the edges.