Also known as Angel Food cake. It is super light and airy. This is a recipe which I inherited from Mrs. Hirakawa (my old neighbor in Japan - she made this cake with such a grace) and replaced green tea powder with lemons. It requires a special baking form which is made with aluminum.
I super recommend to serve this cake with Lemon curd (recipe is available!)
Ingredients: (for the yolk batter)
6 egg yolks
60g sugar
1 pinch of salt
0.8 dl oil (I recommend grape seed oil)
Zest of 3 lemons
0.5 dl lemon juice
0.5 dl water
120 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
Ingredients: (for the meringue)
6 egg whites
60 g sugar
Directions:
1) Combine flour and baking powder, and shift for a few times.
2) Wash lemon well, grate zest (avoid pith - white part) and squeeze juice.
3) Pre-heat oven at 160 - 170 C degrees
4) In a large mixing bowl, add egg yolk, sugar (60g) and salt. Mix well like making mayonnaise (do not whip!)
Tips: If you have stand-alone electrical mixer, start making meringue at this point. By the time you are done with egg yolk batter, meringue will be perfectly ready.
5) Slowly add oil into egg yolk mixture. Divide in 3-4 batches and mix well after each addition. The batter will be quite heavy and creamy at this point.
6) Slowly add water, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
7) Add shifted flour and baking powder and carefully mix into egg yolk batter.
8) Make meringue in separate bowl. (Or maybe it is ready by now - if you started at the stage 4.)
9) Carefully mix meringue into egg yolk batter.
Tips: Divide meringue into 3 - 4 batches.
10) Pour the batter into chiffon cake form (Do NOT grease the form with oil/butter.)
11) Lift up the cake form, ca 5 cm, with both hands, and drop it on the counter. Repeat this for a few times.
Tips: This helps to remove air holes from the batter.
12) Bake in the oven ca 45 minutes or until golden brown. Prick with knife and if it comes out clean, it's done.
13) Cool it upside down.
Tips: Use a bottle neck when cooling. Please see the picture above.
14) Serve with lemon curd!
Tips: It is possible to freeze this cake. Just cut them into portions, wrap with plastic, and place them in freezer. 20 minutes before you eat, take it out from the freezer, and defrost on the counter.