Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Inverting this cake while it cools is key to its delicate texture.
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Recipe Summary
Recipes for light and airy chiffon cakes have been around since the 1920s and were once a poplar ways for home bakers to show off their skills. One bite of this dessert will convince us that it's time to use a chiffon cake to establish our own bragging rights. You'll need a 10-cup tube pan, what some bakers call an angel food cake pan. (Don't try to substitute a Bundt pan, which won't hold all the batter and makes the cake rubbery and tough.) This hint might sound like a prank, but inverting the cake while it cools is key to its delicate texture. When the cake comes out of the oven, gently flip the pan over and slip the center tube over the long neck of a heavy bottle, such as a wine or vinegar bottle, which suspends the cake above the counter so that its spongy texture doesn't collapse before it has a chance to cool and set. It's easy, and worth it.
Ingredients
Directions
How to Cut the Parchment Paper
Measure the diameter of the pan base, and cut a circle of parchment paper to that size. Measure the inner tube diameter of the pan base, then cut a circle in the center of the parchment paper circle to that size. Make small slits in paper as needed to fit in bottom of pan.