Learn how to make soft and fluffy chiffon cake infused with slightly sweet and pleasant tang creamy cream cheese.
Calling all lovers of cream cheese and light and airy chiffon cake! This is one of my favorite flavors for chiffon cake besides pandan chiffon cake. One of my kids doesn’t like cream cheese, but he gulped this cream cheese chiffon cake down without much thinking. When I later told him that it is made with cream cheese, he was surprised and told me that it actually tasted good in chiffon cake 🙂
How to make cream cheese chiffon cake
1. Preheat oven at 330 F (165 C). If you have a convection oven, I suggest lowering the temperature by 25 F (15 C). Put the softened cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cream until they are creamy and thick, about 1 minute or 2 on a high speed
2. Add yolks and use a balloon whisk to mix
3. Add milk, sugar, and oil and whisk to mix
4. Sift in the flour and salt and whisk again to combine. Set aside
5. Whip the egg whites using a whisk attachment until they are foamy over medium speed, then add the acid (vinegar or lemon juice) and whisk for another minute.
6. Gradually add the sugar, in 3 batches. Once all the sugar is in, increase the speed
7. Whip until the meringue reaches stiff but with a slight bent on the tip when you lift it up. Stop whipping
8. Take 1/3 of the meringue and mix it with the batter using a ballon whisk
9. Use a cut-down and fold-over motion until they are mixed
10. Continue with the next two 1/3 and fold using a balloon whisk. Then finish folding using a rubber spatula to make sure we get all the batter at the bottom of the bowl too. Use the same cut-down and fold-over motion. You shouldn’t see any more white meringue. Work gently but fast so you won’t deflate too much air. The volume of the batter should be 3 to 4 times more now
11. Pour the cake batter slowly and from a good height. This helps to pop any large bubbles
12. Use a bamboo skewer or a chopstick and run a zigzag motion through the batter to pop any bubbles inside the batter. Tap the pan on the counter 3-4 times to pop any extra bubbles
13. Put the pan on the middle rack and bake for 40-45 minutes at 330 F (165 C). Then lower your temperature to 300 F (150 C) and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean. When you touch the surface it should spring back. It’s “safer” to overbake chiffon cake a bit than to underbake. When you underbake, the cake will collapse when you take it out from the oven
14. Drop the cake pan on the counter 2-3 times to minimize shrinkage and then immediately turn over to let it cool down upside down for at least 2 hours or longer. The cake will shrink a little bit and that’s normal
15. Once it’s cool down completely, use a palette knife to run through the edge and the outer center of the tube to help release the cake. Gently push the base to lift the cake out. Use a palette knife again to run through the base of the pan and then carefully release the cake
And there…you’ve just baked yourself a pillowy soft cream cheese chiffon cake 😉
Can I use reduced-fat/low-fat cream cheese
Low fat/light cream cheese such as Neufchatel (1/3 less fat) is an acceptable substitute for regular cream cheese. Definitely don’t try to replace it with fat-free cream cheese. The quality will not be the same.
How to keep cream cheese chiffon cake
1. Let the cake cools down completely
2. Wrap it with a cling wrap or put in air-tight container and it can be kept at room temperature for about 3 days
3. For longer storage, freeze it. Wrap it in cling wrap and then put it inside a freezer bag. It can be kept for up to 1 month
4. Simply thaw at room temperature just before serving
Did you make this cream cheese chiffon cake recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
The recipe is adapted from Michael Lim’s.
How To Make Soft Fluffy Cream Cheese Chiffon Cake
Ingredients
Batter:
- 100 gr cream cheese softened
- 20 gr granulated sugar
- 4 egg yolks (room temperature) from 58-60 grams egg with a shell
- 30 gr whole milk you can use low fat milk or non-dairy milk too
- 30 gr cooking oil
- 80 gr cake flour
- ¼ tsp salt
Meringue:
- 4 egg whites (room temperature) from 58-60 grams egg with a shell
- ¾ tsp lemon juice or vinegar
- 80 gr granulated sugar
Instructions
- Please remember not to grease your chiffon tube pan and do not use pan that has a non-stick coating. Your chiffon cake will not rise well. The cake needs to cling to the pan to rise tall
Prepare cake batter:
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks and then let them come to a room temperature
- Preheat oven at 330 F (165 C). If you have a convection oven, I suggest lowering the temperature by 25 F (15 C). Put the softened cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cream until they are creamy and thick, about 1 minute or 2 on a high speed. Add yolks and use a balloon whisk to mix. Add milk, sugar, and oil and whisk to mix. Sift in the flour and salt and whisk again to combine. Set aside
Whip the meringue:
- Whip the egg whites using a whisk attachment until they are foamy over medium speed, then add the acid (vinegar or lemon juice) and whisk for another minute. Gradually add the sugar, in 3 batches. Once all the sugar is in, increase the speed and whip until the meringue reaches stiff but with a slight bent on the tip when you lift it up. Stop whipping
Fold meringue into the batter:
- Take 1/3 of the meringue and mix it with the batter using a balloon whisk. Use a cut down and fold over motion until they are mixed. Continue with the next two 1/3 and fold using a balloon whisk. Then finish folding using a rubber spatula to make sure we get all the batter at the bottom of the bowl too. Use the same cut down and fold over motion. You shouldn't see anymore white meringue. Work gently but fast so you won't deflate too much air. The volume of the batter should be 3 to 4 times more now
Bake:
- Pour the cake batter slowly and from a good height. This helps to pop any large bubbles. Use a bamboo skewer or a chopstick and run a zigzag motion through the batter to pop any bubbles inside the batter. Tap the pan on the counter 3-4 times to pop any extra bubbles
- Put the pan on the middle rack and bake for 40-45 minutes at 330 F (165 C). Then lower your temperature to 300 F (150 C) and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean. When you touch the surface it should spring back. It's "safer" to overbake chiffon cake a bit then to underbake. When you underbake, the cake will collapse when you take it out from the oven
Cool down:
- Drop the cake pan on the counter 2-3 times to minimize shrinkage and then immediately turn over to let it cool down upside down for at least 2 hours or longer. The cake will shrink a little bit and that's normal
- Once it's cool down completely, use a palette knife to run through the edge and the outer center of the tube to help release the cake. Gently push the base to lift the cake out. Use a palette knife again to run through the base of the pan and then carefully release the cake.
Notes
- For 6 inch tube: use 3 eggs and multiply 0.75 the rest of the ingredients. Bake for 35-40 minutes , then lower temperature to 300 F (150 C) for 5-10 minutes
- For 8 inch tube: use 5 eggs and multiply 1.25 the rest of the ingredients. Bake for 45-50 minutes, then lower temperature to 300 F (150 C) for 5-10 minutes
- For 9 inch tube: use 6 eggs and multiply 1.5 the rest of the ingredients. Bake for 50-55 minutes, then lower temperature to 300 F (150 C) for 10-15 minutes
- For 10 inch tube: use 8 eggs and multiply 2 the rest of the ingredients. Bake for 55 minutes to one hour, then lower temperature to 300 F (150 C) for 10-15 minutes
6 comments
Dear Sir,
I’ve tried making it but failed !
probably I couldn’t get the accurate portion of the ingredients 🙁
can please help to advise in cups or tablespoon to get the correct recipe…
I’ve google to check but it seems all not right 🙁 please help,
The cups and tablespoon measurements are already in the recipe card but I can tell you it’s hard to be accurate with that measurement. Make sure you scoop and level. I don’t recommend using cups or tablespoon measurements. I highly recommend getting a digital scale. It worth the investment especially if you plan to bake chiffon cake often!
Love it! I made it today and probably the best chiffon I’ve ever made. Could you tell me how I should store this? Do I have to put the left overs in the fridge?
Hi Jacqui. I’m happy to know that it turned out well for you. Leftovers can be kept at room temperature for about 3 days. I usually put them in an air-tight container. After that I will individually wrap each slice with a plastic wrap, put in a container and store in the fridge for extra few days. I don’t like to keep them in the fridge for too long as it tends to dry out the cake. I hope this helps!
Just made this today. Moist and bouncy and not too sweet! Your chiffon recipes always work for me. Thanks Marvellina!
Hi Amanda, I’m glad it worked out for you 🙂