tiny pinch of turmeric powderoptional-for natural yellow color if you are using white flesh dragon fruit
Meringue:
5egg whites from large eggs about 58 gr each with a shell
½tspcream of tartar
60grsugar
Instructions
Make sure your chiffon cake pan does not have a non-stick coating or your cake will not rise. The cake needs to cling to the side of the pan to rise tall
Separate the eggs:
Separate the egg yolks from the white and let them sit out for 30 minutes at room temperature. The meringue whips better at room temperature
Prepare the dragon fruit:
Cut the dragon fruit in half and then peel off the skin. Puree the dragon fruit flesh in a food processor and set aside. Squeeze out extra liquid as much as possible
Mixing the thick batter:
Whisk the egg with sugar and cooking oil, then add coconut milk, and turmeric powder (if using) until combined. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the cake flour, salt, and baking powder.
Gradually add the cake flour to the egg batter while mixing. Mix until smooth and no lumps. Strain the batter if necessary to get rid of any lumps. Fold in the dragon fruit puree
Whipping the meringue:
Preheat your oven to 330 F (165C). Place the oven rack 3rd from the top. For convection oven, lower the temperature by 20 F (15 C)
Place the egg whites in a clean bowl. You will have trouble whipping your meringue if there's trace of grease in your utensils or bowls. Beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy, add cream of tartar and whip until it turns whitish. Gradually add the sugar as you beat. I beat them for around 4-5 minutes until you get a stiff peak. You will know you get to the stiff peak when you hold your whisk up and your meringue holds its shape
Gently fold in 1/3 of the meringue into the thick batter. Using a rubber spatula, swipe from the side and gently fold over to mix and then continue. Repeat this motion several rounds. Continue on with second 1/3 of the meringue again to mix. Continue to do this until you are done with the meringue and the batter and meringue are nicely mixed
DO NOT grease your chiffon pan. The cake needs to cling to the pan to rise. Give the pan a strong tap on the side for a few times before pouring in the batter to remove any air bubbles. Pour the batter in. Smooth the batter with rubber spatula. Give the pan a tap again to remove any bubbles or you can use toothpicks to do so
Pop into the oven and let it bake at 330 F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean and the surface of the cake is dry to touch and springs back lightly when you gently press on it
Don't be alarm if your cake has some cracks on top. What you are looking at will become the bottom of your cake. I find that baking at this temperature in my oven prevents the cake from cracking
Once out of the oven, carefully invert the pan upside down. Your chiffon pan may have the little stands for you to invert, but I find it not high enough. I use a glass jar and set the inverted pan on top of the jar and let it cool down completely. Please don't be tempted to remove from the pan if it's still warm. It takes about one to two hours to cool down completely
Once it's cool down completely, use a spatula knife to run through the edge of the cake and around the middle tube to help release the cake. Gently push the base of the pan down. Use the knife again to run through the top of the cake to help release it from the base of the pan