Family Chefmate: Orange Chiffon Cake With Whip Cream Frosting And Chocolate Shavings

I was requested to make this orange chiffon cake for my husband's birthday party. My mother-in-law Anna Mae, always has made some variation of this chiffon cake for her family for 50 years. I feel blest to be able to continue this chiffon cake for generations to come. The frosting on this cake is light and fluffy because it is almost all whip cream. Chiffon cake is also light and airy so it will not fill you up after a large meal. My daughter helped me make and frost this delicious cake for her dad.

Orange Chiffon Cake with Whip Cream Frosting with Chocolate Shavings.
Pre-heat oven: 325 degrees

2 1/4 cups softasilk cake flour
1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Mix the top 4 ingredients together and place in a bowl.

1/2 cup oil
5 unbeaten egg yolks (save the whites for later)
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons orange rind chopped
In a kitchen Aid or hand mixer with a paddle attachment place the next 4 ingredients in the mixer and blend together for 2 minutes. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend for 2 more minutes. Remove the batter from the mixing bowl and place in a clean bowl and set aside.

1 cup of egg whites or 8 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter

In a clean dry bowl with a whisk attachment beat the egg whites and the cream of tarter on high until the egg whites are stiff. You can test if the egg whites are stiff when you run a spatula through the whites and they remain standing in the same place. If the egg whites loose there shape just beat them a few minutes more.

Slowly and carefully fold the egg yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites. You want the batter to be light and fluffy so don't over mix. Grease a 9 inch tube pan (angel food cake pan) with cooking spray with flour (pam with flour works great). Pour the batter evenly into the tube pan. Place the cake immediately into a 325 degree oven for 50 minutes. Make sure the cake is in the bottom half of the oven and remove the upper wrack. This cake will rise and will get stuck in the next wrack if not removed. Test the cake with a long knife to see if it is done cooking. Allow the cake to cool on a wire wrack.

When the cake has cooled remove the cake from the pan by sliding a knife between the cake and the pan. This will loosen the cake from the pan. Place an empty plate on top of the tube pan and flip the pan over. The cake should come out of the pan and be right side up on the plate.

Orange Whip Cream Frosting with Chocolate Shavings:
2 cups whip cream
1/2 cup powder sugar
2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons of Cointreau or 1 tablespoon orange extract
In a kitchen aid with a wire whisk or hand mixer beat the cream until almost stiff. Then slowly add the powder sugar, fresh orange juice and cointreau to the cream. Continue to beat all the ingredients until they are incorporated and the cream has been whipped until is is stiff. Watch the frosting carefully or you will make butter. Place the frosting in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the cake.

Cake Decorations:
10 orange rinds peeled
6 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles
3 ounces semi sweet chocolate for shavings

Assembling the Chiffon Cake:

Cut the cake into 3 different layers using a serrated knife. Place each of the 3 pieces on a large plate. On a large plate or a cake stand place the 1st layer of the chiffon cake. Cover the first layer of the cake with the whip cream frosting then sprinkle some chocolate sprinkles
on top of the frosting. Place the 2nd layer of the cake on top of the 1st and frost and sprinkle. Place the 3rd layer on top and frost the entire cake with frosting. Decorate the top of the cake with chocolate shavings. Chocolate shavings are made by using a vegetable peeler and a block of chocolate. Shave the chocolate off the chocolate block with the peeler over the cake. Small chocolate shavings will fall on top of the frosting. When the cake is done add the 10 orange rind slices to the top of the cake for decoration. The orange rind slices can be made with a fruit zester. Place the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Egg Yolk Batter