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Thursday 7 July 2011

Orange-Glow Chiffon Cake

I know it looks scrappy, but this is actually the best cake you'll ever taste.

You can see that I may have treated myself to a chiffon cake pan since I got one year closer to the big three zero a week or so ago. I even took a photograph of it, which has since been misplaced, but let's just say I ♥ my Wilton and every inch of its diameter.

Lovely.

Before we go any further with this chiffon appreciation, mind you, I just want to say something very serious and quite outside of my usual gently-negative, if-this-genoise-doesn't rise-then-I'm-going-to-blinking-well-kill-myself register.

I want to say how proud I am of my mother.

She is a woman who has worked incredibly hard every day of her life to make sure that we (my two siblings and I) have wanted for nothing. She has gone without to make sure that we get plenty; put everybody else before herself and carried on smiling. She is beautiful, selfless, open-hearted and caring.

Unsurprisingly, these sorts of attributes have allowed her to carve out a very successful career in the years since she returned to work after having had children. Without wanting to go into much detail (I'm scared of being sued!), her work situation got pretty shitty a few days ago. My mum is at the top, yet her first thoughts were of the people she manages. Her team, and their teams. People who depend on her, however indirectly.

Mum, I know you don't really read Delicious Delicious Delicious, and especially not right now, but I just want to say I love you. You are amazing, inspirational and can do anything. Now go get 'em.



And he's back...

So, this chiffon cake. It's pretty good. The neighbour's new housemate said it was so soft he wanted to use it as a pillow when we took some around to eat in their garden. (See, this is why I always tell people they should live in friendly old Cardiff. It's like an episode of 'Cheers', only there's no bar. And no Ted Danson.)

Getting the cake out of the tin is a little unnerving, mind. Rather like the first time you have a manicure and can't believe that you're actually paying someone to torture you in this way (Anyone else bleed? Thank you, 5th Avenue bitches!), it is an uphill struggle to cut the cake out of its aluminium casing without tears or a quickened heart rate.

In fact some of mine stayed in the tin. But with a texture and flavour such as this cake has (Hello there orange! Nice to see you again!), I don't really mind the less than perfect presentation. Besides, those pieces which stay behind are there for a reason: so you can eat them to make sure the cake is perfect. And it will be. This is another Rose Levy-B cake, after all.




I have waxed lyrical about chiffon cake enough on these pages, and I hate to repeat myself. But I will tell you one thing. The small cost of a Wilton tube pan is going to give you a lifetime of forties Hollywood glamour. Worth it. I say here's to Harry Baker!



Orange Glow Chiffon Cake

I watched Rose Levy Beranbaum make this cake in a video posted on Youtube. It seems silly to reprise the recipe here when you can see her do it herself. The video is here, and the recipe, here. Enjoy!

10 comments:

  1. Your mom sounds like a wonderful woman! I hope to inspire my child the same.

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  2. The cake looks so soft, orange is such a good flavor in terms of cakes

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  3. What a beautiful cake! You did an outstanding job -- Rose would be proud of you! Hope your mum comes out of her stressful work situation okay.

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  4. Ooooh! Wow, that's some height on your chiffon! Looks gorgeous.

    I'm very partial to chiffon cakes as they are a very memorable part of my childhood. Because of that, I have the (probably very wrong) impression that they are a rather Malaysian thing, as my grandma is quite the chiffon cake master (we have them in either orange or pandan flavour). I'll have to find out her trick to getting them out of the tin, as I've seen her do it and they just fall right out without a single crumb getting stuck in the tin!

    Hope your mother comes out of the work situation alright- she sounds like an amazing woman :)

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  5. I made an orange chiffon cake and you beat me too it! BAH!

    I'll just have to eat this cake and try something else.

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  6. A good son you are Mr P.

    I much prefer delicious orange in cake than lemon, but have never ventured into chiffon baking teritory! Whenever I see this shaped cake, I instantly think of the Malaysian Pandan version - yum:) Do a green version another time maybe Mr P?

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  7. That cake looks lovely...Ive never tried to make a chiffon cake before, perhaps I should try!

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  8. wow! you'be been on a chiffon cake craze! go mr. p

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  9. Yummy! Looks Delicious! I'll have to try!

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  10. We never need an excuse to indulge in the odd slice of cake. The amount of love and attention that has gone into your chiffon cake is outstanding! Not everyone is enough of a baking buff to create a beauty like that. Now, where is our slice?

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That's what he said.

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