Mini Strawberry Chiffon Cake

Berries and cream have never tasted better than when paired with fluffy vanilla cake layers. Developed as a two layer, 6-inch cake, this Mini Strawberry Chiffon Cake is perfect for small celebrations and intimate gatherings.

Jump to:

• Why We love this Strawberry Chiffon Cake
• Tasting Notes
• What is a Chiffon Cake?
• Ingredients
• Tools and Equipment
• How It Works
• How to Ice a Cake with Whipped Cream
• Tessa's Tip
• Supporting Articles
• Substitutions
• Serving and Storage
• Chiffon Cake Pans
• Recipe FAQs
• Baker’s Notes
• Join the Style Sweet Bake Club!
• More Cakes to Bake
• Recipe

Why We love this Strawberry Chiffon Cake

This cake is wonderful during the spring and summer when strawberries are at their peak. The chiffon cake layers are light and fluffy. They pair perfectly with fresh berries and clouds of sweetened whipped cream in each delightful bite.

Tasting Notes

With flavors so simple yet classic, it’s times like these where I encourage you to reach for the good stuff. Real vanilla bean seeds freckle the whipped cream. I love the use of vanilla bean paste here. Not only is the flavor more concentrated and pure, it provides a little extra sweetness too.

Don’t have vanilla bean paste? You can go straight to the source and use a vanilla bean. Alternatively, use equal parts pure vanilla extract.

Take the time to make your ingredients shine. Macerating the sliced berries in a bit of sugar draws out their juices and enhances their natural sweetness.

First toss the sliced strawberries in sugar, then give them a stir every so often as you prepare the cake layers and whip the cream just before assembling.

What is a Chiffon Cake?

A chiffon cake is cross between a sponge cake and oil cake. This hybrid is soft and pillowy from whipped egg whites but rich and tender from the addition of oil and fatty egg yolks. The fluffy texture of a chiffon cake is achieved by beating egg whites then folding them into the batter.

Since air can’t be beaten into the oil (like you can with solid fats (butter) using the creaming method), the addition of whipped whites helps aerate and lighten the batter. Unlike some sponge cakes, the addition of baking powder ensures a nice lift to each layer.

Using oil instead of butter also means that the cakes layers will remain soft even after being refrigerated. This makes chiffon cakes wonderful pairings for fillings that need to be chilled - like pastry cream or this vanilla bean whipped cream.

Learn How to Make a Chiffon Cake like a pro!

Ingredients

• Cake flour - this will keep the cake layers pillow soft. It has less protein than all-purpose flour
• Baking powder - do not mistake for baking soda
• Salt - use fine sea salt like Diamond Crystal. Cut the amount in half if using regular table salt.
• Canola oil - any neutral oil is fine - vegetable, avocado oil, etc.
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste - use the paste for the whipped cream.
• Egg yolks
• Egg whites
• Whole milk
• Cream of tartar
• Heavy cream - look for cream labelled 33 to 36% MF (milk fat)
• Fresh strawberries

See recipe card for quantities.

Tools and Equipment

• Stand or hand mixer
• 6-inch cake pans
• Large rubber spatula
• Mixing bowls
• Offset spatula
• Rotating cake stand
• Icing smoother
• Piping bag and tip, for decorating.
• General kitchen tools (measuring cups, spoons, etc.)

How It Works

Chiffon cakes get most of their lift and fluffiness by incorporating whipped egg whites into the batter. Start by whisking egg whites on low speed until tons of tiny bubbles form. Gradually increase to medium-high and whip the whites until they hold medium peaks.

The whipped whites will be thick and billowy. When you pull the whisk out, they should have a soft but upright point on the end.

Do no over-beat the egg whites or they will dry out begin to clump together.

How to Ice a Cake with Whipped Cream

Frosting a cake with whipped cream can be tricky. You want to work as efficiently as possible.

Unlike buttercream that you can scrape off and start over with as often as you please, whipped cream begins to break down the more it is used and overworked.

Using whipped cream whisked to just medium peaks creates a much softer appearance but is a little trickier to work with. Give the remaining cream a few extra whisks to slightly stiffen it up at the end for piping details.

Try this Stabilized Whipped Cream to make things a bit easier!

Supporting Articles

How to Stack and Fill a Cake

How to Ice a Cake

Stabilized Whipped Cream

How to Make a Chiffon Cake

Substitutions

• Cake Flour - For every cup of cake flour, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons. The, add back 2 tablespoons of either corn starch or arrowroot powder to get 1 cup of cake flour.
• Strawberries - You may swap the strawberries for other fresh fruit like raspberries, sliced banana, sliced peaches, or blueberries. Importantly, make sure the fruit is relatively soft but not squishy. Keep the size of the fruit small to make slicing the cake easier.
• Vanilla Bean Paste - Use the seeds of a real vanilla bean (see Tip) or pure vanilla extract.
• Whipped Cream with Cream Cheese - adding a bit of cream cheese helps stabilize the whipped cream

Serving and Storage

Serve the cake within 30 minutes of assembling.

Slice the cake with a serrated bread knife.

The cake may be made in advanced and stored in the refrigerator. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

Chiffon Cake Pans

Chiffon cakes are typically baked in a tube pan. They often have little "feet" on the edges so that you can cool the cake upside down.

For this type of sponge cake, you do not grease the sides of the pan. This encourages the batter to crawl up the sides to its highest potential and keeps the cake from falling out when flipped to cool.

When baked in a standard round pan, I recommend lining the bottom with parchment but DO NOT grease the sides. If you can, try to still cool the cakes upside down by elevating the rims of the baking pans.

The final cake may still experience some shrinkage, but it will be okay.

Recipe FAQs

Baker’s Notes

• The cake may also be baked as one, 8-inch cake. Check doneness after about 25 minutes of baking. To frost, decrease the cream to 1 ½ cups and sugar to 2 tablespoons.
• Do not over whip the cream. Likewise, If you use an electric mixer, stop mixing once the cream thickens and holds soft peaks. Finish whisking by hand.
• If the cream is over-whipped and appears grainy, add in a tablespoon or two of heavy cream and whisk to just combined.
• DO NOT grease the sides of the pan but DO line the bottom with parchment paper to make sure the layers don't get completely stuck in the pans.

More Cakes to Bake

Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Filling

Mini Layer Cakes

Strawberry Layer Cake

Lemon Thyme Cake

The Best Vanilla Bean Cake

Lemon Chiffon Cake

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