Developed as a two layer, 6-inch cake, this light and fluffy Mini Strawberry Chiffon Cake is perfect for summer celebrations.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr45 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chiffon cake, strawberry cake
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For the Chiffon Cake
1cup(130 g) cake flour
1teabaking powder
¼teasalt
¼cup(60 ml) canola oil
½cup+ 3 tablespoons (140 g) granulated sugar
1teapure vanilla extract
3egg yolks
¼cup(60 ml) whole milk
4egg whites
¼teacream of tartar
For the Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
2cupsheavy cream
3 to 4tablespoongranulated sugar
1teavanilla bean paste
To Assemble
⅔ cupsliced strawberries
1tablespoongranulated sugar
1 ½cupshulled and quartered strawberries
Instructions
To Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of two 6-inch cake pans and line them with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using an electric mixer (stand or hand), mix together the oil and all but 1 tablespoon of sugar until combined. Add the vanilla and egg yolks. Mix on medium speed for abut 3 minutes until pale in color. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
With the mixer on low, add in half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Stream in the milk until absorbed. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Set aside.
In a washed and dried mixing bowl, add the egg whites and cream of tartar. Begin whisking on low until the egg whites foam. Gradually increase the speed and add the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Mix on medium-high until the eggs hold medium-stiff peaks.
Fold about 1 cup of the whipped egg whites into the cake batter to lightened it up. Gently but deliberately fold in the remaining egg whites until combined.
Evenly divide the cake batter between the two pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes come out clean. Place the cakes in their pans on a wire cooling rack. Run a very thin knife or metal spatula around the inside of the pan to release the sides of the cake. Continue to cool on the wire racks. Remove the parchment paper from the bottoms before assembling.
To Make the Whipped Cream
Begin whisking the cream (with an electric mixing or by hand) until the cream begins to thicken. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla bean paste and whisk until the cream holds medium peaks. Do not over mix.
To Assemble
Toss the sliced strawberries with the granulated sugar and set aside (stirring every so often). Prepare the layers of cake by trimming off the tops of cooled cakes until they are flat and level. Whip the cream.
Place one layer of cake on a cake board or serving dish. Top with about 1 ¼ cups of whipped cream and spread out with an offset spatula. Use the back of a spoon to gently hollow out the center of the cream to create a “bowl” for the slices strawberries. Spoon in the strawberries, leaving their juices behind. Top with the second layer of cake.
Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of whipped cream and chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
Smoothly frost the cake with the whipped cream. Give the remaining whipped cream a few more whisks to stiffen it slightly. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with the stiffened whipped cream and pipe a shell border around the top of the cake. Pile the quartered strawberries on top and serve.
Notes
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.