The Ultimate Lemon Chiffon Cake

If you love a light, bright lemon cake, one with an airy chiffon texture, this is the recipe for you! In this post I’m going to share my personal “from scratch” lemon chiffon cake recipe. 

What is a Chiffon Cake? 

Are you a fan of chiffon cakes? I am! These cakes are known for their light, airy texture. They’ve got the most lovely delicate texture and moist crumb. They belong in a category of cakes known as foam cake because they incorporate whipped egg whites. This is where they get their texture from. 

These egg whites are whipped and folded into the ingredients, then placed in a tube pan, a special pan with a hole in the middle. 

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m known for another cake that uses this same technique. . .my delicious Angel Food Cake. 

Is Chiffon Cake the Same as Angel Food Cake?

I have a delicious recipe for Angel Food Cake and it’s loaded with egg whites. This cake has a lot of egg whites, as well. I’ve also got a Mock Angel Food cake that starts with a box of white cake mix. It’s delicious.

There are several differences, however. This chiffon cake has both egg whites and egg yolks. (And angel food cake only has egg whites.) This cake not only has yolks, it’s also got oil and water, two other ingredients missing in Angel Food Cake. Oh, and this cake is made with all-purpose flour, unlike angel food cake, which requires cake flour. 

Other than that, these two cakes are basically the same. 

Haha. Just kidding. They’re not the same, but they do both end up having a similar light, bouncy texture that feels lovely on the tongue. That, my friends, is 100% due to the egg whites. 

Whatever you call them, I love these airy, springy cakes. They’re perfect with fruit, with curd, and with homemade whipped cream, my personal favorite. 

Lemon Chiffon Cake Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick look at what you will need for this recipe. These are simple ingredients you might already have on hand in your pantry or refrigerator. 

FOR THE CAKE

• eggs separated
• all-purpose flour
• granulated sugar
• salt
• baking powder
• water
• vegetable oil
• cream of tartar
• the zest and juice of two lemons

FOR THE GLAZE

• butter
• confectioners’ sugar
• lemon juice
• cream to thin

How to Make this Delicious Lemon Chiffon Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 

MAKE THE CAKE

Zest and juice lemons.

Divide eggs and set egg whites aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. 

Form a well in the center of the flour mixture. 

Add the water, oil, and egg yolks. 

Mix it all together and set aside. 

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar for 4 minutes until they form firm peaks. I used the stand mixer with whisk attachment but you can use an electric mixer if you like. 

Using a silicone spatula, fold egg white mixture into the batter. Mix well but don’t knock the air out of the batter. 

Pour into an ungreased tube pan and place in preheated 325 degree oven. (Be careful! You don’t want to open the door while this one is initially baking or it will collapse!)

Bake for a full hour or until golden. 

MAKE THE GLAZE

Beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar.

Add lemon juice. 

BRING IT ALL TOGETHER

Remove the cake from the oven and place tube pan on a wire cooling rack. (You’ll want to invert your pan for this process so that all of the metal parts can cool evenly.)

After an hour run a knife around the edge of the cake and pull up on the center piece to separate the bottom from the sides. 

Using a knife, separate the cake from the bottom pan.

Spread the glaze on top. 

Slice and serve! 

This cake can be left at room temperature or stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. 

I like my fruity cakes cold, so I refrigerated mine. 

What to Expect from this Recipe 

When I first sliced this cake I loved the way it looked and felt on the inside. Chiffon cakes are light and fluffy and have the loveliest springy texture!

I happened to have some of my homemade lemon curd on hand. (This is a great dish to make when you have leftover egg yolks.)

It was lemon on lemon on lemon, y’all! Lemon cake with lemon glaze with lemon curd. And let me tell you–I loved every lemony bite!

You’re going to love this one, too!

Variations on this Recipe

This cake was so delicious that it doesn’t really require any adjustments. But if you’re feeling adventurous, you might try:

Berries: If you love a good lemon berry cake you can add raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries to this recipe. I’d probably add a cup or so, lightly floured before adding.

Fresh berries on top: If you want to carry the lemon-berry idea a step further, add fresh berries on top of the glaze. The cake will be delicious and beautiful!

Whipping cream: If you like, you can skip the glaze and do a lemon-enhanced whipping cream. (Delicious!)

Cupcakes: You can use this recipe to make yummy lemon chiffon cupcakes. If you want to add a surprise in the middle, pop a strawberry down inside of the batter before baking.

Other Lemon Favorites from Out of the Box Baking

If you like lemon desserts, we’ve got you covered! Here are a few fan favorites:

• Lemon Custard Bars
• Lemon Blueberry Bread Pudding
• Strawberry Lemonade Icebox Cake
• Lemon Coconut Loaf with Pecans
• Luscious Lemon Blueberry Bars

That’s it for this post, friends!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you’re at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

Follow me on social media!

• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Instagram
• X
• TikTok
• YouTube