Ultimate Fluffy Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Rich Coffee Chocolate Ganache

When it comes to cakes, texture is paramount. Sometimes you crave a dense, fudgy bite; other times, a moist, chewy slice. But for those moments when only pure, melt-in-your-mouth lightness will do, this Chocolate and Coffee Chiffon Cake recipe reigns supreme. It’s truly the king of fluffy cakes, an ethereal dessert experience that feels like eating a cloud. And what could possibly elevate such a delightful creation further? A luxurious, intensely flavored Coffee Chocolate Ganache, of course!

Why You’ll Adore This Chocolate Chiffon Cake Recipe

Chocolate cake comes in countless delightful forms. Whether your heart yearns for a ridiculously decadent Chocolate Fondant Cake, a subtly fruity Pear Chocolate Cake, or something incredibly light and airy like this Chocolate Chiffon Cake, there truly is a chocolate cake for every palate and occasion. But if you’re seeking a dessert that is both indulgent and remarkably delicate, you’ve found your perfect match.

This recipe was a revelation, marking a first foray into the world of chiffon cakes, and the results were nothing short of spectacular. The Chocolate Chiffon Cake is extraordinarily light, almost impossibly airy, and wonderfully fluffy. Each bite is a whisper of chocolate, dissolving on the tongue with a delicate sweetness. It’s a truly unique texture that differentiates it from traditional butter cakes, offering a delightful sensation akin to savoring a chocolate-infused cloud.

As if the cake itself wasn’t tempting enough, it’s crowned with a luscious Coffee Chocolate Ganache. This ganache isn’t just an afterthought; it’s a meticulously crafted topping designed to provide the perfect counterpoint to the cake’s tenderness. Its rich, deep chocolate flavor and subtle coffee notes offer a robust intensity that beautifully balances the soft, ethereal chiffon. Far from being a “chocolate overload,” this combination creates a harmonious symphony of textures and flavors that will leave you craving another slice.

Understanding the Magic: What Exactly is a Chiffon Cake?

Chiffon cakes hold a special place in the world of baking, categorized as “Foam Cakes.” This classification highlights their unique structure and the method by which they achieve their remarkable lightness. Foam cakes, in general, share a few key characteristics:

• They typically contain lower quantities of fat compared to butter-based cakes, relying more on the structural integrity of aerated egg whites.
• Their primary leavening agent is the air meticulously incorporated into egg whites, which are beaten into a stable meringue. This meringue provides the lift and delicate crumb that defines these cakes.

The first distinguishing feature of a Chiffon Cake is its use of Vegetable Oil rather than solid fats like butter or shortening. This choice of fat plays a critical role in the cake’s texture. Vegetable oil, being liquid at room temperature, contributes to a cake that is exceptionally moist, tender, and remains soft even when chilled. Unlike the very similar Angel Food Cakes, Chiffon Cakes ingeniously utilize both egg whites and egg yolks. The inclusion of egg yolks adds richness, flavor, and a beautiful golden hue, making a Chiffon Cake more moist and flavorful than its fat-free counterpart, the Angel Food Cake.

The second fundamental aspect of any foam cake, and particularly a Chiffon Cake, is the reliance on a Meringue. This isn’t just any meringue; it’s a carefully crafted mixture of egg whites beaten until they are full of tiny air bubbles. These air bubbles are the engine of the cake’s rise, expanding in the oven and creating that signature airy, fluffy texture. It’s this delicate balance of ingredients and precise technique that transforms simple components into a culinary marvel.

Chiffon Cake vs. Sponge Cake: Unpacking the Differences

While both Chiffon and Sponge Cakes (often referred to as Genoise) share the common technique of using a meringue as a primary leavening agent for their airy structure, a crucial distinction lies in the type of fat used. Sponge cakes are traditionally made with Butter (or sometimes shortening), which imparts a rich, dense flavor and a slightly more crumbly texture. The butter also means sponge cakes are often served with a soaking syrup to maintain moisture.

In contrast, Chiffon Cakes utilize a neutral-flavored Vegetable Oil. This seemingly small change has a profound impact. Vegetable oil creates a cake that is inherently more moist, tender, and resilient. Its liquid nature helps prevent the cake from drying out quickly, resulting in a springy crumb that stays soft for longer. This makes chiffon cakes lighter and, in many ways, more forgiving and versatile than their sponge cake cousins, especially when paired with rich toppings like our Coffee Chocolate Ganache.

Mastering the Art: Essential Tips for Making a Perfect Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Creating a truly spectacular Chiffon Cake involves a few critical steps and understanding the ‘why’ behind them. These are the cornerstones of success:

• The ingredients must be meticulously separated into three distinct categories: the dry components (flour, cacao, sugars, leavening agents, salt), the wet components (egg yolks, oil, milk), and the crucial egg whites destined for the meringue. This separation ensures each part is properly prepared before combining, which is key to the chiffon cake’s unique structure.
• The texture and stability of your Meringue are arguably the most vital elements that will determine the success or failure of your Chiffon Cake. You must beat your egg whites until they form Stiff Peaks. This means that when you lift the whisk, the peaks of meringue stand firm and hold their shape without drooping. This aeration is what provides the incredible lift and airy, fluffy texture. To further ensure your meringue is stable and won’t easily deflate when gently folded into the rest of the ingredients, incorporating a small amount of Cream of Tartar is highly recommended. It’s an acidic powder that helps stabilize the whipped egg whites, making them stronger and more resistant to collapse.
• Utilizing a proper Chiffon Cake Pan, also known as a Tube Pan, is absolutely essential. Crucially, you must **NOT grease it**. Greasing the pan will prevent your cake from rising properly. Chiffon cake batter needs to “climb” up the sides of the pan as it bakes, clinging to the ungreased surfaces to achieve its impressive height and characteristic light crumb. If the pan is greased or non-stick, the batter will simply slide down, resulting in a dense, short cake.
• Allow the Chiffon Cake to cool down completely while still in its pan, but Upside-Down. This seemingly unusual step is fundamental for achieving the perfect tall and airy chiffon cake. Gravity is your friend here; by inverting the cake while it cools, it prevents the delicate, freshly baked structure from collapsing on itself. The cake needs to “hang” upside-down, allowing it to set and maintain its impressive volume as it gradually cools.

Crafting Your Own Chocolate Chiffon Cake: Ingredients and Process Deep Dive

Now that we’ve covered the fundamental principles of chiffon cakes, let’s delve into the specific ingredients and steps for creating this delightful Chocolate Chiffon Cake. This recipe relies on a combination of basic yet carefully chosen cake ingredients: eggs (separated), flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, vegetable oil, milk, and cacao powder. Each ingredient plays a vital role in achieving the cake’s signature texture and flavor.

Many traditional chiffon cake recipes call for Cake Flour. This finely milled flour has a lower protein content and is often bleached, meaning it contains less gluten. Less gluten development is desirable in chiffon cakes as it contributes to a more tender and delicate crumb. If cake flour isn’t readily available in your area (it can be harder to find in places like Australia, for example), fret not! You can easily create your own substitute by using a mix of regular all-purpose (plain) flour and Cornstarch. The cornstarch helps to mimic the lower protein content and tenderizing effect of commercial cake flour, ensuring your cake achieves that desired lightness.

As previously mentioned, I strongly recommend using Cream of Tartar when beating your egg whites for the meringue. This acidic ingredient significantly enhances the stability of the meringue. It works by strengthening the air bubbles trapped within the egg whites, making them less prone to deflating, which is crucial for maintaining the cake’s volume and airy texture. Beyond its stabilizing role, as an acid, cream of tartar also reacts with baking soda in the dry ingredients, acting as an additional leavening agent. It’s a true win-win situation for a perfectly risen, fluffy cake! If you don’t have cream of tartar, you can substitute it with other mild acids like a small amount of lemon juice or white vinegar, though cream of tartar is generally considered the most effective for meringue.

For baking your Chocolate Chiffon Cake, a proper Tube Pan is highly recommended. These pans are specifically designed for chiffon and angel food cakes. They typically feature smooth, ungreased sides and a hollow tube in the center, which allows the cake to cook evenly and provides extra surface area for the batter to cling to as it rises. You might find various types, including those with a Removable Bottom. While convenient for unmolding, exercise caution when inverting the cake to cool, ensuring the cake doesn’t slip out prematurely before it has fully set.

The Perfect Topping: Rich Coffee Chocolate Ganache

Once your exquisite Chocolate Chiffon Cake has cooled and been gently released from its pan, it’s time to crown it with the utterly rich and decadent Coffee Chocolate Ganache. This part of the recipe is refreshingly straightforward, offering a simple yet incredibly impactful finishing touch. It primarily involves melting high-quality dark chocolate with coffee-infused milk, creating a glossy, pourable ganache that adds depth and intensity to every slice.

For this ganache, I prefer using dark chocolate with a high cacao content, specifically my favorite Callebaut 70% Cacao Chocolate. The robust flavor of high-cacao chocolate perfectly complements the ethereal lightness of the chiffon cake and the bitterness of the coffee. Because of this high cacao percentage, I added a small amount of brown sugar to the ganache to balance the flavors. However, if you opt for a dark chocolate with a lower cacao content (e.g., 50-60%), which tends to be sweeter, you might find that no additional sugar is needed. Always taste and adjust to your preference! The warmth of the milk infused with instant coffee granules helps to create a smooth, emulsified ganache that beautifully drizzles over the cake, creating a stunning visual and an even more impressive flavor profile.

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Recipe

Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Coffee Chocolate Ganache

4.61 from 23 votes

This Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Coffee Chocolate Ganache is the lightest, fluffiest cake you will ever make. The perfect mix of soft cake and rich ganache!

Servings: 10 people

Author: Sylvie

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Resting Time2 hours hrs

Total Time45 minutes mins

Print Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

• 6 Eggs, separated
• 180 gr (1 cup + 3 tablesp.) Plain Flour
• 20 gr (2 tbsp) Cornstarch
• 30 gr (1/4 cup) Unsweetened Cacao Powder
• 75 gr (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 teasp. Baking Powder
• 1/4 teasp. Baking Soda
• 1 pinch Salt
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) Canola Oil (or other vegetable oil)
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) Full Cream Milk
• 1/2 teasp. Cream of Tartar, Optional

Coffee Chocolate Ganache

• 75 gr (2.5 oz) Dark Chocolate
• 75 ml (5 tablesp.) Full Cream Milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp. Instant Coffee Granules
• 1 tbsp. Brown Sugar

Instructions

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Prepare 3 large bowls.

  Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two separate bowls.

• In the third bowl, sift together the Plain Flour, Cornstarch, Unsweetened Cacao Powder, 2/3 of the Brown Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt. Whisk to combine well.
• In the bowl with the egg yolks, whisk in the Canola Oil and Full Cream Milk until well combined. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix carefully until fully incorporated and no lumps remain. Do not overmix.
• Add the Cream of Tartar (if using) to the egg whites and beat with an electric mixer until medium peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 1/3 of the Brown Sugar while continuing to beat, until stiff peaks are achieved (see Note 1). The meringue should be glossy and hold its shape firmly.

  Gently fold the meringue into the cake batter in three additions. Use a spatula to carefully incorporate the meringue, taking care not to deflate the air. Stop folding as soon as all the meringue has been integrated and the batter is uniform. Overworking the batter will result in a less airy cake.

• Pour the batter into an ungreased tube pan (see Note 2). Gently tap the pan on your counter a couple of times to release any large air pockets. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Immediately upon removing the cake from the oven, invert the pan upside down. Many tube pans have small feet or a central cone that allows this. This crucial step prevents the delicate cake structure from collapsing as it cools. Allow the cake to cool completely in the inverted pan before turning it right side up. Once fully cooled, run a thin, sharp knife carefully around the edges of the cake and the inner tube to release it, then invert one last time to remove the cake from the pan.

Coffee Chocolate Ganache

• In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, gently warm the Full Cream Milk. Dissolve the Instant Coffee Granules and Brown Sugar in the warm milk. Once dissolved, pour the hot coffee milk over the chopped Dark Chocolate. Let it sit for 1-2 minutes, then gently stir until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Drizzle this decadent Coffee Chocolate Ganache generously over your cooled Chocolate Chiffon Cake.

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Notes

1. The use of Cream of Tartar is optional, but it is highly recommended as it greatly aids in stabilizing your meringue, resulting in a more reliable and higher-rising cake.
2. Not greasing your tube pan is an absolutely essential step for a successful chiffon cake. This allows the delicate batter to “climb” up the sides of the pan as it bakes, providing the necessary support for its airy structure. If you grease your pan or use a non-stick pan, the cake batter will simply slide down the edges, preventing it from rising properly and resulting in a dense, shorter cake.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 326kcal |
Carbohydrates: 33g |
Protein: 7g |
Fat: 19g |
Saturated Fat: 4g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g |
Monounsaturated Fat: 10g |
Trans Fat: 1g |
Cholesterol: 101mg |
Sodium: 81mg |
Potassium: 287mg |
Fiber: 2g |
Sugar: 12g |
Vitamin A: 187IU |
Calcium: 75mg |
Iron: 3mg