Fluffy Banana Chiffon Cake
A cloud-like, delicate banana chiffon cake that captures intense, caramelized fruit sweetness without the density of banana bread.
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 142kcal
Ingredients
Yolk Batter
- 54 g Egg Yolk (about 3 large yolks)
- 15 g Granulated sugar
- 30 g Taihaku sesame oil (unroasted white sesame oil, or any neutral oil)
- 100 g Ripe banana (peeled weight)
- 7 g Lemon juice (0.5 tbsp)
- 28 g Whole milk (or any non-dairy milk)
- 80 g Pastry flour (U.S., ~8–9.5% protein)
- 3 g Baking powder (0.5 tsp)
Meringue
- 140 g Egg White (about 4 large whites)
- 45 g Granulated sugar
Optional Garnish
- 1 batch Stabilized Vanilla Chantilly Cream
- 5-6 slices Fresh banana
- 1 handful Edible flowers
Instructions
- Prep: Heat your oven to 340°F (170°C), placing the rack in the lower third. Have your ungreased 17cm (7-inch) aluminum chiffon pan ready. Sift 80g of pastry flour and 3g of baking powder together twice to ensure it is incredibly light.
- Yolk Batter: In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 15g of sugar until pale. Slowly stream in 30g of Taihaku sesame oil and whisk until fully emulsified. Whisk in the mashed banana mixture and 28g of whole milk.
- Finally, sift the dry flour mixture over the top and whisk just until smooth—do not overmix.
- Meringue: In a separate, impeccably clean bowl, beat 140g of egg whites until foamy. Add 45g of sugar in three separate additions. Beat until you reach firm, glossy peaks that have just a slight bend at the tip (bird's beak).
- Fold: Whisk one-third of the meringue into the yolk batter to lighten it. Then, gently fold in the remaining meringue in two additions until the batter is just uniform. Pour the batter into your pan and run a wooden skewer through the batter once in a circle to release any large trapped air bubbles.
- Bake (Stage 1): Bake at 340°F (170°C) for 30 minutes without opening the oven door.
- Bake (Stage 2): Lower the temperature to 320°F (160°C) and bake for 10 more minutes. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the tallest crack comes out clean, and the top springs back when gently pressed.
- Invert and Cool: Remove from the oven and invert the pan immediately. Let it cool completely upside down for at least 2 hours to prevent the airy crumb from collapsing.
- Unmold: Once completely cool, run a thin offset spatula around the outer wall and the center tube to release the cake. Carefully remove the base. Slice with a serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion.
- Decorate (Optional): This cake is delicious on its own, but to elevate it for a special occasion, top the completely cooled cake with a generous swoop or piped design of stabilized vanilla Chantilly cream. Gently arrange the fresh banana slices and edible flowers over the cream just before serving.
Notes
Flour & Hydration Adjustments: This recipe uses Pastry Flour (8–9.5% protein). If you are using a different flour, adjust your milk hydration as follows:
- Cake Flour: 85g flour / 25g whole milk
- All-Purpose (AP) Flour: 75g flour / 30g whole milk
- Violet Flour (Japanese Cake Flour): 90g flour / 35g whole milk
- Gluten-Free: Swap the pastry flour 1:1 for rice flour for a wonderfully tender, slightly bouncy texture.
- 17cm "Short" Chiffon (3.5" high): 49g yolks, 14g sugar (A), 27g oil, 25g milk, 6g lemon juice, 90g banana, 72g pastry flour, 2.5g baking powder, 126g whites, 41g sugar (B).
- 6x3 Inch Angel Food Pan: 32g yolks, 9g sugar (A), 18g oil, 17g milk, 4g lemon juice, 60g banana, 48g pastry flour, 1.8g baking powder, 84g whites, 27g sugar (B). (Check bake at 25 minutes).
- 8x3 Inch Angel Food Pan: 65g yolks, 18g sugar (A), 36g oil, 34g milk, 8g lemon juice, 120g banana, 96g pastry flour, 3.6g baking powder, 168g whites, 54g sugar (B). (May require an extra 5 minutes of bake time).
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 45mg | Sugar: 10g