Citrus Chiffon Cake: A (Belated) Ode to Dad

I've been trying to imagine what my father would say about me being late in posting a Father's Day dedication to him. I know he probably wouldn't mind and note that it's the thought that counts. He'd also might snark that, thank goodness, it's him I'm late with and not my mother. Ever the strategist, he might also discuss whether or not I should consider an editorial calendar. Or maybe rethink whatever bad life choices that led me to being too sick to post on time.

Sorry, Dad.

While I have traits from both my parents, I think the ones inherited from Dad are some of the more marked parts of my personality. The wry, snarky, and occasionally inappropriate sense of humor. The intense detestation of being bored (my father might be the only person who dislikes retirement because there isn't enough to do). The stubborn adherence to logic to the point that it becomes illogical. The sweet tooth.

Oh, yes, the sweet tooth.

My father, in the middle of several health crises, squirreled away Oreos. I remember buying a slice of strawberry cheesecake and saving it for an after-school treat, only to have my anticipation cut short by finding half the slice missing. Dad, knowing that a distant bakery carried these eggy coconut-filled buns that I liked, drove all the way there to buy a box. Just like Dad, I like nothing more than a pastry with a cup of tea or coffee.

It's funny that a man who loves sweets so much rarely made them himself, but he didn't bake much. In fact, I remember him baking two things, butter cookies and chiffon cake.

Not having grown up with very sweet desserts (although my mother has a weakness for pecan pie), my parents like chiffon cake because it's still rich, but not very sweet. When I saw a similar recipe in The Gourmet Cookbook (yes, from the much beloved magazine... sob), I had to make it.

So, thanks, Dad. Thanks for the endless cheerleading, the wisdom, and of course, the sweet tooth.

Citrus Chiffon Cake

Recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 6 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 teaspoons orange zest, finely grated
• 4 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated
• 3/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Sift together sugar, 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks, oil, zests, juice, and vanilla. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or a large clean mixing bowl, if using a hand mixer). Beat at medium-high speed until the whites hold soft peaks, then slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Beat until the whites hold stiff peaks.

Gently stir 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites. Spoon batter into pan and smooth the top.

Bake for approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cake is done when a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes on a rack, then gently invert the pan (either over a bottle or onto the "feet" that are on some tube pans). The cake should not fall out, but be very cautious. Cool completely before removing from the pan.

Note: Original recipe calls for the pan to not be inverted, but I found that inverting works better. With my pan, the cake did not fall out and actually collapsed slightly when not inverted. However, with the butter/flouring of the pan, there is a risk of it falling out, so invert carefully.