layered citrus chiffon cake

ermahgerd it's nearly Christmas *takes deep breaths and reaches for the vodka*

This is the cake. The cake I only bust out for those special occasions; our family Christmas dinner last year, the instagram Christmas gathering at Emma's, a Cookrepublic workshop back in September. After the workshop Sneh posted the most beautiful image of the cake over on instagram and I've had so many requests for the recipe since. I wasn't planning to make it again for a while, but Sneh sent over some of her images for me to share, so here it is. 

Thank you so much Sneh, the photos are just gorgeous; most are from the workshop, just the first from the Christmas gathering. In all images the cake and tables were styled by Emma, she has mad skills.

Now the cake, it's a bit of a performance; the ingredients are expensive, it uses a tonne of eggs, I use jumbos (weight in shell approx 65g-70g) and makes an unholy mess in the kitchen, but it's totally worth it, and when raspberries are in season it really sings...

citrus chiffon cake

6 eggs, separated
1 extra egg white
225g plain cake flour (if you can't find cake flour substitute with regular plain flour)
250g caster sugar
50g extra caster sugar
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one lemon, grated super finely
180ml freshly juiced orange juice
120ml canola oil, or similar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (not essential, but will stabilise the egg whites)

mascarpone filling, recipe below
yuzu curd, recipe below
2 punnets raspberries

serves 16

• preheat your oven to 170ºC
• combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt, sift into a the bowl of a stand mixer, if you have one, and with the paddle attachment mix through the 250g caster sugar and lemon zest
• make a well in the centre of your flour mixture, add the orange juice, egg yolks, oil and vanilla extract, mix until smooth
• in another, really large bowl whisk the 7 egg whites until foamy, add the cream of tartar then mix until you have soft peaks, gradually add the additional 50g caster sugar, whisking until you have firm peaks and the sugar has dissolved
• fold the egg whites into the batter in three stages
• divide the batter equally between 3 ungreased, unlined 20cm springform cake tins and bake for 30 minutes
• remove the cakes from the oven, and leaving them in the tins, immediately invert onto racks to cool;  expect the cakes to sink slightly in the centre as they cool, they'll form prefect shallow bowls to load with the filling :)
• when completely cool, to release the cakes, run a sharp knife around the inside of the cake tin, remove the outer ring leaving the cake sitting on the base of the tin. This next stage is a little tricky, slide a strong thread, I use dental floss, between the base of the cake and the tin, slide all the way through, pressing the thread against the base as you go, invert the cakes onto a flat surface and you're ready to assemble
• keep the neatest, most even cake for the top layer, place another layer, flat side down on your serving plate/cake stand and top with a thick layer of mascarpone cream, drop dessert spoons full of yuzu curd on top of the cream and swirl together, scatter with one punnet of raspberries. Repeat with the next layer, finishing with the final cake layer, flat side facing up
• you could simply dust the cake with icing sugar, or decorate as you like; I love Emma's floral creations, just watch out for poisonous flowers and foliage, and any that have been treated with chemicals
• slice giant slabs of cake with a serrated knife and enjoy
• the cake will keep covered in the fridge for 4 days, it doesn't make it past 3 in our house...

mascarpone filling

500g mascarpone
300ml cream

• tip the mascarpone into a mixing bowl, using the paddle attachment beat for 10 seconds or so, until smooth, add the cream, mix until smooth, thick and creamy
• store in the fridge until ready to use

yuzu curd

2 eggs 
2 egg yolks
150g caster sugar
80g cold butter
70ml yuzu juice (replace with any citrus juice if you can't source yuzu)

• whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar together then tip into a small pan with the yuzu juice and butter
• heat gently, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted and the mixture has thickened (enough to coat the back of a spoon)
• strain the curd through a sieve into a sterilised jar, cover the top with cling wrap as it cools to prevent a skin forming
• seal the jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks