Fluffy Lemon Chiffon Cake is refreshing and light with a homemade lemon glaze that you will go crazy for. Add a dollop of whipped cream and a few berries for a fancy and colorful display.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, oil, buttermilk, lemon zest, and egg yolks.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form (about 5 minutes).
Use a spatula to fold the egg whites (½ at a time) into the batter.
Pour batter into a 10-inch tube pan. Do not grease the pan, as the batter needs to cling to the pan in order to climb and stay fluffy.
Bake approximately 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs, and the cake springs back when pressed gently.
Cool UPSIDE DOWN. Most tube pans have little metal “feet” on the top of the pan for standing the cake upside down. Cool completely. The cake will not fall from the pan as long as you do not grease the pan.
Loosen the sides and center of the cake from the pan. Turn the cake out onto a serving platter.
Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon oil, and cream until a smooth glaze forms. Drizzle the glaze over the cake and spread it a bit over the top and sides. Let the glaze drizzle down over the sides as well.
Notes
Do not grease the pan. Leaving it as is allows the batter to cling to the tube and sides keeping it tall and fluffy.
Be sure to cool upside down. If your pan doesn't have "feet" you can place it on a wine bottle to cool.
Cleanattachments. Make sure your whisk attachment or beaters are clean and free of oil. If they are oily at all, it will cause deflated peaks on the egg whites.
Use Room Temperature eggs. Room temp egg whites will hold more volume when beaten than cold egg whites.
Don't over whisk. You want your egg white peaks to be stiff, they should form peaks when you lift the whisk attachment out of them. If you overmix, the egg whites may start to separate and you will not achieve the proper texture in the cake.