Yuzu is definitely my favourite of the citrus fruits. I associate yuzu with Japan and have enjoyed it in many different ways: in drinks, ramen, with fried chicken, and even in honey. Its sharp, zingy taste is far superior to a lemon and really cuts through many other flavours.

In Australia, particularly in Victoria, we are lucky enough to have yuzu farmers Brian and Jane Casey from Mountain Yuzu. They are specialty growers of yuzu, bergamot, and chinotto citrus fruits, all of which I have ordered before to create various delicious things. This year, the yuzu harvest is much better than last year, so I’ve just ordered myself another box to enjoy and have fun with.

This cake really makes the yuzu flavour sing, but if you don’t have enough yuzu, you can combine it with lemon. Or, if yuzu is unavailable, substitute it with any other citrus.

Yuzu Chiffon Cake

Adapted from Beatrix Bakes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  

• 180ml yuzu juice
• 10g yuzu zest
• 300g egg whites
• 140g egg yolks
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 300g caster sugar
• 240g plain flour
• 15g baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 110ml vegetable oil

Yuzu Yoghurt Glaze

• 200g icing sugar
• 50g natural full fat yoghurt
• 1 tbsp yuzu zest
• 1 tsp yuzu juice

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 150°C fan-forced.
• Weigh the sugar in a medium bowl. Take out 2 tablespoons to add to the egg whites later. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl and set aside.
• Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed (speed 6) until the egg whites are stiff and white. Start adding the reserved sugar to the egg whites gradually (about a teaspoon every 30 seconds) and beat until you have a white, smooth, glossy mixture. Then beat on low (speed 1) for 1 minute to remove any air bubbles.
• Put the oil, egg yolks and juice and zest in a wide bowl and whisk to combine. Sift the dry ingredients over the yolk whisk together to form a loose batter. Gently fold in one-third of the egg white mixture with a silicone spatula. Then add in the remaining egg white mixture and gently combine until no white streaks remain.
• Pour the mixture into the cake tin, wiping away any batter smears around the sides or centre of the tin. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until golden and the cake around the centre tube looks dry. Wearing oven mitts, remove from the oven and immediately invert the centre tube onto a bottle. Let it hang for 2-3 hours or until the tin is completely cool.
• To release the cooled cake, run a thin knife around the edge of the tin, ensuring you get right to the bottom. Turn the chiffon cake out onto a serving plate.
• To make the yuzu yoghurt glaze, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the yoghurt, most of the zest and juice. Stir well until combined. Add a little extra icing sugar if too wet, or a small amount of water or yoghurt if too thick.
• Spoon the glaze around the outer edge of the cake first, then over the top. Sprinkle over remaining zest. Leave to set for 15 minutes before serving.