Lemon chiffon cake - Oprah favorite

By msweeney

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 7 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• grated zest of two lemons
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 8 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from examiner.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center; add the water, egg yolks, oil, lemon zest and vanilla. Whisk the dry ingredients together with the yolk mixture until the batter is blended and smooth. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium-low speed until foamy. Gradually increase the mixer speed to high and beat the egg whites until stiff (but not dry) peaks form.
Gently fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the batter using a rubber spatula just until blended. Gently fold in the remaining beaten egg whites using the rubber spatula just until combined.
Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
Bake for 1 hour in the pre-heated oven until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched with a fingertip and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and immediately invert the cake, still in the pan, onto the neck of a tall bottle, such as a wine bottle. Cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, melted butter and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Note: if the icing seems too thin, simply whisk in a little more powdered sugar. If it seems too stiff, whisk in a touch more lemon juice.
Remove the cake pan from the bottle. Run a butter knife carefully around the edge of the cake between the cake and the pan to loosen the cake from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving plate and remove the pan.
Spread the icing on the top of the cake, allowing some of the glaze to slightly drip down the sides of the cake.
Grate additional lemon zest lightly over the top of the cake.