Cherry Chiffon Cake — the name alone sounds irresistible, and the flavor lives up to the promise. This cake pairs a light, airy sponge with a feather-soft, marshmallow-like frosting, and finishes with a gentle cherry taste that’s noticeable without being overpowering.
When I first served a slice to my best friend, her reaction said it all: “Mmm… this is amazing! It’s so light and tastes incredible!” That bright, delicate texture is exactly what a chiffon should deliver, and the cherry notes—subtle and sweet—make it feel special without overwhelming the palate.
A quick note about an ingredient swap: the original recipe calls for cherry extract, but I couldn’t find it locally. After searching several stores with no luck, my husband came home with a jar of maraschino cherries, and that inspired a few changes. Using the cherries and their juice instead of extract worked beautifully after a couple of small adjustments. If you don’t have cherry extract available, maraschino cherry juice provides a pleasant, authentic cherry flavor and also contributes a lovely rosy tint when used judiciously.
The technique for this cake is straightforward but worth following: separate your eggs, bring the whites to room temperature for better volume, and gently fold the meringue into the batter so the sponge stays light. I tint a small portion of the batter pink and swirl it into the plain batter for a pretty marbled effect. The frosting is a cooked marshmallow-style icing made from sugar, egg whites, and corn syrup, stabilized with a little cream of tartar and flavored with cherry juice and vanilla. It whips to glossy, stable peaks that spread easily and hold their shape.
After baking, invert the tube pan to cool the cake completely before removing it; this prevents the delicate chiffon from collapsing. Once cooled, trim any loose crumbs, frost gently, and garnish with whole maraschino cherries for color and an extra burst of cherry flavor. The final result is visually attractive and tastes as light as it looks.
Cherry Chiffon Cake
With a whisper-light sponge and an airy marshmallow frosting, this Cherry Chiffon Cake brings a balanced cherry flavor and an elegant presentation perfect for special occasions or a delightful afternoon treat.
- Author: Erika Bragdon
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
- 8 egg whites
- 2–1/4 cups cake flour
- 1–1/2 cups sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup water
- 6 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- red food coloring (optional)
FROSTING
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- maraschino cherries, for decoration
Instructions
- Step 1: Separate the eggs. Let the egg whites sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the water, maraschino cherry juice, and oil until blended. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Set this batter aside. (I mixed this portion by hand to reserve the mixer for the egg whites.)
- Step 2: Add the cream of tartar to the room-temperature egg whites and beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the meringue into the prepared batter, taking care not to deflate it. Remove about one-third of the batter to a small bowl and tint it with red food coloring if you want a pink swirl. Spoon alternating portions of the plain and tinted batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, then swirl lightly with a knife for a marbled effect.
- Step 3: Bake on the lowest rack of a preheated oven at 325°F (163°C) for 60–70 minutes, or until the top springs back slightly when touched. Immediately invert the pan over a wire rack and let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan.
For the frosting
- Combine the sugar, two egg whites, corn syrup, maraschino cherry juice, water, and cream of tartar in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk briskly for about one minute, then continue whisking while the mixture heats until it reaches 160°F (about 8–10 minutes over low heat). Remove from the heat, pour into a mixing bowl, add the vanilla extract, and beat on high until glossy, stiff peaks form (about 7 minutes).
- Carefully run a knife around the center and inside edges of the tube pan, remove the cake, and transfer it to a serving plate. Brush off any loose crumbs, frost the cake gently with the marshmallow-style frosting, and decorate with maraschino cherries.
Notes
- © Musings From a Stay At Home Mom. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use images without prior permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, rewrite it in your own words and credit the original post as the source for the recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
Source: Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.