Chocolate chiffon cake with whipped cream frosting – chocolatey chiffon cake that’s light as air frosted with whipped vanilla cream that’s equally light and fluffy!
(Love chocolate? It doesn’t get any chocolatier than this chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting!)
Hey chocolate lovers, this one is for you!
A chocolate chiffon cake that’s wonderfully soft and light frosted with whipped vanilla cream that’s as light and fluffy as the cake. The two work together beautifully!
How to make chocolate chiffon cake
The best part is, this fluffy chiffon cake recipe is easy to make too.
First, pre-heat your oven to 325F. Line the bottom of 3 9-inch round pans with parchment paper. Do not grease — this is important so that the batter can cling to the sides of the pans and rise properly.
In a large bowl, combine sifted cake flour, granulated sugar, Dutch processed cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Whisk until combined.
In another bowl, whisk coffee, canola oil, egg yolks and vanilla extract until smooth and thoroughly incorporated.
Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until you reach soft peaks. Then switch to high speed and gradually add sugar. Beat until the egg whites are very stiff and dry — the egg whites should be on the brink of losing their shine.
Take your coffee-egg yolk mixture and add to flour mixture.
Whisk until incorporated.
Add egg whites into your cake batter in thirds.
Ensure each addition is incorporated…
…before adding the next one.
Fold until evenly blended.
Transfer the batter equally into your 3 pans and bake for 30 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Run a sharp knife along the sides of each cake and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Then take out of the pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to make stabilized whipped cream
Since I started experimenting with stabilized whipped cream, it seems like I can’t get enough of it!
Stabilized whipped cream is simply whipped cream that spreads more easily, stays on longer, doesn’t melt as quickly and is just prettier all around. It’s what restaurants and professional bakeshops use.
There are several ways to stabilize whipped cream but I always just add unflavoured gelatine. Quick and easy.
Just slowly pour into your bowl as you’re whipping the cream and voila – magic happens.
About chiffon cakes – the one thing that makes or breaks them
I based this recipe on the chiffon cake recipe I used for my Mango Chiffon Cake. I added Dutch processed cocoa (I used Rodelle
) plus coffee to enhance the chocolate flavour.
I’ve found that egg whites really make or break chiffon cakes – they affect not only the height but also the cake’s texture. So I always make sure I do two things:
- Properly whip the egg whites stiff – still glossy but on the brink of turning matte. To achieve that, I start with clean and dry equipment and egg whites that are room temperature.
- Then I make sure I gently fold the egg whites into the batter. I’m careful not to over mix – I don’t want to deflate the egg whites and lose all the air that I managed to whip up.
(Wondering what to do with those leftover egg yolks? Check out this delicious collection of leftover egg yolk recipes.)
How to decorate
Frankly, I enjoy cake decorating but I’m not that great at it.
The first time I shared this cake to you guys, I slapped on chocolate all over the sides and on top of the cake and since we had Maltesers lying around the house, I added that too.
This time, I opted for a more rustic and natural look. I simply crumb coated the cake and put shaved chocolate on top, again because we had a big bar of chocolate that’s probably close to its expiration date lol.
Bottomline: we don’t have to be professional bakers. And we don’t need to make fancy fondant or buy gourmet stuff to make a cake pretty. Use what you have at home and just have fun!
Your new favorite cake
The light as a feather chiffon cake + the fluffy as a cloud whipped cream frosting is fantastic together. Chocolate and cream. Cocoa and vanilla. It’s a combination that’s as classic as it gets.
It would make a great addition to your holiday spread! Or this weekend. We always deserve a little cake. Especially this one.
This Matilda cake is pretty special too!
Other easy and delicious chocolate recipes
Satisfy your chocolate cravings with these easy to make (even easier to eat!) chocolate treats.
- These crunchy and chocolatey cornflake clusters are an easy Easter dessert for kids and adults alike. You can easily customize it for any occasion too, like Halloween and Christmas.
- You will throw out that boxed mix when you try these made-from-scratch fudgy walnut brownies loaded with chocolate chips. They’re so good and so easy to make!
- Want to start the day with chocolate? This champorado recipe (or Filipino chocolate rice porridge) is just what you need.
- And any Christmas cookie tray is incomplete without these very chocolatey chocolate crinkles. They’re everybody’s favourite for a reason!
Happy baking!
Did you make chocolate chiffon cake with whipped cream frosting? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
And let’s get social! Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter.
Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Chiffon Cake:
- 1 ¾ cups sifted cake flour
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup coffee room temperature
- ½ cup canola oil you can substitute any flavourless oil
- 5 pcs egg yolks from large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 pcs egg whites from large eggs room temperature
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
For the Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 1 packet unflavoured gelatine equivalent to 1 tablespoon
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 cups heavy cream chilled
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla paste you can also use vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 325F and line the bottom of 3 9-inch round pans with parchment paper. Do not grease.
- In a large bowl, whisk 1 ¾ cups sifted cake flour, 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, ½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk ¾ cup coffee, ½ cup canola oil, 5 egg yolks and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and thoroughly incorporated. Add to your flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 8 egg whites and ½ teaspoon cream of tartar on medium speed until you reach soft peaks. Then switch to high speed and gradually add ¼ cup sugar. Beat until the egg whites are very stiff and dry – the egg whites should be on the brink of losing their shine.
- Fold your egg whites into your batter in thirds. Gently fold until each addition is incorporated.
- Transfer the batter equally into your 3 pans and bake for 30 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Run a sharp knife along the sides of each cake and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then unmold and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting:
- Pour 1 packet of unflavoured gelatine into ¼ cup cold water. Do not stir. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow it to bloom.
- In the meantime, using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 2 cups heavy cream, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla paste on medium high speed until you reach soft-medium peaks.
- Get your gelatine and microwave in increments of 10 seconds until dissolved. Whisk until smooth and to bring it down to room temperature (it shouldn't be hot to the touch).
- Add a dollop of whipped cream to the gelatine and stir to temper it.
- Add the tempered gelatine to the rest of your whipped cream. Continue whipping until the gelatine is incorporated and you reach stiff peaks or get the consistency you want.
Chocolate Chiffon Cake Assembly:
- Evenly spread a generous helping of whipped cream frosting on top of the first cake layer. Put on the next cake layer and spread more frosting on top of that. Put the last cake layer on and proceed to cover the rest of the cake with whipped cream frosting and decorate as desired.
- Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Tarra L Vargas
Hi Jolina. Would I be able to do this in a cupcake size? It would be a single layer but what modifications would I need to make?
Jolina
Hi Tarra, I haven’t tried using this recipe for making cupcakes so I can’t say for sure. What I do know is when baking chiffon cupcakes, I use the cardboard cups (check out Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes) so that the cake have something sturdy to cling to.
Karen Giles
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for my birthday with stabilised Chantilly cream and fresh berries. I am new to baking and this was my 2nd cake,bi found your instructions easy to follow and as a result it was light, fluffly, chocholatey and everybody loved it will definitely be making this again. 🙂
Jolina
That’s awesome Karen! And hope you had fabulous birthday 🙂
Lucy
Could you please advice what size cake pans I use if I double the recipe. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Jolina
Hi Lucy, this will be a massive cake if you double the recipe. I haven’t tried but doing quick math and some googling, the Internet tells me you might be ok with using 3 9×13 inch baking pans. I would suggest trying it out as written first, then deciding how you can double as needed. In any case, happy baking!
Jen
This cake was delicious and not too sweet . My family loved it! I kept it in the fridge and was still moist the next day! This is the second recipe I have made through your site and both worked out great! Thank you!
Jolina
So happy to hear that Jen! 🙂
Farra
this recipe deserves a 5 star ratings… I used this recipes twice came out excellent…
Jolina
Glad you liked it Farra! It’s also one of our favourite cakes to bake and eat 🙂
Mirah
Hi,
Just wondering for the pans, can we use the non stick one? Love chiffon cake. Thanks
Jolina
Hi Mirah, I haven’t personally tried (I don’t own non-stick round pans) but technically, chiffon cakes need to be able to cling to the sides of the pan; otherwise it will collapse onto itself or sink. Note that the layers of this cake are not very high though so it might not be that big of a deal. It’s worth a shot.
Danielle
First time making chiffon cake and it’s so good! Thought I won’t pull it off but it came out perfectly. My icing was a little runny but the family still gobbled everything up. Thanks for the recipe!
Jolina
That’s awesome Danielle! Glad you and the family liked the chocolate chiffon cake 🙂
Trevor
What would the ratios be for a sheet cake? I want to make it into a roll
Jolina
Hey Trevor. I haven’t used this recipe to make a roll. Hopefully others have and they can give you some feedback.
Judy
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I made this cake for my son’s 6th birthday last week and he loved it!!! It was my first time making a cake from scratch and the recipe was so easy to follow. I would definitely make it again. Thank you!!!
Jolina
Hi Judy! You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you guys liked it. Happy birthday to your little boy 🙂
Sheana
What heavy cream brand did you use? 😀
Jolina
Hi Sheana. I usually buy Natrel or Neilson (I’m Canada ) 🙂
Jasmine
I don’t usually leave comments but I wanted to let you know this was my first time making a chiffon cake and it was delicious and light and fluffy as you promised. I had fund decorating too. Will make again for Christmas. Thanks for the recipe Jolina.
Jolina
So happy to hear that Jasmine! You’re most welcome. Have a lovely day!
gwen
I want to try this chocolate cake it looks good I have all the ingredients in the house but the Dutch chocolate process in not sure I only have Cadbury baking chocolate would that do??
Jolina
Hi Gwen. Are you referring to Cadbury Bournville Cocoa? According to this website > https://www.cadbury.co.nz/product/cadbury-bournville-cocoa/ > it’s Dutch-processed so you’re good to go!
Gwen
Thank you
Kristin
I don’t have Dutch process
Cocoa. How can I substitute regular baking cocoa?
Jolina
Hi Kristin, technically you can. But you’ll need to make some adjustments to make sure the recipe works 100%. Here’s a great article: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/07/15/dutch-process-vs-natural-cocoa Hope it helps!
Diana
I made this cake for my daughter in laws birthday and it was so delicious. It reminds me of the Goldilocks cakes from my childhood. Thank for the recipe God bless always.
Brian
Now the mango chiffon cake sounds really good!
Yooying
Wow! The cake looks so good~ Thank you for sharing the recipe!