Super Moist Chocolate Chiffon Cake
This post may contain affiliate links.If you love light and airy cakes with rich chocolate flavor, this Super Moist Chocolate Chiffon Cake is for you. Made with cocoa powder and whipped egg whites, it bakes up incredibly soft, fluffy, and moist while staying wonderfully light.
Whether you’re serving it for birthdays, afternoon tea, or simply satisfying a chocolate craving, this chocolate chiffon cake delivers the perfect balance of deep chocolate flavor and cloud-like texture.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
🏷️ Recipe Name: Chocolate Chiffon Cake
⏱️ Ready In: ~ 1 hour 20 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 12 slices
🔥 Calories: 93 kcal per serving (estimate)
🧾 Main Ingredients: Eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, milk, oil, baking powder, chocolate paste, lemon juice.
🥗 Dietary Info: Vegetarian friendly
🧠 Difficulty: Easy with step by step guide
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If you love cakes that are light as a cloud but packed with chocolate flavor, this Super Moist Chocolate Chiffon Cake is for you. Made with cocoa powder and whipped egg whites, it bakes up incredibly soft, fluffy, and moist while staying wonderfully airy. It’s the kind of cake that disappears quickly at birthdays, family gatherings, and afternoon tea.
One of the things I love most about chiffon cakes is how versatile they are. Once you master the basic technique, you can create countless variations, from this rich Chocolate Chiffon Cake to Cream Cheese Chiffon Cake, Pumpkin Chiffon Cake, and Pandan Chiffon Cake.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Eggs – Separate the egg yolks and egg whites while the eggs are still cold. For best volume, allow the egg whites to come to room temperature before whipping.
Cake Flour – Cake flour helps create the soft, delicate texture chiffon cakes are known for. If you don’t have cake flour, you can make a substitute by replacing 2 tablespoons of every cup of all-purpose flour with cornstarch.
Cocoa Powder – Use a good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder for the best chocolate flavor. Dutch-processed cocoa will produce a darker color and smoother flavor, while natural cocoa powder gives a more pronounced chocolate taste.
Chocolate Paste – Chocolate paste adds extra richness and helps deepen the chocolate flavor. If unavailable, you can omit it or use melted dark chocolate for a richer chocolate taste.
Vegetable Oil – Oil is what makes chiffon cakes so moist and tender. Use a neutral-flavored oil such as coconut, canola, vegetable, sunflower, or grapeseed oil.
Sugar – Sugar not only sweetens the cake but also helps stabilize the whipped egg whites, contributing to the cake’s light and airy texture.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
How to Make Chocolate Chiffon Cake
STEP 1: Mix egg yolk, sugar, milk, and coconut oil in a bowl with a whisk (Image 1). Sieve in flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder (Images 2 and 3). Add chocolate paste if you like (Image 4).
STEP 2: Whisk well until you can see the batter getting smoother (Images 5 and 6). In another bowl, beat egg white starting with low speed to medium speed (Image 7). Add in sugar in three parts while still mixing. Pour in lemon juice into the meringue. (Image 8).
STEP 3: Continue mixing, turn up the speed from medium to high speed until you reach a soft peak consistency (Images 9 , 10). Add one-fourth of the meringue to the egg yolk batter (Image 11). Mix well and pour the whole batter into the meringue (Image 12).
STEP 4: Mix and fold using a whisk until you can no longer see the white meringue (Image 13). Pour the batter into a baking pan (Image 14). Use a skewer to rotate inside the batter to burst the air bubbles (Image 15). Add another bigger baking pan. Pour hot water in a bigger baking pan (Image 16). Bake au-bain marie method (water bath) in a preheated oven at 150°C for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, change the temperature to 120°C, continue baking for 60 minutes. Finish baking with only upper heat 180°C for 5 minutes.
STEP 5: Test with a skewer. If the skewer comes out clean, it is already done. Take it out of the oven (Image 17).
STEP 6: Turn the baking pan upside down right away(Image 18). This is a MUST for chiffon cake. Otherwise, it will get deflated. Let it cool upside down. Take out from the baking pan to slice. Serve your chocolate chiffon cake! Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Beat the egg whites gradually – Start at low speed and gradually increase to medium-high speed as the egg whites approach soft peaks. This creates a more stable meringue with smaller air bubbles.
- Do not grease the tube pan – Chiffon cake batter needs to cling to the sides of the pan to rise properly. A greased pan can cause the cake to collapse.
- Remove large air bubbles before baking – Tap the pan gently on the counter and run a skewer through the batter to release trapped air pockets.
- Turn the cake upside down immediately – As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, invert the pan and let it cool completely. This helps maintain its tall, fluffy structure.
- Avoid overbeating the meringue – Overbeaten egg whites can cause the cake to crack excessively and create a coarser texture. Aim for stiff peaks that still look smooth and glossy.
- Use a water bath for extra moisture – Baking the cake in a water bath (au bain-marie) helps create an exceptionally moist and tender crumb.
Serving Suggestions
A slice of Chocolate Chiffon Cake is even better when you have a refreshing drink on the side, like Butterfly Pea Flower Drink or a chilled Blue Latte.
If you’re a fan of bubble tea, why not go for Earl Grey Milk Tea or Oolong Milk Tea to pair with it? They’re a perfect match for the rich, chocolatey flavor of the cake. You could even try a fun combo with a Rose Milk Tea or a stronger Korean Strawberry Milk if you’re in the mood for something different!
Chocolate Chiffon Cake FAQs
The key to have a beautiful texture in chiffon cake is in mixing the meringue. You should start with low speed and gradually going to medium speed.
Right after baking in the oven, you have to turn the chiffon cake upside down. If your baking pan doesn’t have legs, you need to use holder to let the cake cool down while turned upside down.
Start with low speed while pouring in sugar and lemon juice, work your way up to medium speed. When it starts to get shiny, you can turn it up to high speed and check if it has soft peak consistency like in the image.
Storage
Keep the cake in a closed container in the chiller for up to 4 days. Wrap with cling wrap to avoid dryness. When stored in room temperature, this cake can stay up to 2 days.
Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Equipment
- 1 chiffon baking pan 16 cm
Ingredients
Egg yolk batter
- 3 egg yolk
- 10 gr sugar
- 50 gr milk
- 40 gr coconut oil
- 55 gr cake flour
- 25 gr cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp chocolate paste
Meringue
- 3 egg white
- 60 gr sugar
- ½ tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix egg yolk, sugar, milk, and coconut oil in a bowl with a whisk. Sieve in flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
- Add chocolate paste if you like. Whisk well until you can see the batter getting smoother.
- In another bowl, beat egg white starting with low speed to medium speed. Add in sugar in three parts while still mixing.
- Pour in lemon juice. Continue mixing until you reach soft peak consistency.
- Add one-fourth of meringue to the egg yolk batter. Mix well and pour the whole batter into meringue.
- Mix and fold using a spatula until you can no longer see the white meringue.
- Pour into a baking pan. This recipe calls for a 16 cm chiffon cake baking pan. Use a skewer to rotate inside the batter to burst the air bubbles.Pour hot water in a bigger baking pan.
- Bake au-bain marie method (water bath) in a preheated oven at 150°C for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, change the temperature to 120°C, continue baking for 60 minutes. Finish baking with only upper heat 180°C for 5 minutes.
- Test with a skewer. If the skewer comes out clean, it is already done. Take it out and turn the baking pan upside down. This is a MUST for chiffon cake. Otherwise it will get deflated.
- Let it cool upside down. Take out from the baking pan to slice.
- Serve your chocolate chiffon cake! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Beat the egg whites gradually – Start at low speed and gradually increase to medium-high speed as the egg whites approach soft peaks. This creates a more stable meringue with smaller air bubbles.
- Do not grease the tube pan – Chiffon cake batter needs to cling to the sides of the pan to rise properly. A greased pan can cause the cake to collapse.
- Remove large air bubbles before baking – Tap the pan gently on the counter and run a skewer through the batter to release trapped air pockets.
- Turn the cake upside down immediately – As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, invert the pan and let it cool completely. This helps maintain its tall, fluffy structure.
- Avoid overbeating the meringue – Overbeaten egg whites can cause the cake to crack excessively and create a coarser texture. Aim for stiff peaks that still look smooth and glossy.
- Use a water bath for extra moisture – Baking the cake in a water bath (au bain-marie) helps create an exceptionally moist and tender crumb.
This is a must-try chocolate chiffon cake recipe! The water bath method makes this cake very moist besides soft and fluffy. 🙂
Hello Claudia
I completely enjoyed watching this recipe..amazing..my question was..if not don under water batjlh would it still turn out this perfect!!!??
Hi Samina,
Thank you so much for your kind words, I’m really glad you enjoyed the recipe 😊
For this chocolate chiffon cake, the water bath method really helps keep the texture soft and moist. If you skip the water bath, the cake can still turn out well, but the texture will be slightly drier.
Also, controlling the oven temperature is important. With the right temperature, the top of the cake should bake up nicely without cracking or browning too much.
Hope this helps, and happy baking!