Cream Cheese Chiffon Cake

Cheese chiffon cake with a few slices on a black plate.

5 from 1 vote

Light, airy, and full of cheesy aroma, this Cream Cheese Chiffon Cake is the kind of treat that disappears slice by slice before you even realize it. It’s incredibly fluffy, perfectly moist, and just the right balance of sweet and savory.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: International

Servings: slices

Calories: 80kcal

Author: Claudia

Ingredients

Egg Yolk Batter

70 cc milk
60 gr cream cheese
33 gr butter
78 gr flour
4 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Egg White

4 egg white
1/4 tsp salt
83 gr sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Topping

50 gr cheese grated

Instructions

Place the cream cheese, milk, and butter in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water and gently melt everything together while stirring. Once melted, strain the mixture to remove any lumps. Set aside and let it cool completely.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with a pinch of salt until slightly pale. Add the cooled cream cheese mixture and whisk until smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Sift in the flour and whisk until the batter is smooth and well combined. In another clean bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar in three additions while beating. Add salt and lemon juice, then continue beating until soft peaks form.
Add about one-fourth of the meringue into the yolk mixture and whisk to lighten the batter. Then transfer it back into the remaining meringue and gently whisk or fold until fully combined. The batter should be silky, pale yellow, and slightly thick.
Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon cake pan. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 338°F (170°C) for 45–55 minutes, rotating halfway through. Check doneness with a skewer, it should come out clean.
Once baked, immediately invert the pan and let the cake cool upside down to prevent shrinking. After cooling, use a thin plastic knife to release the cake from the pan. Slice and serve. Enjoy your fluffy, irresistible Cheese Chiffon Cake!

Video

Notes

Use room-temperature ingredients - Cold cream cheese or milk can make the batter lumpy and harder to mix. Soft, room-temperature ingredients blend smoothly and help create an even texture.
Do not grease the chiffon pan - The batter needs to cling to the sides of the pan so it can rise tall and airy. Greasing will make the cake collapse.
Beat the egg whites to soft–medium peaks - Stiff meringue may cause the cake to crack or create uneven holes, while soft peaks keep the texture tender and fluffy.
Fold gently, not aggressively - Over-mixing can deflate the batter and result in a dense or gummy crumb. Stop folding as soon as you no longer see streaks of white.
Cool the cake upside down - This prevents shrinkage and helps maintain structure. If your pan doesn’t have built-in legs, balance it on a bottle (like in the photo).
Let the cake cool completely before removing - Removing it while warm may tear or deflate the crumb.

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