Grandma’s Lemon Gold Chiffon Cake

A frosted layer cake with a textured yellow and white icing sits on a white decorative cake stand.

Grandma’s Lemon Gold Chiffon Cake

This Lemon Gold Chiffon Cake is a light and airy vintage lemon cake baked in a tube pan and finished with a sweet lemon frosting. Made from Grandma’s recipe journal, it has fresh lemon flavor, a soft chiffon-style crumb, and that lovely old-fashioned feel that makes it perfect for spring, Easter, or a special family dessert.

Course Cake Recipes

Cuisine North American

Keyword chiffon cake, Easter desserts, lemon chiffon cake, lemon desserts, lemon gold chiffon cake, old fashioned recipes, vintage recipes

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 1

Servings

Calories 438kcal

Author Judy Kahansky

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

2 ¼ cup cake flour sifted
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ cup vegetable oil look at this
6 large eggs - separated
¾ cup water - very cold
2 tsp lemon juice fresh
1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp cream of tartar

Frosting Ingredients

½ cup salted butter softened
4 cups powdered sugar sifted
3 tbsp lemon juice fresh
2 tsp lemon zest and 1 tbsp for decoration

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Separate the eggs
Zest one lemon and then juice it
Preheat oven to 325F
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt together in a large bowl.
Make a well and add in order: oil, egg yolks, water, lemon juice, lemon zest.
Beat together until smooth (mixer, how long? )
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a medium bowl with an electric mixer) add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat until very very stiff
Pour the egg yolk mixture gradually over the egg whites
Carefully folding with a rubber spatula just until blended but do not stir
Pour immediately into an ungreased tube pan
Bake in the bottom third of the oven at 325F for 60 minutes until the top springs back when lightly touched.
After removing the cake pan from the oven, turn the pan upside down, using the small feet on the tube pan or placing the tube section over a small funnel (a cup will work as well)
When cold, loosen the sides of the cake from the outside and funnel side of the pan carefully with a rubber spatula, onto the cake plate you will be serving from

Frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer:
Cream butter, add part of the sugar and cream well. Add remaining powdered sugar with lemon juice - alternating until mixed. Add lemon zest at the end and mix in well.
Check this to see if it is needed? - To prepare the cake for frosting. With a sharp knife cut off the baked ‘top’ of the cake so that it sits evenly on the plate.

Notes

Use an ungreased aluminum tube pan - preferrable one with feet, or let cool inverted on a kitchen funnel.

Make sure the cake is completely cold before removing from the pan.

This cake can be made 1-2 days ahead and it also freezes really well.

Nutrition