Chocolate Cocoa Chiffon Naked Cake (with Video)

Before starting, preheat the oven to 150°C (upper and lower heat). Set a longer preheating time. Separate the egg whites and yolks. I manually separate the eggs, which is very convenient. Use an extra bowl for separating eggs; this way, if a yolk breaks, the separated whites are not wasted.

In a bowl, add corn oil, milk, and sugar for egg yolks. Since water and oil are immiscible, use a double boiler to heat and emulsify them. Mix until smooth. This step is the foundation for a successful cake.

Add cocoa powder and mix well.

Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir until melted and mix well.

While still warm, sift in the low-gluten flour and mix well.

Add egg yolks and mix evenly. The egg yolk batter is now ready. If the room temperature is low, keep the egg yolk batter in a warm water bath for later use.

Before beating the egg whites, mix one-third of the sugar with corn starch.

Add the sugar-corn starch mixture and lemon juice into the egg whites. Cocoa chiffon cakes are prone to deflating; the lemon juice and corn starch can improve the stability of the egg whites. When small bubbles start to form, add one-third of the sugar.

Once the bubbles become finer, add the second portion of sugar.

When the egg white foam begins to form streaks, add the remaining sugar mixed with corn starch. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

When stiff peaks form, lift the whisk; a short, firm peak should remain. At this stage, it’s ready.

Since stiff egg whites may deflate quickly, perform the next steps promptly. Add one-third of the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture and gently fold using a spatula.

For beginners, carefully observe the folding technique. Cut through the center with the spatula, bring the batter up from the bottom while rotating the bowl with your other hand. After mixing, pour everything back into the egg whites and continue folding until evenly incorporated. Do not overmix. (Refer to the video for technique.)

Pour the mixture into a six-inch pan. I used an anodized removable-bottom pan, which does not require greasing to help the batter rise. Smooth the surface with a spatula and tap the pan lightly to release air bubbles.

Bake in the preheated oven at 150°C (upper and lower heat) for 55 minutes.

Done! The aroma is amazing. Surface cracking is normal. If the egg whites were only beaten to soft peaks, the cake wouldn’t crack, but it wouldn’t be as fluffy. Knock the pan on the table to release steam, then invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

The baked chiffon cake is very springy. You can simply remove it by hand. Press down on the sides to release it from the edges. Don’t worry about squishing it; it will bounce back.

Press firmly on the bottom to push the cake out. Then press inward along the edges of the base to fully demold.

Before decorating, prepare the fillings. Slice strawberries for layering. For the top decoration, halve some strawberries while keeping the green leaves intact.

Trim the tip of a piping bag and insert a round nozzle. I used the San Neng SN7065 nozzle.

Place it into a cup, folding the bag's edge over the cup for ease of use.

Slice the cake into three layers. You can use a cake slicer or mark with toothpicks. Score the edges lightly, then cut through. Trim off the top skin to ensure a better mouthfeel.

Whip 300g of heavy cream with 24g of sugar on low speed. Since the cake won’t be frosted, whip to firm peaks.

There should be clear streaks, and lifting the whisk should leave a small peak.

Transfer the whipped cream to the piping bag and seal the end.

Pipe a little cream on the turntable to secure the first cake layer. Then place a cake layer on top.

Pipe a spiral of cream from the outer edge toward the center.

Layer with strawberries.

Cover with more cream and smooth it out with a spatula, turning the table to level it evenly.

Layer the second cake layer on top, aligning the edges. Use the same method as before. After the final cream layer is added, transfer the cake onto a serving plate. Hold the spatula vertically against the turntable, ensuring it reaches at least two-thirds of the cake’s height. Gently stabilize the cake with your other hand.

Press firmly down with the spatula as you rotate and pull away. An eight-inch cake might require two spatulas.

Pipe cream on the topmost layer and decorate with fruits as you like. Start with larger fruits in the center and fill gaps with smaller fruits like blueberries and raspberries for a richer look.

I picked some rosemary from my garden to garnish the edges.

I like to add fruit around the sides as well. First pipe some cream, then place the fruits.

All done!