Lemon Chiffon Cake

My mixer broke in August, right as I was finishing practice baking for the State Fair.  It was terrible timing, but I was lucky to have several friends who offered to loan me their stand mixers for the duration, so I was able to finish my recipes!

Since there aren't any authorized repair shops in the entire state of Minnesota, I contacted the nice folks at Kitchen Aid and they told me how to get my mixer repaired.  They sent me a giant box with packing materials and I sent my beloved red mixer off to them in the Fall. My mixer finally got back to me in January, right as rain. 

To celebrate, I wanted to try something that would use the full power of the stand mixer.  So chiffon cake, it was!  This recipe was from King Arthur Flour and it was SO GOOD.  Everyone at work liked the texture and the flavor, too.  It would probably be even better served with berries or with a bit of lemon drizzle, but plain worked just fine.  Also, this was the first time I've ever used Grandma McElroy's square angel food cake pan.  It was a very cool shape and the cake came out just like a regular round one would. 
   
Ingredients:

• 2 cups (241g) all-purpose flour (NOT cake flour)
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups (298g) white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 8 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. 
2. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large bowl.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add (in order) the oil, water, egg yolks, vanilla, grated lemon peel, extract, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
    
4. Mix until smooth; scrape the bowl and mix for 30 seconds more.
5. In a separate bowl with clean beaters, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Whip until very stiff peaks form.
6. Fold one quarter of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it up
   
7. Gradually (in four additions) pour the yolk mixture back over the remaining whites, folding gently just until blended each time. 
8. Pour the batter into a 10" angel food cake pan (original recipe called for round, but I used square!)
9. Bake the cake for 55 minutes
   
10. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
11. Remove the cake from the oven, and cool it upside down.
12. When completely cool, run a thin-bladed metal spatula or knife between the cake and the pan, and turn the cake out onto a serving plate.
    
    Note: The texture allowed for fairly thin slices, which would be nice if serving a big group, especially if there were extras like fruit or ice cream.