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Old-Fashioned Burnt Sugar Chiffon Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Burnt Sugar Syrup:

  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 3/4 cup boiling water

Burnt Sugar Cake:

  • 2 cups sifted flour
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 7 large egg yolks unbeaten
  • 1/3 cup cooled burnt sugar syrup
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 7 large egg whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Burnt Sugar Icing:

  • 3 1/2 cups powdered confectioner's sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 7-8 tablespoons burnt sugar syrup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1-2 tablespoons half and half or cream or as much as needed for spreading consistency

Instructions

Burnt Sugar Syrup:

  • Please allow about 15-20 minutes to make the burnt sugar syrup. Do not hurry the process and don't walk away from the stove.
  • In a heavy saucepan with high sides (not a frying pan and not cast iron), melt 1 1/2 cups sugar over low heat on the stovetop until melted completely, stirring often.
  • The mixture will be thick and a medium brown color when all the sugar is melted.
  • The goal is a thick syrup without any hard sugar lumps in it.
  • (I had a few stubborn lumps that absolutely refused to melt and I finally removed them with a slotted spoon.)
  • Remove mixture from the heat.
  • Very very slowly, whisk in 3/4 cup boiling water.
  • The mixture will bubble up a lot and may spatter as you add the boiling water. (Be very careful, the mixture is extremely hot.)
  • Whisk all the boiling water in until the mixture is as smooth as you can get it. You don't want any lumps in it.
  • If it has lumps at this point, strain them out with a slotted spoon.
  • Set aside the mixture to cool completely and reserve for later use in the cake and icing.
  • The burnt sugar syrup will thicken to nearly the consistency of honey as it cools.

Burnt Sugar Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 325°.
  • Sift together flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  • Make a well in the flour mixture and add these ingredients to the well in this order:
  • Cooking oil, unbeaten egg yolks, 1/3 cup burnt sugar syrup, 1/4 cup cold water and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
  • Stir ingredients together until just mixed and set aside.
  • Separately, in a large mixing bowl, with an electric beater, beat 7 large egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar until egg whites form very stiff peaks.
  • VERY IMPORTANT: Do not underbeat.
  • Pour egg yolk batter gradually over whipped egg whites, very gently folding it in with a rubber scraper. The idea is not to break the delicate bubbles of the egg whites.
  • Immediately pour into an ungreased 10" X 4" tube pan and bake at 325° for 60-70 minutes.
  • Remove cake from oven, and turn tube pan upside down over a glass bottle to cool completely. (A glass vinegar or perrier bottle does the trick.)
  • When cake is completely cooled, loosen all edges including around the center tube with a sharp knife and turn cake out of the pan onto a cake platter.
  • Ice with Burnt Sugar Icing.

Burnt Sugar Icing:

  • Cream softened butter with electric mixer until it's creamy and there are no lumps.
  • Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
  • Beat in a second cup of powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
  • Stir in 7-8 tablespoons Burnt Sugar Syrup.
  • Beat in remaining 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar.
  • Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1-2 tablespoons half and half or cream.
  • Add more or less cream if needed for spreading consistency.
  • Frost cake.
  • Cut with a serrated or electric knife or use a metal tined angel food cake cutter.