Strawberry Lychee Chiffon Cake

I made up this cake for one of Mum’s birthdays – I wanted to make her something that was ultra girlie and instantly put a huge smile on her face. The perfume of this cake is gorgeously feminine – lychees and strawberries. With the spongiest, lightest of chiffons, little garden blooms and some pink cream to hold it all together, you have a pretty adorable cake. Best of all, no fancy-pants piping skills are required.

FEEDS 10–12

LYCHEE CHIFFON CAKE

5 eggs, separated + 2 extra egg whites

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

150 g (5½ oz/²/₃ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

80 ml (2½ fl oz/¹/₃ cup) grapeseed oil OR vegetable oil

1 tablespoon Paraiso lychee liqueur

100 ml (3½ fl oz) tinned coconut milk

150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted

Pinch of salt

BITS & PIECES

900 ml (30 fl oz/3 ½ cups) thickened (whipping) cream

90 g (3¼ oz/¾ cup) icing (confectioner’s) sugar mixture

2 teaspoons Paraiso lychee liqueur

A few drops of red or pink food colouring

750 g (1 lb 10 oz) strawberries, tops removed, sliced lengthways

560 g (1 lb 4 oz) tinned pitted lychees, drained and roughly sliced

About 40 unsprayed snapdragons OR other edible flowers

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) fan-forced. Have a 25 cm (10 inch) angel food cake tin on standby. Do not grease or use a non-stick tin – for the chiffon to rise properly, sticky sides are exactly what the mixture needs to climb and sustain the impressive height.

To make the chiffon cake, first make a meringue. Combine the 7 egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk with an electric mixer on high speed until medium peaks form. Add half the caster sugar, but only 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking well between each addition, until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Next, combine the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a large mixing bowl, and whisk until pale and thick. Add the grapeseed oil, lychee liqueur and coconut milk, and whisk until combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk until just smooth.

Spoon one-third of the meringue mixture into the egg yolk mixture, and whisk until combined. Fold in the remaining meringue with a whisk, taking care to get rid of any small pockets of egg white.

Pour the mixture into the angel food cake tin, smooth out the surface and bake for 30–40 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Immediately invert the cake tin when it comes out of the oven, and cool completely before removing from the tin – this takes about 2 hours. Run a knife around the inner and outer sides of the tin, and you’ll find the cooled cake will release easily. Next, slide the knife along the bottom of the tin, to free the cake completely.

To finish the cake, whisk the cream and icing sugar mixture until stiff peaks form. Add the lychee liqueur and food colouring, then whisk carefully by hand to combine.

Slice the cake horizontally into three layers. Spread two of the layers with the flavoured cream, evenly dotting the surface with strawberries and lychees, and stacking one on the other. Top with the third layer of cake, and thinly cover all over with the cream. Decorate as you wish with the remaining sliced strawberries and edible flowers.