Celebrate! - Fun Food Facts

Lemon Chiffon Cake Day

For a nice refreshing spring dessert, chiffon cake is a very light cake made with vegetable oil, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and flavorings. A fluffy texture is made by beating egg whites until stiff and folding them into the cake batter before baking. Chiffon cakes tend to be lower in saturated fat than butter cakes, potentially making them healthier than their butter-heavy counterparts.

The recipe for the chiffon cake was a closely guarded secret for years. In the 1920s angel food cake was quite popular, but Henry Baker thought he could make a lighter, richer cake. The insurance salesman turned caterer tinkered with ingredients until in 1927 he came upon the perfect combination of ingredients and methods to produce the airy richness he was looking for.

Keeping the recipe to himself, he offered his services to the Brown Derby Restaurant in Los Angeles which catered to Hollywood's elite. Until 1947, Baker was the only person to bake chiffon cakes. Then he sold the recipe to General Mills for an undisclosed amount and the rest is baking history.