Reviewed: Apr. 29, 2012

This is a WINNER! I have a lemon tree, so this was just perfect. This is the third time I have made this and it needs way more lemon juice. I would use NO water and all lemon juice!!! I did use just plain unbleached flour, and it was still light, tender and wonderful! For the icing, I used the "lemon Lover's pound cake icing from this site, and just drizzled it over the cake, put some lemon leaves under the cake for decoration and a few slices of lemon and, wow! I did put a small dab of yellow food color to make it look more attractive, but in icing and in the cake. Looked really professional and tasted incredible!

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Reviewer:

JTIMBAN

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Dayton, Ohio, USA

Living In: Paradise Valley, Arizona, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 3, 2012

Note: This review is for the cake only - I didn't make the filling. I made a trial run of this recipe while looking for a good base for a bday cake for my Chinese mom. This cake has a very similar texture to those light, airy cakes you can buy at Asian bakeries - perfect! I halved the recipe, used an 8" round pan, and baked at 350 for 25 minutes. I paired it with some fruit and stabilized whipped cream frosting, and it was heavenly! Some helpful tips: For those who are looking for in your FACE lemon flavor, be aware that the lemon in this is quite subtle, which I preferred. If you want stronger flavors, add some lemon extract along with a bit more zest. I also used half splenda and half sugar (I have diabetic family members), and it still came out great. I would highly recommend not substituting regular flour for the cake flour. One of the great things about chiffon cake is the texture. I think cake flour is what makes it so tender. Also for those who rated this recipe low because of a failed cake: there is absolutely nothing wrong with the recipe. Any failed cakes are due to personal error. If the cake comes out eggy, you're not folding the egg whites into the batter thoroughly. Make sure your batter is smooth and uniform in color before pouring it into the pan to bake. If your cake is collapsing or coming out flat, make sure that you're NOT greasing the pan. Having ungreased sides lets the cake "cling" better and thus rise higher. Happy baking!

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Reviewed: Jan. 14, 2012

Amazing recipe. I only subbed all lemon juice instead of water and changed the method, whipping the yolks, sugar and zest until thick and then adding the other liquid and finally the dry. I filled it with lemon buttercream made from homemade curd and my own buttercream recipe and it was fantastic. The cake is light and not overpowering in sweetness, which is nice since I like a sweeter filling on a cake, not in the cake itself. I did fold the batter together with a whisk the second time I made this and it worked much better. Will make this cake again and again.

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Reviewer:

Liane

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 13, 2011

Thought it would be a bit bitter but was actually an amazing cake! The filling tastes better paired with the cake then it does on it's own, so for those of you like me to constantly taste test keep that in mind! I added some extra freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest.

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Reviewer:

Jemonterai

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Flandreau, South Dakota, USA

Living In: Wichita, Kansas, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 22, 2011

Excellent

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Reviewer:

Wormie

Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2011

This cake is perfect! I made it for a wedding cake (for 16" I x by 3 and add 15 minutes cooking time and for 10" I x by 1.5). Just a note, the egg whites really need to be whipped to a think merangue texture... it makes all the difference. So make sure there's no grease on your utensils or yolk in the whites. Also do not use the instant lemon pie filling. The real cooked stuff has much more taste. THANKS FOR SHARING!!

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Reviewer:

Brittanne

Reviewed: Sep. 10, 2011

Good - very lemony. I baked in a 9" springform pan. It raises enough that you can create the three sliced layers easily. Save some of the lemon pie filling for decorating the top - a yellow top is very pretty. Don't omit the lemon zest.

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Reviewer:

BakingBot

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Sacramento, California, USA

Living In: San Francisco, California, USA

Reviewed: Sep. 5, 2011

I made this cake for my mother-in-law who absolutely LOVES lemon. I modified the recipe as follows: -Reduced salt to 1/2 tsp -Canola oil was used in place of vegetable oil -Replaced 3/4 cup water with 1/2 cup lemon juice + 1/4 c water -Reduced 3/4 cup sugar to 1/2 cup -Reduced cooking time to 45 minutes. I did not use the filling. I baked it in a 10" tube pan and I did not fill the cake. I used Luscious Lemon Frosting to ice the entire cake. The adults at the party loved the light, airy cake and the tanginess of the icing. The kids liked the cake, but did not like that the icing was so lemony. The cake itself did not have a strong lemon flavor. If I were to make the cake without the icing, I would definitely add more lemon. I really like how this cake turned out. I will definitely be making this one again.

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Reviewer:

Kanoe

Reviewed: Jul. 17, 2011

Everyone needs to try this cake. I did just as the recipe said the first time. After that I changed it just a little. I added a little less whip cream to the filling so the lemon flavor popped. I also added a few drops of yellow food color to make the filling stand out when it was cut into. Can't wait to make it again and try a new flavor.

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Reviewer:

robin

Reviewed: Jul. 3, 2011

I followed the recipe exactly the first time, and I thought it was a tad too sweet and salty. I made this 3 times now, and I suggest cutting the salt in half to 1/2 teaspoon instead of 1 full teaspoon. I also cut the sugar down to 1 cup (total) instead of the 1 1/4 cups. I used 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar instead of 1/2 teaspoon. I would also recommend you to try this recipe as a plain cake (don't add the lemon ingredients and no filling). If you want a plain cake, add in some vanilla extract to mask the strong egg flavor. Overall, VERY GOOD recipe.

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