Good question! This cake is what is more commonly known as an 'Angel' cake or 'Chiffon' cake. It relies on lots of eggs to give it lift and the design of the tin is integral to it's success for a couple of reasons. The cake batter is fairly voluminous (ie, there is a lot of it) and delicate, as there is not much flour in the recipe to give the cake 'structure'. Do to the the volume of cake batter you need a large tin. The tube in the middle of the pan helps to conduct heat to through to the middle of the cake and also helps the rise as the batter clings to the tube preventing it from sinking (or at least that is the theory). In theory this cake is a little like a souffle, but has a much more cake-like (sponge-like) texture. Without the special tin, I suspect you will get something a bit denser and wetter in the middle. If you do use a conventional tin, I would suggest using smaller tins and lots of them. You will need to adjust your baking time and also be prepared for the fact that the edges may cook a lot quicker then the middle, so adjusting your oven temperature half way through the baking may also be necessary.
If you decide to invest in this tin, you can use it for conventional cakes too. It may reduce the baking time a little for normal cake batters and it does make a very decorative and impressive looking cake. The hole in the middle is great for filling with fresh fruit, cream or whatever takes your fancy.
Yummy Tummy Cake
Hi Saara,
Good question! This cake is what is more commonly known as an 'Angel' cake or 'Chiffon' cake. It relies on lots of eggs to give it lift and the design of the tin is integral to it's success for a couple of reasons. The cake batter is fairly voluminous (ie, there is a lot of it) and delicate, as there is not much flour in the recipe to give the cake 'structure'. Do to the the volume of cake batter you need a large tin. The tube in the middle of the pan helps to conduct heat to through to the middle of the cake and also helps the rise as the batter clings to the tube preventing it from sinking (or at least that is the theory). In theory this cake is a little like a souffle, but has a much more cake-like (sponge-like) texture. Without the special tin, I suspect you will get something a bit denser and wetter in the middle. If you do use a conventional tin, I would suggest using smaller tins and lots of them. You will need to adjust your baking time and also be prepared for the fact that the edges may cook a lot quicker then the middle, so adjusting your oven temperature half way through the baking may also be necessary.
If you decide to invest in this tin, you can use it for conventional cakes too. It may reduce the baking time a little for normal cake batters and it does make a very decorative and impressive looking cake. The hole in the middle is great for filling with fresh fruit, cream or whatever takes your fancy.