coffee chiffon cake with dark chocolate sail sculpture

Ingredients

For the Coffee Chiffon Cake:

• 1 cup (120 g) cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp instant coffee dissolved in ¼ cup warm water
• 4 egg yolks
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) vegetable oil
• ¼ cup milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 4 egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• ½ cup sugar (divided between yolks & whites)

For the Espresso Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2–3 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp instant espresso dissolved in a little water

For the Dark Chocolate Sail:

• ½ cup dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp coconut oil (optional, for flexibility)

Steps to Create

1. 🍰 Bake the Chiffon Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F (160 °C). Do not grease the pan.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Whisk egg yolks with half the sugar, coffee mixture, oil, milk, and vanilla.
4. Whip egg whites with cream of tartar; gradually add remaining sugar until stiff peaks form.
5. Gently fold whites into yolk mixture.
6. Pour into tube pan, tap gently, and bake 45–55 minutes. Invert pan to cool fully

2. 🧁 Make Espresso Whipped Cream

• Whip cream, sugar, and espresso until soft–medium peaks hold. Chill.

3. 🍫 Create the Chocolate Sail

1. Melt dark chocolate with coconut oil over a double boiler.
2. Pour onto a silicone-lined sheet, shaping around a bowl for a curved sail.
3. Chill until firm, then gently unmold .

4. 🧩 Assemble the Cake

1. Frost the cooled chiffon cake with espresso whipped cream. Chill briefly.
2. Insert the chocolate sail sculpture into the top center.
3. Optionally, pipe extra cream around the base of the sail.