'Giant Burger' Chiffon Cake (Kaya and Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon)

I made this cute "Big mac" for my friend's son who loves burgers! The "buns" are made from Kaya Chiffon Cake, while the "beef patties" are made from Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon Cake. My "Big mac" is the American version that is very generous on the beef patties lol. The "fries" are also cut from chiffon cake =p.

I baked my Kaya Chiffon Cake in two 8-inch bowls (can be metal or glass) for the "buns", and a 8-inch tube pan (till only 1.5 cm thick) for the "bread" in between. This Kaya flavour is a new flavour which I experimented on previously and it was very well-received. Today's recipe is a modified version of my previous recipe (with more liquid and less sugar).

I sliced a Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon Cake, baked in an 8-inch tube pan, into two 2-cm thick layers for the "beef patties" using a Wilton cake leveler. I'm not so sure of the origin of the Japanese Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon Cake, except that it was in Aunty Yochana's blog for many years before it was popular among the bloggers. It is known for it's moist and rich taste. Mine is a slightly modified recipe with increased sweetness, and added vanilla extract.

I have shared the recipes below for what I used to make for this burger cake, but have also including measurements and baking conditions for a normal height chiffon cake in a tube pan, for those who want to try the yummy flavours to make a normal chiffon cake =).

Kaya Chiffon Cake (Two 8-inch bowls + 8-inch thick layer)

or (one normal 8-inch chiffon pan)

Egg yolk batter
5 egg yolks
20g castor sugar
68g coconut oil
56g nyonya kaya
24g coconut milk
2g vanilla extract
100g Prima cake flour
¼ tsp baking powder

Meringue
7 egg whites
68g castor sugar
¼ tsp cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. *Optional: I used steam baking, i.e. I placed a pan of water under the lowest rack before preheating – to control oven temperature, prevent cracks and for moister texture. 

2. Whisk egg yolks with sugar until light, fluffy and well-mixed.

3. Add in oil and mix well. Then add in kaya, coconut milk/water and vanilla extract and whisk till well-combined.

4. Whisk in sifted cake flour and baking powder, and mix till well-combined.

5. Prepare meringue:

In a grease-free, dry metal bowl, using electric mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar till foamy. Gradually add in the castor sugar and whisk at high speed till firm peaks form, or just the point of stiff peak.

6. Gently fold meringue into egg yolk batter with a flexible spatula 1/3 at a time, till no streaks remain.

7. Pour the batter into two 8-inch bowls + 8-inch thick layer. Gently tap on counter top to remove air bubbles.
* or one ungreased 8-inch chiffon tube pan if you want to make normal chiffon cake

8. Baking conditions:

Bowls: 160°C for 15 min, 140°C for 30+ min, or until skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. Thick layer chiffon cake: 160°C for 15 min, 140°C for 5-10 min.

8-inch tube pan: 160°C for 15 min, 140°C for 40 min, or until skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.

**If you use steam baking, you may need to bake for a few more minutes. You may need to adjust the baking time, depending on your oven.

9. Invert pans to cool on a wire rack completely.

10. Unmould the chiffon cake by hand (see video tutorial ‘Hand unmoulding Chiffon cakes for a clean finishing’). 

Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon Cake (8-inch chiffon pan till 2/3 height)

or (7-inch chiffon pan normal height)

Egg yolk batter
3 egg yolks
36g vegetable/corn oil
66g milk
3g vanilla extract
78g dark chocolate
34g Prima cake flour, sifted
15g cocoa powder, sifted
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda

Meringue
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
56g castor sugar

1. Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler and stir till smooth. Set aside to cool a little.

2. Preheat oven to 160°C. *Optional: I used steam baking, i.e. I placed a pan of water under the lowest rack before preheating – to control oven temperature, prevent cracks and for moister texture.

3. Whisk egg yolks with oil, followed by the milk and vanilla extract. Whisk in the melted chocolate till mixture is smooth.

4. Sift together cake flour with cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Add in the sifted dry ingredients to the egg yolk batter and mix till well-combined and no lumps.

5. Prepare meringue:

In a grease-free, dry metal bowl, using electric mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar till foamy. Gradually add in the castor sugar and whisk at high speed till firm peaks form, or just the point of stiff peak.

6. Gently fold meringue into egg yolk batter with a flexible spatula 1/3 at a time, till no streaks remain.

7. Pour the batter into an ungreased 8-inch chiffon tube pan. Gently tap on counter top to remove air bubbles.

*8-inch pan will get 2/3 of normal height of a chiffon cake, just nice for my application. But to get a normal height chiffon cake, please use 7-inch pan.

8. Bake at 160°C for 15 min, 140°C for 40 min, or until skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. **If you use steam baking, you may need to bake for a few more minutes. You may need to adjust the baking time, depending on your oven.

9. Invert pan to cool on a wire rack completely.

10. Unmould the chiffon cake by hand (see video tutorial ‘Hand unmoulding Chiffon cakes for a clean finishing’).

11. Slice the chiffon cake into 2 equal halves (around 2-cm thick) for 2 beef patties using a Wilton cake leveler.

In addition, I baked three 10-inch chiffon sheet cakes for cutting out the ingredients:-

Red (strawberry chiffon): for the Tomato – use circle cutter with gear

Yellow (vanilla chiffon): for the Cheese – cut out squares

Green (pandan chiffon): for the Lettuce – use a garrett or frill cutter

Assemble by stacking the layers into a hamburger using melted marshmallows or kaya or cream as glue!


For cute 'burger' chiffon cake pops, hop over to my previous post.

With lots of love,

Susanne

More fun chiffon creations here =)