Cranberry yogurt chiffon cake

I made this cake the other day for my friend. I didn't get a chance to try it so I made it again for my family. I was so intrigued by this recipe when I first saw it on Dodol and Mochi. My family loves chiffon cake, but I've never heard of yogurt in chiffon cakes before.

The result? Yummy!! It was so soft and light. The yogurt gives the cake a moistness that normal chiffon cakes don't have. It was just sweet enough for me and my family, but I think most Americans would think it's not sweet enough. It's not really a dessert type of cake, but more of a cake you would eat with some afternoon tea. The dried cranberries added a little tartness to the cake that was so refreshing. I would definitely make this cake again.

Here's the recipe.

Cranberry yogurt chiffon cake
adapted from Dodol and Mochi

5 egg yolks, at room temperature
43g castor sugar
65ml neutral-flavored oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
130g plain yogurt
130g cake flour, sifted twice
7 egg whites, at room temperature
87g castor sugar
95g dried cranberries
enough cake flour to coat cranberries(I used plain flour for this)

1. Whisk egg yolks and 43g of sugar together until the mixture is fluffy and the color is a pale yellow. Add the oil.

2. Add the lemon juice and yogurt to the yolk mixture and combine well, then sift in the 130g cake flour and fold to fully combine it into the mixture. Set aside.

3. Evenly coat the dried cranberries with enough cake flour till they are well-coated with flour, then sift away excess flour. Set aside for use later

4. For the meringue, whip the egg whites on low speed till it's foamy; gradually mix in the 87g sugar as you whip the egg whites on low speed. Continue whipping the egg whites till it's reached stiff-peak stage--this is the meringue

5. Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the yolk mixture to "lighten up" the yolk mixture as the density of both the mixtures differ greatly. Then, GENTLY fold the remaining meringue in 2~3 portions into the yolk mixture till they are just incorporated. DON'T overfold as you may risk deflating the meringue!

6. Add the flour-coated dried cranberries into the batter and using a wide rubber spatula, gently fold till the berries are just evenly scattered throughout the batter.

7. Pour the batter into a clean, grease and dirt-free 20cm chiffon cake tin all in one shot. Then, make sure the surface of the batter is leveled. Briefly knock the cake tin over the counter to get rid of large air pockets.

8. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes till the chiffon is cooked through, i.e. toothpick should be clean when removed after being inserted into the center of the cake.

9. Quickly remove the chiffon tin from the oven, then immediately invert the tin to let the cake cool inside the tin completely.

10. Carefully unmold the chiffon once it is completely cooled. Slice to serve or store airtight. Best consumed within 2~3 days.