This no-bake lemon chiffon sponge cake is a perfect spring dessert recipe or a fantastic light summer dessert idea. It is filled with set lemon curd and a crunchy Oreo crust.
If you're looking for such creamy, light, and airy with a hint of lemon, this no-bake lemon chiffon sponge cake is definitely for you. I don't have many cake recipes on my site, so it must've been worth your time if I decided to post one.
There are only a handful of similar cake recipes that I've posted on this blog that I bet you'll love to take a look. Here are the aforementioned dessert collection: steamed coconut taro cake (vegan & no-bake), sticky rice banana cake (vegan & no-bake), yule log cake, and classic Italian tiramisu.
The key to this lemon chiffon sponge cake
Preparing the pan and having all ingredients and baking equipment ready is critical to maintaining the maximum volume for this cake. This means for this recipe, before mixing, you should:
- Read the recipe thoroughly
- Soak gelatin sheets in cold water
- Separate egg white and egg yolk in two different bowls
- Have a round baking pan lined with parchment paper in advance
- Have all baking equipment ready
These steps help to assure the foaming process proceeds as quickly as possible, thus preventing any volume loss in lemon chiffon sponge cake batter.
The exact texture of this lemon cake
The texture of this no-bake lemon cake is somewhat different from other regular baked cakes:
- Light and airy
- Extra smooth, almost melt in your mouth with a crunchy crust
Recommended equipment
This cake fits perfectly with an 8-inch cake pan. I'm using this nonstick springform cake pan for this recipe.
A fine sieve mesh strainer, assorted mixing bowls, and a classic stand mixer (or electric hand mixer) are also crucial in this recipe. Make sure to have them ready before cooking time.
A couple of silicone spatulas are also needed while mixing and folding the batter.
Why is it called chiffon sponge cake?
This light summer dessert recipe uses both the warm foaming method (to make sponge cake) & chiffon mixing method, which helps produce a beautiful cake with a light, airy texture with excellent structure and stability. That is why it has such a unique name (and texture) Lemon chiffon sponge cake.
With the warm foaming method, egg yolks and half the amount of sugar are placed in a mixing bowl over a pot of barely simmering water (double boiler). They are then whisked to combine. This step allows the mixture to achieve maximum volume faster and creates a more stable structure. The protein in the eggs has become more elastic, and the sugar has been dissolved quickly, so no large air bubbles (which can cause the cake to collapse) are available in the batter.
With the chiffon mixing method, the egg whites and remaining sugar are beaten until medium peaks form at medium speed. Then, the meringue is quickly folded into the cooked egg yolks batter to create such airy and light batter for this lemon cake.
Essential ingredients
Oreo cookies - you'll need two packs of Oreo for the crust and about 15 cookies with their fillings removed. Then you can either crush them by using a food processor or a rolling pin. If you insist on using a rolling pin, put the cookies inside a zip log bag, then gently crush them. I prefer using the rolling pin method because it's faster and easier to handle. You can substitute Oreo crust for other types of crackers, such as saltine cracker.
Butter - I used unsalted butter in the recipe.
Gelatin sheets - because this is a no-bake pie, the appearance of gelatin is a must to bind everything together. 4 gold-rank gelatin sheets are called in the recipe; you can substitute for one packet of gelatin powder if you prefer. You can read more about gelatin types, ranking, and usage here.
Eggs - Try to avoid pasteurized eggs as much as possible instead, grab those regular eggs. It might be hard or impossible to get the desired peaks while whipping egg whites with these eggs because the pasteurization process affects the proteins' ability to get firm.
Heavy cream - is another factor that helps the pie be creamy and tasty.
Lemon - This chiffon cake recipe will need lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Some people prefer Meyer lemons over the rest; it'll depend on your references.
How to make this lemon chiffon sponge cake
- Make Oreo crust: put Oreo cookies in a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. Then use your hand or a measuring cup to press the crumb mixture (Oreo & melted butter) into an even layer on a baking pan. Refrigerate to make the crust set and crisp.
- Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
- Bloom gelatin sheet in ice-cold water (not included in the photos).
- Cook the egg yolks, half the amount of sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a double boiler. Whisk the mixture constantly to dissolve sugar and to thicken the mixture.
- Add gelatin sheets to the egg yolk mixture.
- Strain egg yolks mixture through a fine sieve mesh.
- Whip the heavy cream using a clean whip until stiff peaks form (not included in the photos). Set aside for later use.
- Whip the egg whites using a clean whip & bowl until soft peaks form. Then add the remaining sugar with the mixer running on medium speed. Continue whipping until medium peaks are formed.
- Immediately after the egg whites reach their desired peak, gently fold them into the cooked egg yolks.
- Then, fold the whipped cream into the cake batter. The more quickly the two egg mixture and whipped cream are incorporated, the less the cake's volume is lost.
- Immediately after mixing, pour the batter into a lined round cake pan and put it in the fridge to set.
Did you make this recipe? If so please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comment section. Also, don't forget to tag me #cookmorphosis @cookmorphosis on social media.
Lemon chiffon sponge cake (no-bake)
Equipment
- 8 inch cake pan
Ingredients
For Oreo crust
- 2 packages Oreo cookies about 15 cookies, filling removed
- 4 oz unsalted butter melted
For lemon filling
- 4 sheets gelatin sheets or 1 package of unflavored gelatin
- 4 medium eggs separated, room temperature
- 1 ½ c sugar
- ½ c heavy cream
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ⅓ c lemon juice
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
For garnish (optional)
- mint leaves
- fresh lemon slices
- whipped cream
- fresh fruit
Instructions
For Oreo crust
- Put Oreo cookies in a zip log bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. In a mixing bowl, mix cookies crumbs and melted butter until combined.
- Lightly grease your baking pan, then pour Oreo crumbs into a pan. Then use your hand or a measuring cup to press the crumb mixture into an even layer on a baking pan.
- Refrigerate the baking pan until the filling is ready.
For lemon chiffon pie fillings
- Grease the side of the cake pan with a slight amount of softened butter, then line with parchment paper. Return it to the refrigerator for later use.
- Bloom gelatin sheets (or gelatin powder) in ice-cold water. Let them bloom while prepping other ingredients.
- Put egg yolks in a large mixing bowl, use a whisk, and beat them until thick, approximately 2 minutes. Set up a double boiler (see notes for setup instructions).
- Then cook beaten egg yolks, 1 cup of sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt over medium heat until sugar dissolved completely and the mixture is thickened, approximately 2 minutes. Remember to stir constantly with a whisk.
- Don’t let egg yolks overcook and become scramble. If so, discard the mixture and start over.
- Turn off the heat. Squeeze excess water out of the gelatin sheet and then put it in the mixture. Stir the mixture until all the gelatin sheets dissolve completely. Take the top of the double boiler off the stove immediately.
- Strain the yolk mixture through a fine sieve mesh.
- Let the mixture cool down at room temperature, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
- Put heavy cream in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whip the heavy cream using a clean whip until stiff peaks form on medium speed. Set aside for later use.
- Clean a mixing bowl and whisk attachment if necessary.
- Whip the egg whites using a clean whip & bowl until soft peaks form (on medium speed). Then add the remaining sugar. Continue whipping until medium peaks are formed at medium-high speed.
- Immediately after the egg whites reach their desired peak, gently fold them into the cooked egg yolks.
- Fold ⅓ of the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture (make sure it is at room temperature) to lighten it to a thicker consistency.
- Then gently but thoroughly fold in the remaining whipped egg whites.
- Then, fold the whipped cream into the cake batter. The more quickly the two egg mixture and whipped cream are incorporated, the less the cake's volume is lost.
- Immediately after mixing, pour the batter into a lined cake pan and put it in the fridge to set.
- Refrigerate the cake until set, at least 3hours.
- Serve the cake chill with your favorite garnish.
Notes
Double boiler set up:
- Simply bring two cups of water to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer.
- Then, place a mixing bowl with your ingredients inside over the top. You want it to fit snugly without touching the water (it will get too hot if it dips into the water).
- Then you have a double boiler at your service.
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