Summary
Heralded as "the first new cake in 100 years" when it was introduced, the chiffon cake -- one of the darlings of midcentury cuisine -- became famous for its wonderfully light and airy texture, seemingly weightless as angel food but with a moist tenderness almost like a rich butter cake. And the delicate creation was originally developed by a Los Angeles insurance salesman.
Harry Baker is the salesman who came up with the original formula in the late 1920s. He moonlighted as a caterer and was soon baking the popular creation for the Hollywood elite.See the full content of this document
Extract
; the Light and Airy Cake Goes From Retro to Nouveau
Baker kept his original formula secret for decades. Finally, in the late 1940s, he sold the recipe to Betty Crocker's parent company, General Mills.
General Mills fine-tuned the method and ingredients over 11 months and released the chiffon recipe in 1948. With a heavy marketing campaign, it wasn't long before the cake became a national sensation.Because of its light structure, chiffon cakes work best lightly garnis...See the full content of this document
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