April Showers Chiffon Cake Recipe

This April Showers Chiffon Cake recipe is a light and impressive recipe, which is made with cake flour and whipped egg whites. It’s a stunning show-stopper for spring, ready in about 5 hours (including cooling and assembly).

April Showers Chiffon Cake Ingredients

Cloudy Sky Tier (6-inch):

• 7 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup + 1 tsp superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup cake flour, sifted
• 1 tsp royal blue gel food color
• 9 large egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp superfine sugar

Blue Sky & Grass Tier (9-inch):

• 7 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup + 1 tsp superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup cake flour, sifted
• 1 tsp sky blue gel food color
• 1 tsp green gel food color
• 9 large egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp superfine sugar

Pink Chiffon Flowers & Assembly:

• 1/2 tsp pink gel food color (for leftover batter)
• 3 tbsp white sprinkles
• Prepared marshmallow cream or vanilla frosting
• 16 to 18 yellow confetti sprinkles

How To Make April Showers Chiffon Cake

1. Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 320°F. Place a large tray of water on the lowest oven rack to create a humid environment.
2. Make the 6-inch “Cloudy Sky” Cake: In a mixer, beat 7 egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick. Add oil, water, and almond extract. Fold in the sifted cake flour. Divide this batter in half. Tint one half with royal blue food color. In a separate, clean bowl, beat 9 egg whites with cream of tartar and sugar until firm peaks form. Fold half of this meringue into the blue batter, and the other half into the plain batter.
3. Layer and Bake the First Tier: In an ungreased 6-inch 2-piece chiffon pan, pour a thin layer of blue batter. Dollop spoonfuls of the white batter on top to create “clouds.” Cover with more blue batter. Repeat the cloud layer. Pour a final layer of blue batter on top. Bake for 15 minutes at 320°F, then decrease the temperature to 280°F and bake for 20 more minutes.
4. Make the Pink Flowers: While the first cake bakes, take the leftover white/cloud batter, add the pink gel food color, and fold it in. Spread this thin batter on a parchment-lined jelly roll pan and bake at 320°F for 15 minutes. Let it cool completely.
5. Cool the First Tier: When the first cake is done, immediately turn the pan upside down onto a wire rack (or onto the “feet” of the pan) and let it cool completely before removing it from the pan.
6. Make and Bake the 9-inch “Blue Sky & Grass” Cake: Repeat the process from step 2, but this time divide the yolk batter and tint one half with sky blue food color and the other half with green. Fold the meringue into each color separately. Pour the blue batter into an ungreased 9-inch chiffon pan, then top with the green batter. Bake for 15 mins at 320°F, 20 mins at 280°F, and a final 10 mins at 260°F.
7. Cool the Second Tier: Cool the 9-inch cake completely while hanging upside down, just like the first one.
8. Assemble the Cake: Level the cakes if needed. Place the 9-inch cake (green side down) on a cake stand. Center the 6-inch “cloudy sky” cake on top.
9. Decorate: Use a small flower-shaped cutter to stamp out 16-18 flowers from the pink chiffon sheet. Press white sprinkles vertically onto the sides of the top tier to look like “rain.” Use a dab of marshmallow cream to attach a yellow confetti sprinkle to the center of each flower, and then use more cream to “glue” the flowers onto the sides of the bottom tier.

Recipe Tips

• Why must I use an ungreased pan? This is the most important rule of chiffon and angel food cakes. The light, airy batter needs to cling to the sides of the pan to get its full height. A greased pan will cause the cake to slip and collapse.
• Why do I have to cool it upside down? This is the second most important rule. A chiffon cake’s structure is very weak when hot. Cooling it upside down uses gravity to keep the cake “stretched” and prevents it from sinking into a dense, sad puck.
• How do I fold in the meringue? Be very gentle to keep the air you just whipped in. Add the meringue in three parts. Use a large rubber spatula to cut down the center of the bowl, sweep along the bottom, and “fold” the batter up and over the whites. Rotate the bowl and repeat until just combined.
• What does the tray of water in the oven do? This creates a humid, steamy oven (like a water bath). This is a professional trick that helps the chiffon cake rise to its maximum height and prevents the delicate crust from drying out or cracking.
• Can I use a regular cake pan? No. A chiffon cake must be baked in a 2-piece chiffon (or angel food) tube pan. It needs the center tube for support and the “feet” (or bottle neck) for cooling upside down.

What To Serve With April Showers Chiffon Cake

This cake is a work of art and a complete dessert. It’s not frosted, so it’s not overly sweet.

• A hot cup of tea (like Earl Grey or jasmine)
• A glass of Champagne or Prosecco
• A small bowl of fresh raspberries
• A light dusting of powdered sugar

How To Store April Showers Chiffon Cake

• Room Temperature: This cake is best stored in an airtight cake carrier at room temperature. It’s not a fridge cake; the refrigerator will dry it out and make it tough. It will stay fresh for 2-3 days.
• Freeze: The unfrosted, undecorated cake layers freeze perfectly. Wrap them well in plastic wrap, then in foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before assembling.

April Showers Chiffon Cake Nutrition Facts

(Per serving, assuming 20 slices)

• Calories: ~280 kcal
• Total Fat: 13g
• Saturated Fat: 1.5g
• Cholesterol: 150mg
• Sodium: 110mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 36g
• Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Sugars: 22g
• Protein: 6g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

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