Gluten-Free Chiffon Cake

A tall, feather-light chiffon cake baked in a tube pan, made with oil, egg yolks and whipped egg whites and flavored with vanilla and lemon zest. Gluten-free flour blend and cornstarch keep the crumb soft and tender.

Medium gluten free vegetarian dairy free

Prep: 25 min Cook: 60 min Total: 175 min Serves: 14

At a glance: This medium baking recipe yields 14 servings in about 2h 55m (25 min prep, 60 min cook). It uses 14 ingredients — including gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, cornstarch, xanthan gum — and walks through 7 steps. Updated October 24, 2026. Browse more baking recipes or return to all gluten-free recipes.

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Cross-Contamination Warning for Gluten-Free Chiffon Cake: When preparing this baking recipe, tube pans used for standard cakes can hold old crumbs in the seam of the removable bottom, so wash it well. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.

Gluten-Free Notes for Gluten-Free Chiffon Cake: A gluten-free all-purpose flour blend with cornstarch replaces the usual soft flour, and the whipped egg whites do most of the lifting. Use baking powder, cornstarch, vanilla and a flour blend labeled gluten-free.

Scale Recipe:

servings

Ingredient amounts update automatically

Instructions

1 Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) with a rack in the lower third. Have ready an ungreased 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom. Do not grease it; the batter needs to cling to the sides to rise.
2 Sift the gluten-free flour blend, cornstarch, xanthan gum (if using), 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
3 Add the oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla and lemon zest to the well and whisk until smooth.
4 Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy, then add 1/2 cup sugar gradually and whip to stiff, glossy peaks.
5 Fold a third of the whites into the batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest until no streaks remain. Pour into the pan and run a knife through the batter to remove large air pockets.
6 Bake for 55-65 minutes, until the top springs back when pressed and a skewer comes out clean.
7 Turn the pan upside down right away and set the center tube over a bottle neck. Cool completely upside down, about 1 1/2 hours. Run a thin knife around the sides and tube to release the cake.

Tips & Notes

Use an ungreased tube pan for chiffon cake. The batter has to grip the sides to climb, and a greased pan gives a short, dense cake.
Cool the chiffon cake upside down until completely cold. Turned upright while warm, the soft crumb sinks under its own weight.
Cut the chiffon cake with a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion rather than pressing down, which squashes the airy crumb.

Common questions

What cross-contamination risk is specific to Gluten-Free Chiffon Cake?

Check gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, cornstarch, xanthan gum before they go into Gluten-Free Chiffon Cake. Tube pans used for standard cakes can hold old crumbs in the seam of the removable bottom, so wash it well. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.

Which gluten-free swaps does Gluten-Free Chiffon Cake use?

Gluten-Free Chiffon Cake relies on 1 3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/2 tsp xanthan gum. Keep those gluten-free-labeled products in place of a gluten-containing flour or sauce.

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