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Hello all,

I am hoping to get feedback on a variation on chiffon cake that I have been pondering. I recently tried my chiffon recipe (listed below) again after leaving it alone for almost 2 years, and really liked the way it came out. I am wondering if, by adding buttermilk, I can get a little more moisture and a little more flavor out of the cake? Ultimately, the goal will be to substitute some of the cake flour for Dutch-process cocoa (to obviate the need for a neutralizing agent) and get a European style chiffon cake with a very American chocolate-and-buttermilk flavor.

My basic chiffon recipe:

• 6 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 2g cream of tartar
• 237g sugar, divided
• 190g pastry flour
• 8g baking powder
• 3g salt
• 78g neutral oil
• 68g whole milk

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Have ready 2 ungreased 8" cake pans lined with parchment. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add about 80g of the sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Set aside.
3. Whisk or sift together the remaining sugar with the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the oil, milk, and egg yolks until pale yellow.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the oil/milk/yolk mixture and beat until well blended. The mixture will appear stiff; this is normal.
6. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites with whisk in 3 additions, then fully combine with rubber spatula. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl so the batter is well-blended. Distribute between the two pans.
7. Bake for 40 minutes at 325°F, then 6-8 minutes more at 350°F.
8. Cool the cake upside down for 1/2 hour before removing it from the pan.

From the variations of chiffon cake that I have found that use buttermilk, they do one of 3 things:

1. Use a small amount of buttermilk and use a slightly lower ratio of yolks:whites
2. Keep the ratio of yolks:whites equal and simply add a large volume of buttermilk
3. Use a large amount of buttermilk + baking soda, and use a higher ratio of yolks:whites

Truth be told, I'm most interested in trying the second method, particularly because it remains egg neutral (yolks:whites = 1:1), but I have my concerns.  Adding such a large volume of acidic liquid to a batter that normally has pretty close to neutral pH, and then not adding in baking soda, I worry that will cause the cake to lose any potential rise.  The only method that accounts for that acidity is the third method, but I don't want to sacrifice the use of the additional egg whites.  The first method seems feasible, in that the buttermilk is added in a small quantity and seems more to be a flavor agent rather than a major component of the cake batter.  I also wonder if the first method could be made egg-neutral without any additional modifications to the recipe.

I would greatly appreciate anyone's thoughts on this.  I am hoping to try out some recipes later this week so I look forward to hearing back from you all very soon.

- Nn, M.D.