Perfectly moist and studded with chocolate chunks, my mini heart chiffon cakes are an easy and delicious dessert.

February 11, 2020 Updated May 27, 2022 Jump to Recipe
Perfectly moist and studded with chocolate chunks, my mini heart chiffon cakes are an easy and delicious dessert.
Chiffon cake is not your average cake.
Invented by insurance salesman Harry Baker, the recipe for chiffon cake was a secret for 20 years, until Baker sold it to General Mills. The light, moist cake then became popular in the 1940s and 1950s.
The light, fluffy, and moist texture of chiffon cake is mostly due to vegetable oil.
Harry Baker discovered that by using vegetable oil instead of butter in his cake recipes, the resulting cake was less dense and hard. It also stayed fresh longer.
No wonder chiffon cake caught on.
The other element that gives chiffon cake its delicious crumb is the addition of whipped egg whites.
Just before baking, whipped egg whites are folded into chiffon cake batter. The egg whites take the cake to the next level, both figuratively and literally: chiffon cakes really rise during baking.
I stray a bit from the traditional with my chiffon cake recipe.
I do use butter.
It adds more flavor to the cake. But I also wanted the moistness that comes from using oil. So, my chiffon cake recipe uses melted butter and oil. It truly is the best of both worlds: these chiffon cakes are both moist and flavorful.
I prefer to make my chiffon cake recipe as individual cakes. I recommend baking them in this gorgeous heart pan [aff. link].
This pan makes my chiffon cake recipe particularly appropriate for Valentine’s Day, but these mini-heart cakes truly are the perfect dessert year-round.
Beating the egg whites to stiff peaks is crucial to getting the chiffon cake texture just right. It’s not difficult, but you certainly need the right tool.
Here’s my favorite handheld mixer on Amazon [aff. link]. It’s both functional and beautiful. I love the retro vibe. I have this mixer in iced blue, and I use it every time I make chiffon cake. You can also find this mixer in my Amazon store.
Coat the chocolate chunks in 1 Tbsp of flour so they don’t sink to the bottom of the cakes. This is what the chocolate chunks should look like before adding them to the batter.
Here’s a photo tutorial for what the egg whites should look like:
In keeping with the heart shape of these cakes, here are a few of my favorite Classic Hollywood romances:
Read all about the 26 year romance of Spence and Kate in my Katharine Hepburn series here. Take a look at my article on Woman of the Year (1942) for details of how their inspiring romance began.
Bogie and Bacall are just as iconic as Tracy and Hepburn. Read about this inspiring couple in my article on The African Queen (1951).
Natalie and R.J. were one of Hollywood’s most gorgeous couples. Read about the highs and lows of their romance in my article on The Great Race (1965).
A more niche couple, but inspiring none the less. June, a peppy musical star, set aside her plans to enter a nunnery after she met the lovable Fred. And only June could bring Fred out of the depression that set in following the loss of his first wife to cancer.
June and Fred were married from 1954 until Fred’s passing in 1991.
Jim and Gloria are one of my favorite couples of Classic Hollywood. Read all about their nearly 50 year marriage in my series on Jimmy Stewart, with most details in my article on Winchester ’73 (1950).
This Post Has 14 Comments
What a fun cake pan and yet a better recipe. I think even a non-baker like me could shine making your Chiffon cake.
As always I enjoyed the flashbacks with the stars of the past, but you really got me remembering with the image of Fred. However, I know him more as Steven Douglas from My Three Sons. I grew up watching and loving that series. I haven’t seen it in years, now I must search and see if it’s on the net.
Thanks Ron! Oh for sure, this is definitely a very user-friendly recipe, so to speak 😆. YES!!!! My Three Sons is quintessential Fred MacMurray! Love love LOVE him in that show! It’s been a bit since I last studied Fred’s life in depth, but I do remember that he was all but retired when he signed on to star in My Three Sons, and only agreed to the show on the condition that he could get all his filming done in a few months (or less!) time, and then would have the rest of the year off. The producers agreed to his request, and Fred’s schedule became the envy of all Hollywood! Understandably, other stars began requesting similar schedules, and it became known as “The MacMurray Method.”
What a cool idea to use half butter and half vegetable oil in these cakes, Shannon! I remember making a chiffon cake years ago when I was taking a baking class, but I can’t say I’ve ever circled back and tried again. Now you’ve got me intrigued! Plus, the chocolate chunks in this one are perfect. Also, I loved the classic couples section at the end of the post. I enjoy picking up fun tidbits and stories in posts…and your posts always deliver that! 🙂
Awwwww thank you so much David!! I just love the Classic Hollywood romances. Valentine’s Day gave me the perfect excuse to share a few of my favorites! 😆
What adorable little chiffons. And such interesting photos of old Hollywood.
Thanks Jeff! I can’t get enough of the light crumb of Chiffon Cakes! And Valentine’s is such a great excuse to eat cake. 😆
I am not a baker, but I love the tip about adding flour to chocolate! Hopefully I remember that! Those olden days couples are so beautiful. I didn’t know about Fred MacMurray (sp?) and his wife. Great post.
Thank you so much Mimi! Isn’t that a fun trick? It really helps keep those chocolate chunks from sinking! I just love the Classic Hollywood couples, especially the ones like Fred and June who made their marriage forever, despite the temptations of Hollywood. True love indeed!
Oh my, the texture of these chiffon cakes sounds out of this world! And those couple photos are so glamorous and gorgeous – I can’t believe that Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner married each other twice? How romantic! I love the old school Hollywood goss. Another stunning recipe, Shannon!
Thank you Katerina! Is’t that neat about RJ and Natalie? They were very young when they first married, and it ended in divorce. But even after they divorced, they were still loved each other. Just meant to be together! And so they married again! Such a great Classic Hollywood romance. 💗
I love chiffon cakes for their moist, airy, and light texture, and these mini cakes look wonderful! Thank you for another Hollywood lesson, too 🙂
Thanks Ben! I agree, chiffon cakes have the most delicious texture. 😋
These turned out great! It really did work to fold in the egg whites- the cakes turned out so fluffy and delicious! Great recipe!
Thanks Harper! Folding the egg whites in makes such a difference.