18 cm chiffon tube pan · Dried red dates 200 g
Make jujube purée from whole dried red dates in the Xianyitang 200 g pack, then fold it into a light walnut chiffon. These are jujubes, not Medjool dates; remove every pit after softening. Use an uncoated aluminium 18 cm chiffon tube pan without greasing it, then invert securely straight after baking and cool completely before unmoulding.
Times are estimates and include soaking and preparation; some tasks can overlap. Check hydration and doneness as described.
Recipe illustrations; measure ingredients using the written quantities.
Wash whole dried jujubes and soak in warm drinking water for about 15–20 minutes until easy to cut, extending a little if firm. Drain, open every date and remove its entire pit, checking for hard fragments. Weigh 65 g drained pitted flesh, softening a few extra dates if necessary. Do not automatically add excess flesh to the batter. Blend those 65 g with 50 g milk into a fine purée and sieve if needed to check for fragments. Never blend pits into the mixture.
Toast walnuts at 150°C conventional / 135°C fan for about 8–10 minutes until aromatic without burning. Cool completely and finely chop. Set the oven to 165°C conventional / 150°C fan, with a rack in the lower-middle position. Prepare an uncoated aluminium 18 cm chiffon tube pan with roughly 1.5 litres capacity or more, clean and ungreased, without lining paper. It needs stable feet that suspend the cake when inverted. A greased ordinary round tin is not a direct replacement.
Separate eggs and weigh yolks and whites. Put the whites in a completely clean grease-free bowl with no yolk contamination. In another bowl combine 75 g yolks, 36 g oil, the remaining 50 g milk and the date purée. Sift in 63 g plain flour, 7 g cornflour and 1 g salt. Mix gently just until no dry flour remains, then fold in the cooled finely chopped walnuts. Avoid prolonged beating.
Add lemon juice to the whites and beat on medium speed until foamy. Add the brown sugar in three additions and continue to a glossy fine-textured meringue with an upright peak and a small curved tip, not dry clumps. Mix about one-third into the yolk batter to lighten it. Fold in the rest in two additions using a bottom-to-top motion while turning the bowl, stopping when no obvious white streaks remain. Avoid vigorous circular stirring or excessive folding.
Pour into the ungreased tube pan, no more than about three-quarters to four-fifths full. Bake excess separately in a suitable small tin if your pan is shallow rather than overfilling it. Tap once gently to release large bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven at 165°C conventional / 150°C fan for about 55–65 minutes. Keep the door closed for the first 40 minutes. Check for a dry springy top and a skewer free of wet batter at the thickest point. Continue baking and recheck if needed. If browning quickly, loosely tent with foil only once the top is set, without pressing on the cake. Oven and pan differences matter; rising alone does not show doneness.
Using oven gloves, immediately invert the pan onto its own feet on a stable heatproof surface or rack, leaving the cake suspended with air underneath. Cool completely, usually about 60–90 minutes or longer. Do not rest the cake itself on the worktop or balance the pan on unstable bottles or tins. Once cold throughout, gently run a thin knife around the outer wall, centre tube and base to release. Slice into about eight portions. Unmoulding while warm can cause collapse.
Contains egg, milk, wheat and walnuts; unsuitable for a walnut allergy. The Xianyitang dried-ingredient packs state that they are packed in a facility also handling peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soya. Check the actual labels of every brand used.
Use pitted softened dates promptly and refrigerate milk and separated eggs as needed. Once the inverted cake has cooled completely, cover and refrigerate promptly, aiming to refrigerate within 2 hours of baking. Eat within 48 hours or freeze well-wrapped slices. Do not seal it while warm or assume the dates extend room-temperature keeping time.
