Cotton soft chiffon cupcakes topped with a light citrus whipped cream. This mandarin shaped cupcake is perfect for celebrating the new lunar year, or just a cute afternoon tea!

It's the beginning of 2021, and soon enough it's going to be the start of the new lunar year, the year of the ox! What better way to bring in the lunar new year than with some dessert. These cotton soft chiffon cupcakes are decorated with a citrus whipped cream to resemble cute little mandarins.

Mandarin shaped cotton-soft chiffon cupcakes with citrus whipped cream

What do mandarins symbolise in Chinese culture?

Now you might be thinking, why mandarins...? If you are from an east-asian background you might understand their relevance, but otherwise you might be confused as to why a fruit would have anything to do with the start of a new year.

I may have taken advantage of their cuteness in making this dessert, but there is actually a lot of symbolism behind this small citrus.

Mandarins are a symbol of wealth and good luck. Both things I would like to bring with me this year (or anytime really)!

The word "mandarin" in Chinese is similar to the word "wealth", and so having these lying around during the lunar new year is said to bring you money!

Also the orange colour of the mandarin in similar to gold, another reason why you should go buy some mandarins for the lunar new year. Or... just make these mandarin shaped cotton soft cupcakes!

Tips on making super soft chiffon cupcakes

One of my favourite things to make in this world is sponges. There is something so satisfying about folding in the meringue to create a cloud-like batter. But, you would be surprised to know that sponges were once my arch-nemesis. The number of dense, eggy sponges I made... I can't even count the number of times it's happened (and cried), but those experiences are what gave me the knowledge I have now!

If you have had trouble with chiffon cakes, cupcakes are a lot easier to handle. Their size makes them are a lot more forgiving, and even with small mistakes you'll have melt-in your-mouth clouds.

Follow these tips for the fluffiest, chiffon cupcakes you have ever tasted.

Cooked dough method (Tang mian)
- Out of all the methods I've tried, this is the one that gives the fluffiest results. "Cooking" your dough with the heat of the melted butter, oil and milk coats the flour with a layer of fat. This prevents the flour from forming as much gluten (what makes your cakes dense) giving you super soft sponges!
- Heat your wet ingredients until steaming before whisking it into the egg yolks and flour

Folding in the meringue
- This is one of the most important steps as it gives rise to your cupcakes. If you deflate the meringue it can cause those dreaded dense and eggy cakes...
- My tip is to lighten the mixture you are adding the meringue to. That way it is easier to distribute the meringue with minimal deflation. I do this by adding ⅓rd of the meringue to the cooked dough mixture before folding the rest of the meringue in.
- Then add the cooked dough mixture to the meringue. By doing this the heavier batter is sitting on top, instead of stuck in the depths of your mixing bowl (where you could potentially miss). This makes it so much easier to distribute the two batters evenly. No cake omelettes today!

Bake them enough
- One of the saddest things to see is a beautifully risen cake deflate right before your eyes. This happens when you haven't baked your sponge for long enough. The moisture escapes when you take it from the oven, and before long you have a cake crater.
- The solution is easy, bake for longer.
- Sponges will rise to their maximum height before shrinking back slightly. If you take them out of the oven before they shrink back they'll deflate.
- Everyone's oven is different, so the timing of a recipe is only a gage. Keep an eye on your cupcakes and only take them out after the slight shrink back!

Back to the recipe!

Now you might be looking at the recipe and thinking. Catherine... why are you using orange when this is clearly a mandarin recipe. Unfortunately mandarins are not in season in Australia, and the ones that you can find honestly tastes like absolutely nothing. Taking advantage of the produce you have available is one of my biggest tips, and if I have fragrant oranges on hand, why not use those. The same goes for all of you. Use the citrus you have available and create the best tasting version you can!

I hope you like this recipe, and hopefully the tips I give you can help you create the best chiffon cupcakes!

If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went.

Also, don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your desserts. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and TikTok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy baking!