Large holes or tunnels in chiffon cake usually come from uneven air. The batter may contain trapped pockets, dry meringue lumps, or streaks that expand into empty spaces during baking.
A few small bubbles are normal. The problem is repeated large holes that make the crumb uneven or weak.
Quick diagnosis
- Holes near the bottom: Check pouring, tapping, and trapped air near the base.
- Holes throughout: Check dry meringue lumps and uneven folding.
- Long tunnels: Check batter flow and oven spring.
Likely causes
The most common causes are pouring too quickly, not releasing large air pockets, folding meringue unevenly, or using meringue that is too dry to blend into the batter.
Very aggressive oven spring can also stretch weak areas into larger tunnels.
Quick test
After pouring the batter, tap the pan gently and run a skewer through the batter once. If the next cake has fewer holes, trapped air was a major factor.
Next-bake fixes
- Fold until no large meringue lumps remain.
- Pour the batter steadily into one area and let it spread.
- Tap the pan lightly to release large pockets.
- Avoid overbeating meringue into dry chunks.
