Preparation

1. Separate the eggs; let the yolks come to room temperature but keep the whites in the refrigerator, preferably in the large bowl you will use to whip them, until just before using them.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (170°C).

Directions

1. Prepare dry ingredients for egg yolk mixture.
   Mix together the flour, corn starch, and sugar. Sift the mixture three to four times into a large mixing bowl. Stir lightly with a whisk, then make a well in the middle of the mixture.
2. Add liquid ingredients to the dry mixture.
   In a small container mix the yolks, water, oil, and vanilla. Pour the liquid mixture into the hole in the middle of the dry ingredient mixture. Using a whisk begin stirring the liquid with a circular motion, gradually adding the dry ingredients by scraping a little off the sides of the well at a time, until all ingredients are well mixed.
3. Whip the meringue.
   Add a pinch of salt to the chilled egg whites, then whip until foamy enough that it isn’t transparent. Continue whipping, adding one third of the sugar at a time, until the meringue is stiff enough that a peak will droop but hold its shape.
4. Fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture.
   Add one fourth of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture, stirring with a whisk until well mixed. Add half of the remaining meringue and stir gently with a circular motion into the top layer of egg yolk mixture until more or less mixed, then fold into the rest of the mixture with a gentle scrape-fold motion; mix thoroughly, but be careful not to deflate the meringue foam. Repeat with the other half of the meringue. Finally, use a spatula to scrape the bowl down and fold in to complete the mixing.
5. Bake.
   Add the finished mixture carefully to a chiffon cake pan; pour all of it into one place in the pan, letting it flow around the chimney on its own. This reduces the likelihood of trapped bubbles. Use the spatula to smooth the top, then, holding the center section in place so it doesn’t leak, tap the bottom of the pan on a flat surface three or four times to bring any bubbles to the surface. Place the pan in the preheated 350°F (170°C) oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
6. Cool and remove from pan.
   Place the cake pan upside down while it cools to prevent the cake from falling (if the pan doesn’t have feet around the edges, you can balance the center cone on something). Once it is cool, carefully slide a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the cake, and remove it.