A chiffon cake is a very light cake made with vegetable oil, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and flavorings. It is a combination of both batter and foam type (sponge type) cakes. Instead of the traditional cake ingredient butter or paste (such as shortening), vegetable oil is used; but this is difficult to beat enough air into. Therefore, chiffon cakes, like angel cakes and other foam cakes, achieve a fluffy texture by having egg whites beaten until stiff and folded them into the cake batter before baking. Its aeration properties rely on both the quality of the meringue and the chemical leaveners. Its oil-based batter is initially blended before folding into the meringue.