Lemon Chiffon

The name Lemon Chiffon originates from 20th-century American cake culture. In 1927, Los Angeles insurance salesman Harry Baker invented the chiffon cake, a cake made with vegetable oil instead of butter and leavened with meringue, giving it a cloud-like lightness. The version made with fresh lemon juice and zest presented a tender, pale yellow, and thus the color Lemon Chiffon was born.

The predecessor of this color can be traced back to Victorian-era lemon curd. An essential for British afternoon tea, lemon curd is made by slowly stirring egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice over heat until thick. The result is a pale yellow softer than lemon flesh, spreading it on a scone feels like eating a patch of sunlight. The ladies in Jane Austen's novels were very familiar with this color.

In the 1950s, American middle-class housewives brought Lemon Chiffon into the kitchen. The post-war economic boom spurred a trend for brightly colored appliances, and Lemon Chiffon stand mixers and refrigerators became star items on wedding gift lists. The covers of Betty Crocker cookbooks heavily used this color, influencing the aesthetic of a generation of homemakers.

In the 1970s, Lemon Chiffon moved from the kitchen to the wardrobe. The Laura Ashley brand launched floral dresses in Lemon Chiffon, paired with wide-brimmed straw hats, becoming a staple of the English country style. The young Princess Diana frequently appeared in public wearing this color, and the media dubbed her the 'Lemon Chiffon Princess.'

In recent years, the Japanese dessert trend has propelled Lemon Chiffon back into the spotlight. The lava filling of the famous Osaka cheese tart shop PABLO is this very color, with users frantically sharing photos on social media. Chinese baking circles use Lemon Chiffon as the standard color indicator for a beginner's cake; if you can't bake this color, it means the meringue still needs work.