It’s National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day! An insurance salesman named Harry Baker invented chiffon cake in the 1920s. He sold his cakes to the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles and all of Hollywood fell in love with the dessert’s lighter-than-air texture. Baker carefully guarded the recipe for over twenty years before selling it to General Mills (home of the Betty Crocker brand) for an undisclosed amount.

The recipe for chiffon cake debuted in a 1948 edition of Better Homes and Gardens. General Mills marketed it as “the first new cake in 100 years” and it quickly became a nationwide sensation. The secret recipe called for vegetable oil instead of butter or shortening, and instructed the baker to beat the egg whites and egg yolks separately.

There are many flavors of chiffon cake including chocolate, orange, walnut, maple, and today’s reason to celebrate, lemon! To celebrate National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day, try baking a delicious lemon chiffon cake for your family tonight!