Tag: sponge cake

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Daffodil Cake

Of course daffodil cake doesn’t have daffodils in it any more than a hummingbird cake has hummingbirds or Girl Scout cookies have Girl Scouts. It just so happens that daffodils–unlike hummingbirds or Girl Scouts–are poisonous. Daffodil cake is a combination sponge and angel food recipe, both made with a meringue, but the yellow parts of a daffodil cake contain egg yolks—as does a sponge cake—and the white parts do not—as does an angel food.

12 large egg whites
1 cup sifted cake flour or sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar (total)
2 teaspoons vanilla
11/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon lemon or orange extract
Finely grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 350. Bring egg whites to room temperature for 30 minutes. Sift together flour and 3/4 cup sugar 3 times and set aside. Add vanilla, cream of tartar and salt to egg whites. Beat with electric mixer on medium to high speed, gradually adding 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until stiff peaks form. Sift one-fourth of the flour mixture over egg white mixture and fold in gently. Repeat using one-fourth of the flour mixture with each fold.

Transfer half of batter to another bowl. Beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Add lemon extract, mix and gently fold yolk mixture into half of egg whites. Alternately spoon yellow batter and white batter into a very lightly oiled 10-inch tube pan (NOT a bundt). You can work the batter with the handle of a spoon to refine the marbling, but in my experience, the meringue cake batter inevitably rises. Bake on a middle rack for 40 to 45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert onto a plate and refrigerate. Top with lemon zest and powdered sugar before serving.

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Angel Food

You can find mixes for this old cake  in the store, but they cannot compare to scratch, and September’s hot, dry weather is the perfect time to make it. It’s tricky; the water and cream of tartar go a long way to make sure you get good results.

Preheat oven to 350. Separate a dozen eggs, using caution to ensure no yolks make it into the whites. Bring whites to room temperature and stir in a tablespoon of water. Sift a cup of cake flour with a half cup sugar until it’s very light, at least twice, thrice is better. Beat egg whites in a large, very clean, dry bowl until foamy and sprinkle in a half teaspoon of cream of tartar. Continue beating, and as the texture begins to even out, add a teaspoon or two of pure vanilla extract and–gradually mix in another cup of sugar. Keep beating at a medium speed until the whites form stiff peaks, then carefully fold in the flour while sifting it over the whites. Use a spatula, and turn the bowl; the key is not to deflate the bubbles, so don’t over-mix.

Gently pour the batter into a 10-in. ungreased tube pan; the cake has to cling to the sides as it rises to make it crusty. Bake until the top is browned and springy. Use a knife to separate the cake out, and cool on a rack.