Lemon Angel Food Cake

You might be wondering about what I did with the leftover egg whites from the sweet corn ice cream [and if you weren't wondering, well, tough. I'm gonna tell you anyway], actually I gave it away already, didn't I? I made my first Angel Food Cake.

I was thinking about making a 12-egg white omelette for dinner, but the more I thought about it, the more the idea repulsed me. Besides, I love Angel Food Cake. I know it isn't everyone's favorite dessert, but I happen to like it. A quick search turned up a recipe from the inimitable David Lebovitz, who also has a nifty post on recipes to use up leftover egg whites. The cake didn't turn out perfectly, but it was still delicious and fluffy, almost like eating a marshmallow.


Lemon Angel Food Cake
Adapted from David Lebovitz

1       cup (130 grams) cake flour [not self-rising]
1       cup (200 g), plus 1/2 cup (100 g) caster [or superfine] sugar
1/2    teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups egg whites [from about 12 large eggs], at room temperature
1       teaspoon cream of tartar

3       teaspoons fresh lemon juice [plus more for serving, optional]

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/2    teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Have a 9-inch tube pan ready. [Original recipe says to not use a nonstick tube pan, see below] 
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. In a small bowl, sift together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt; set aside.
4. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. 
5. Add the cream of tartar, lemon zest and juice, and increase the speed to high and continue to whip the egg whites until they form soft, droopy peaks.
6. Gradually whip in the remaining 1 cup sugar in 1/4 cup increments, whip until just combined, do not overwhip. The egg whites should not be overly dry or stiff, but soft and cloud-like. 
7. Mix in the vanilla extract until fully blended. 
8. With a rubber spatula, fold the flour and sugar mixture into the whites gradually, a small amount at a time. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
9. Spoon batter into the tube pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes, until a tester inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall comes out clean.
10. Immediately invert tube pan onto wire rack and cool for at least an hour before removing the cake from the pan.

Like a cloud!

Angel food cake with fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, and raspberry compote.

So much for my touted as nonstick Sur La Table angel food cake pan. Even though the recipe said to not use one, I didn't have a choice, so I followed the instructions on the angel food cake pan, and reduced the oven temperature by 25°F to 325°F. When I tried to dislodge the cake from the tube pan, all the yummy browned cake bits stuck to the pan, and the bottom of the cake stuck to the wire rack as it was cooling. The cake itself still tastes okay, it just wasn't visually appealing. Other angel food cake recipes also say to use ungreased pans, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do next time.

Serving suggestion, to cut through the cloying sweetness of the cake, I like to serve mine with a sprinkling of lemon zest, and a generous douse of freshly squeezed lemon juice.