Lemon Angel Food Cake

  Posted on October 10, 2011  by Leslie Blythe  No comments

October 10 is … National Angel Food Cake Day!

This is a lemon version from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook.

Lemon Angel Food Cake  

Serves 8

2 cups sifted superfine sugar, divided
1 1/3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1½  cups egg whites, at room temperature (10 to 12 eggs)
¾ tsp kosher salt
1½ tsp cream of tartar
¾ tsp pure vanilla extract
1½  tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 1/2 cup of sugar with the flour and sift together 4 times. Set aside.

Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the eggs make medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute. With the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar by sprinkling it over the beaten egg whites. Whisk for a few minutes until thick and shiny. Whisk in the vanilla and lemon zest and continue to whisk until very thick, about 1 more minute. Sift about 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it into the batter with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour by fourths by sifting and folding until it’s all incorporated.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, smooth the top, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, until it springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack until cool.