Dandy Daffodil Cake
My family has a lot of good recipe for Easter cakes, but this Dandy Daffodil Cake has to be the best one! We always serve it at Easter, but truth be told, most recipes for Easter cake can be served any time of year. It's sweet and springy and delicious!
Cooking Time30 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon
- 1 1/4 cup egg whites (about 9)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/4 cup egg yolks (about 4)
- 2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- Lemon Glaze (recipe below)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Sift the flour twice and set aside.
- Put the egg whites, salt, and lemon extract into a large mixing bowl.
- Put the egg yolks and lemon zest into another large bowl, and stir with a fork just to blend.
- Beat the egg whites until they begin to foam.
- Add the sugar in a slow steady stream, beating constantly, and continue to beat until the whites are stiff but moist and won't slide around the bowl when tipped.
- Sift the flour evenly over the beaten whites, then fold together until there are no drifts of unblended flour.
- Put one third of the white mixture into the egg-yolk-lemon-rind mixture and fold together gently.
- Alternate white and yellow batters in an ungreased 9- or 10-inch tube pan, using 2 large spoonfuls of white to 1 of yellow (you will fill less than half full if using the 10-inch pan).
- Gently plunge a rubber spatula into the batter and draw a circle around to eliminate air bubbles.
- Smooth the top of the batter with the spatula.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until a straw inserted in the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and invert the pan. Let stand about 1 1/2 hours, or until completely cool, before removing.
- Drizzle with Lemon Glaze (recipe below) or dust the top generously with confectioners' sugar sifted through strainer.
Lemon Glaze
- 2/3 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (yellow part, or zest, only)
- Put the sugar in a small bowl, add the lemon juice and rind.
- Stir briskly until smooth and well blended. Makes about 1/4 cup of glaze.