Daffodil Sponge Cake
Submitted by aeokie
A fat-free marbled sponge cake with swirled vanilla white and lemon-yellow batters baked in a tube pan. Feather-light and elegant for any occasion.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
50 minREADY
80 minThe daffodil sponge cake is vintage American baking at its most elegant. Two airy batters, one white with vanilla and one golden with beaten egg yolks and lemon extract, get layered in a tube pan and swirled with a knife.
When you slice into it, the marbled yellow and white pattern is genuinely beautiful. It looks like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen, but the technique is straightforward once you get comfortable with folding.
There’s no butter, no oil, and no leavening besides whipped eggs. Every bit of lift comes from properly beaten egg whites, which means this cake is all about technique.
Kitchen Tips
- Sift the flour and sugar together three times. This isn’t fussiness; it’s what keeps the cake light and prevents lumps.
- Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, not dry peaks. You want them glossy and firm, not grainy.
- Fold gently. Every aggressive stir pops air bubbles you worked hard to create.
- Cool the cake inverted in the pan for a full 40 minutes. Gravity keeps the structure from collapsing.
- An ungreased pan is essential. The batter clings to the sides as it rises.
Ingredients
Directions
Sift flour and ½ cup sugar together 3 times; set aside.
Beat egg yolks at high speed of an electric mixer 4 minutes or until thick and lemon colored.
Add lemon extract; beat at medium speed an additional 5 minutes or until thick.
Set aside.
Beat egg whites until foamy.
Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form.
Add ¾ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time; continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Sprinkle one-fourth of flour mixture over egg whites; gently fold it in.
Repeat procedure with remaining flour, adding one-fourth of the mixture at a time.
Divide egg white mixture in half.
Fold vanilla into half of egg white mixture.
Gently fold beaten egg yolks into remaining egg white mixture.
Pour half of yellow mixture into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan; then gently add half of white mixture.
Repeat procedure with remaining mixtures.
Gently swirl batters with a knife to create marble effect.
Bake at 350℉ (180℃) F for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
Invert pan carefully.
Let cake cool in pan 40 minutes.
Loosen cake from sides.
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