Luscious Lemon Angel Food Cake
Submitted by revkid
Lemon angel food cake baked from scratch and hollowed out to hold a lemon whipped cream filling set with gelatin. Light, airy, and bright with citrus.
YIELD
1 cakePREP
20 minCOOK
60 minREADY
80 minThis angel food cake is a two-part showstopper. First, you bake a tall, cloud-light cake from whipped egg whites, then hollow out the center and pack it with a lemon cream filling that sets like silk in the fridge.
The cake itself relies on properly beaten egg whites. Bring them to room temperature before starting, as cold whites don’t whip to full volume. Cream of tartar stabilizes the foam so it holds while you gently fold in the flour mixture, one quarter at a time. Aggressive folding deflates everything you just built.
The lemon filling is where the magic happens. Sugar, gelatin, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice get dissolved together, then cooled over ice water until the mixture thickens to the consistency of corn syrup. Fold that into whipped cream and you get a mousse-like filling that’s tart, sweet, and impossibly light.
Pro Tips
- Sift the flour and powdered sugar together three times. This isn’t fussiness. Triple sifting removes lumps that would weigh down the batter and leave dense pockets.
- Fold, don’t stir. Use a rubber spatula and cut down through the center, sweep along the bottom, fold over the top. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn each time.
- Invert the pan immediately after baking. Angel food cake shrinks if it cools right-side up. Most tube pans have feet for this, or balance it over a bottle neck.
- Chill at least 4 hours after filling. The gelatin needs time to set fully or the filling oozes when sliced.
- Use a serrated knife to hollow out the cake. A straight blade tears the delicate crumb.
Variations
- Strawberry filled: Replace the lemon filling with crushed fresh strawberries folded into whipped cream and gelatin.
- Lemon curd version: Skip the gelatin filling and stuff with thick homemade lemon curd for a more intense citrus punch.
- Coconut angel cake: Fold toasted shredded coconut into the batter and dust the finished cake with more coconut instead of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
Directions
In a very large mixing bowl, bring egg whites to room temperature.
Meanwhile sift powdered sugar and flour together 3 times.
Set flour mixture aside.
Add cream of tartar and vanilla to egg whites. Beat until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the sugar, 2 tablespoon at a time until soft peaks form.
Sift about ¼th of the flour mixture over the egg white mixture, then gently fold in.
Repeat sifting and filding in the remaining flour mixture, using ¼th of it each time.
Gently fold in lemon peel.
Gently cut through cake batter with a knife or metal spatula.
Bake on lowest rack in a 350℉ (180℃) oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until top springs back when lgihtly touched.
Immediately invert cake in pan. Cool completely.
Using a narrow metal spatual loosen sides of cake from pan.
Remove cake from pan.
Using a serrated or very sharp knife, cut off the top 1 -inch of the cake; set aside.
With the knife held parallel to the side of the cake, cut around the hole in the cente rof the cake, leaving a 1-inch thickness of cake around the hole, then cut around inside the outer edge of the cake, leaving the outer cake wall 1-inch thick.
Using a spoon remove center of cake, leaving 1-inch thick base.
Place the hollowed out cake on a serving plate.
Spoon filling into the hollowed out section.
Replace the top of the cake. Cover and chill for 4- 24 hours.
Before serving, sift powdered sugar over the cake; if desired, garnish with lemon slices.
Lemon Cake Filling.
In a saucepan, stir together sugar, gelatin and salt.
Gradually stir in cold water. Stir in lemon peel and lemon juice.
Heat and stir just until gelatin dissolves.
If desired, stir in a few drops yellow food coloring.
Cool lemon gelatin mixture in a bath of ice water, stirring constantly for 5 to 8 minutes or until mixture is the consistency of corn syrup.
Remove lemon-gelatin mixture from ice water; set aside.
In a medium bowl beat 1 cup whipping crem until soft peaks form.
Fold ¼th of the whipped cream into the lemon gelatin mixture back into the remaining whipped cream.
Chill 5 minutes or until the mixture mounds when spooned.
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