Lemon Angel Food Cake
- 1 1/8 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups egg whites, at room temperature (about 10 eggs)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon, grated zest
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 large lemons
- 1 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- Cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Sift the sifted cake flour with 1/2 cup of the sugar 3 times (this is to aerate the mixture and make it light).
- Set aside.
- Whip the egg whites in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until foamy.
- Add the cream of tartar and salt and continue whipping until soft peaks form.
- With the mixer running, gradually add the remaining cup of sugar and continue whipping until stiff and the sugar is dissolved, about 30 seconds more.
- Gradually add the sifted flour-sugar mixture and fold into the whites.
- Lastly fold in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
- Pipe the batter into ungreased mini muffin tins.
- Bake until light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans, then run a knife along the edges to loosen them.
- Remove from the pans and place upside-down on a wire rack set over a sheet pan.
- Stir the lemon juice and powdered sugar together until smooth, creating a glaze.
- Pour over each cake until the tops are smoothly coated.
- Confit: Cut a slice off the top and bottom of each lemon to expose the flesh.
- Cutting from top to bottom and following the contours of the fruit, cut off the peel and white pith in 1-inch-wide strips.
- Scrape off any pulp adhering to the strips, but leave the pith intact.
- You now have several 1-inch wide strips of lemon peel and pith.
- Cut each one into long strips, about 1/4-inch by 3 inches each.
- Meanwhile, boil a kettleful of water.
- Pour about a quart of the boiling water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, add all the lemon rind, and boil 30 seconds.
- Drain in a strainer and rinse under cold running water.
- Repeat 2 times more, using fresh boiling water each time.
- Combine the 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Add the blanched rind and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer until tender, about 1 hour.
- Drain in a strainer and let cool 15 minutes until cool enough to handle.
- Using your fingers, arrange the strips on a wire rack so that they do not touch each other.
- Let cool.
- Chop the lemon confit and sprinkle over the tops.
- Let set 30 minutes before serving.
cake flour, sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, lemon, vanilla, freshly squeezed lemon juice, powdered sugar, lemons, sugar, water
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/lemon-angel-food-cake-recipe.html (may not work)