This is a lovely cake that always impresses. It's not fancy, but thus universally pleasing. Not as heavy as sponge cake, but not as ephemeral as angel cake. True angel cake, after all, uses whites, not yolks. This cake tastes best in a deep pan, and I like to pair it with whipped cream (which I usually whip up myself, being partial to unsweetened crème fraiche without the aftertaste of preservatives) and fresh fruit, as I don't generally like icing.
1 ¾ cups flour 1 ¼ cups sugar ¾ teaspoon salt 1 ½ baking powder 12 egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla ¾ cup hot water softened butter, to grease the cake pan
It's useful to have the ingredients on hand, so prepare the correct amounts and grease the pan before you add the hot water to the egg yolks—the crucial moment after which you must work quickly. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and set aside. Measure out sugar and set aside. Beat yolks, adding the boiling water gradually. Continue beating for five minutes, until the yolks have foamed up and stiffened (use an egg whisk). Add in sugar gradually. Then, gently, so as not to loose the foam, fold in the flour mixture into the yolk mixture. Add the vanilla. Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Bake at 325°F for 60-65 minutes or until golden brown. Thursday, August 21, 2003 »0 comments
