Today, this first day of March, I baked this month's themed cake for my Year-Round Monthly Cupcake/Cake Program. I chose to make a daffodil cake in honor of the American Cancer Society's annual Daffodil Days Fundraiser. In January, February, and early March, volunteer coordinators take orders for daffodils in appreciation of a contribution. Delivery to donors coincides with the beginning of spring usually the third week in March. "As one of the first flowers of spring, the daffodil is a symbol of hope. To the American Cancer Society, the daffodil represents the hope we all share for a future where cancer is no longer a life-threatening disease." I inserted the vintage ballerina cupcake pick/b-day candle holder because she looks like a warrior supporting a cause... in this case the fight against cancer... the purpose behind Daffodil Days.
I first tried this Daffodil Cake, which is a yellow and white sponge cake, when my hens' prolific egg laying caused an overabundant supply, so this was a way to use a large number of eggs. On a "clean-o-meter" scale, this cake doesn't receive the highest score because of the use of cake flour and the amount of sugar required, but the egg whites and lack of butter/oil redeems it.
The cake has swirls of white and cheerful yellow... the colors of daffodils, therefore the name. The yellow color comes from egg yolks that are mixed in with some of the batter then swirled into the white batter before baking. The white part of the cake is a light angel food cake batter. This cake requires a few additional steps compared to a standard cake, but it's not difficult at all.
Daffodil Cake from McCall's Cooking School
White Batter:
1 ¾ cups egg whites (12-14)
1 ¼ cups sifted cake flour (sift before measuring)
1 ½ cups sugar
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cream of tartar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
Yellow Batter:
5 egg yolks
2 tbsp cake flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp grated lemon peel
Make white batter: In large bowl, let whites warm to room temperature 1 hour. Sift 1 ¼ cups cake flour with ½ cup sugar; resift three times. With electric mixer at high speed, beat whites with salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks form when beater is slowly raised. Beat in 1 cup sugar, ¼ cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until stiff peaks form when beater is slowly raised. With wire whisk fold vanilla into egg whites until combined. Sift flour mixture, 1/4 at a time, over egg whites. With wire whisk, using an under-and-over motion, gently fold in each addition with 15 strokes, rotating bowl a quarter turn after each addition. Fold ten more strokes, to blend completely. Turn 1/3 of batter into medium bowl. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make yellow batter: In small bowl, combine yolks, cake flour, and sugar. With mixer at high speed, beat until very thick. Add lemon peel. With wire whisk, using an under-and-over motion, fold yolk mixture into reserved 1/3 of batter. For marbling, spoon batters alternately into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan, ending with white batter on top. With knife, cut through batter twice. With rubber spatula, gently spread batter in pan until it is smooth on top and touches side of pan all around. Bake on lower oven rack 35 to 40 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed with fingertip. Invert cake pan to cool for 2 hours. With knife, loosen cake from pan and remove. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or, as I did, drizzle with a lemon glaze. Glaze: Mix 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and juice of ½ lemon. Add a little water to achieve desired consistency. The cake is even more moist the second day.
I am reading Finding Betty Crocker by Susan Marks, which I ordered after my research on Betty Crocker box top points referenced Ms. Marks book. For quite a number of years, I have wondered how angel food, sponge, and chiffon cakes are different and the book heightened my need to find out. According to my Betty Crocker Cookbook copyright 1969, "all three depend on a foaming meringue for their lightness, but they differ in other ways. Angel food cake has no leavening, no butter or oil, and no yolks. Sponge cakes use both the whites and yolks of eggs. Sometimes leavening is callled for, but butter or oil is never used. (Sponge cakes may also be used for rolled cakes, such as the jelly roll.) Chiffon cakes combine the qualities of the two. While their lightness depends upon the egg white meringue, they also use egg yolks, leavening, and oil.
Mar. 1, 2009 Today's mileage: 2 mile walk Total monthly mileage for March: 2 miles Bible reading? Ya betcha.