Lemon Angel Food Cake with Strawberry Sauce

I made this lemon angel food cake with strawberry sauce for my in-laws Thanksgiving lunch. Since angel food cake doesn’t have any cream or butter, it is a pretty healthy dessert. Who doesn’t want dessert that is healthy? This cake was light and fluffy with the amazing lemon flavor. Serving the cake with a sweet and tart strawberry sauce can bring some moisture, balance and color. It is delicious and so good to look at! Enjoy!

Lemon Angel Food Cake with Strawberry Sauce (Adapted from Ina Garten via foodnetwork.com)

1 10-inch cake

Ingredients:

–   2 cups sifted caster sugar (divided)

–   1 1/3 cup sifted cake flour

–   1 ½ cup egg whites (10 – 12 eggs, room temperature)

–   1 ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

–   1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar

–   ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

–   ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Strawberry sauce:

–   2 pints strawberries (rinsed, hulled, and diced)

–   2/3 cup sugar

–   2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, and vanilla extract. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the strawberries have reached the softness that you like. Leave at room temperature until cool, then transfer to an airtight container and chill until ready to serve.
2. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
3. In a large bowl, combine ½ cup of sugar with flour and sift together 4 times. Set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. With an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the egg whites have medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute. Turn up the speed to medium. Slowly sprinkle the remaining 1½ cup of sugar over the egg whites. Whisk for a few minutes until thick and shiny. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest and whisk until very thick, about 1 more minute. Sift about ¼ of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold into the batter with a spatula. Once it is combined, continue to add and fold in 1/4 of the flour each time until everything is incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake in the over for 35 – 40 minutes, until it springs back when touch with a finger. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack until cool, about 2 hours.
6. To remove the cake from tube pan, run a knife around the inside edge of the pan and the around the middle tube to loosen the side of the cake. Flip the cake over on a cake plate and remove the bottom. Cut and serve with the strawberry sauce.

Tips:

1. There is a lot of sifting in this recipe, but this will prevent any lumps and make sure the cake is light.
2. When the cake is out of the oven, it has to be turn over to cool. It will prevent the cake to sink.
3. I like to eat this cake on its own, but serving with strawberry sauce or macerated strawberries can make a great looking dessert.
4. To make macerated strawberries: Combine 4 cups of strawberries, ½ cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Source: Read