Let Them Eat...
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[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Tangy lemon juice and fresh grated zest flavor this light and airy cake.

Note: Resist the urge to turn the pan upside down after removing from the oven. This cake is heftier than an angel food cake, and may fall out of the pan.

About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Easy Artisan Bread. You can also watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. She presently lives in Singapore working on her new baking cookbook, and as a recipe developer for HungryGoWhere Singapore. Check out her blog: shophousecook.com . Follow Yvonne on Twitter.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Yield: makes one 10-inch tube cake
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Special equipment: 10-inch angel food cake pan, mixer

Ingredients

  • 8 large eggs, separated
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 2/3 cup (11 2/3 ounces) granulated sugar, divided
  • 2 cups (10 ounces) cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 3 tablespoons zest and 5 tablespoons juice from about 3 lemons
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Procedures

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Using mixer fitted with whip attachment, beat whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until frothy. Increases speed to medium-high and beat until beginning to form soft peak. Slowly add 1/3 cup sugar and continue to whip to stiff but not dry peak, about 3 minutes. Transfer meringue to a large bowl.

  2. Using same unwashed mixer fitted with whip attachment, combine remaining 1 1/3 cups sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda on low speed, about 30 seconds.

  3. Add yolks, oil, 1/3 cup water, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Increase speed to medium and beat until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.

  4. Remove bowl from mixer, making sure to scrape all the zest from the beaters. Gently fold in egg white meringue in three stages until just combined. Pour into ungreased 10-inch tube pan and bake until golden, just set, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

  5. Transfer pan to cool on wire rack until completely cool, about 2 hours. Run knife along inside edges of pan and invert cake onto serving plate.