This deliciously fresh Lemon & Lavender Angel Food Cake recipe has the slightest hint of lavender and is topped with an easy to make meringue frosting. It tastes as good as it looks and is perfect for any special occasion.
PREP TIME: 20 mins
COOK TIME: 40 mins
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
Author: Kristen Stevens | The Endless Meal
Difficulty: Moderate
Makes: 1 - 10" lemon angel food cake
INGREDIENTS:
For the Lemon & Lavender Angel Food Cake:
- 12 egg whites, at room temperature (Reserve egg yolks for another use. See blog post for ideas.)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons dried lavender
- 1 teaspoon lemon oil
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1⅓ cup cake flour
For the meringue frosting:
- 4 egg whites
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- A pinch of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the Lemon & Lavender Angel Food Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the egg whites in a large bowl and add the cream of tartar and sea salt. Using an electric beater, beat the egg whites until they are frothy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, while continuing to beat the egg whites. Beat the egg whites until all the sugar has been added and they form stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Add the lavender, lemon oil and lemon zest and beat just until they are combined.
- Hold a fine mesh sieve over the bowl of beaten egg whites and add ⅓ cup of the cake flour. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour into the egg whites. Repeat with the remaining cake flour, ⅓ cup at a time.
- Pour the cake batter into an ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan onto a wine bottle. Note: some angel food cake pans have feet to hold the cake upside own while it cools. If yours does, use them rather than a wine bottle. When the cake is completely cool, run a knife around the outside to loosen it, remove the bottom of the cake pan, and gently coax the cake out and onto a serving platter.
For the frosting:
In a double-boiler, or using a heat-proof bowl over a pot of water, add the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Bring the water to a boil, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the other pot or bowl. Using an electric beater, beat the frosting until the sugar has dissolved and the frosting is hot. Remove from the heat and continue to beat until the frosting has cooled and is thick, about 5 minutes. Quickly beat in the lemon oil.
To assemble the Lemon & Lavender Angel Food Cake:
Once the cake has cooled completely (at least 2 hours) spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake using a rubber spatula. You can sprinkle a little lemon zest and lavender flowers over the top, if you'd like.
Lemon & Lavender Angel Food Cake
