This American cake is incredibly light as it’s made with whisked egg whites. Mary Berry decorates her version with homemade lemon curd and passion fruit seeds.
Equipment and preparation: You will need a 25cm/10in angel food cake pan.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 125g/4½oz plain flour
- 300g/10½oz caster sugar
- 10 large free-range egg whites
- 2 large lemons, grated zest only
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp salt
For the lemon curd (this recipe makes more lemon curd than you need)
- 10 large free-range egg yolks
- 400g/14oz caster sugar
- 4 large lemons, juice only (approximately 200ml/7fl oz)
- 2 large lemons, grated zest only
- 175g/6oz unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 passion fruit
For the topping
- 300ml/10fl oz whipping cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 (fan 160C) and arrange an oven shelf in the bottom third of the oven. Sift the flour and 100g/3½oz of the caster sugar together in a bowl and set aside.
- Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric hand whisk or mixer on a high speed for one minute until frothy. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, cream of tartar, and salt and continue whisking for 2-3 minutes, or until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Increase the speed and add the remaining 200g/7oz of caster sugar, one tablespoon at a time to form a firm, but not stiff peaks.
- Sprinkle over one-third of the flour mixture and fold gently to combine. Repeat with the remaining two-thirds of the flour mixture folding gently to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
- Transfer the batter to a 25cm/10in angel food cake pan. Gently run a knife through the center of the batter to remove any pockets of air. Cook for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and immediately turn upside down onto the tin’s cooling legs, or place over the neck of a wine bottle. Leave to cool for at least one hour.
- Run a knife around the inner and outer edges of the cake to remove it from the pan. Invert onto a plate. Carefully use a palette to separate the cake from the base of the pan. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
- For the lemon curd, mix the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a large pan. Cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, making sure to stir the sides and base of the pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Pass through a sieve into a large jug. Fill two 350g/12oz glass jars with the lemon curd and seal with lids. Cover the remaining curd with cling film and leave to cool.
- For the topping, whisk the cream and vanilla extract in a bowl until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Spoon the topping over the angel food cake and, using a palette, coat the top and sides of the cake, smoothing as you go.