Elderflower Angel Food Cake with Lime Glaze

I love cake.  And I love summer.  But making cake in the summer?   Ehh.  Not so fun.  When it is 90 degrees with 90% humidity the last thing I want to is turn on the oven and bake in my kitchen along with the baked goods.  OK.  That’s not true.  When the oven is on, magic is happening.  What goes in that oven must come out.  And find it’s way into my mouth.  Which it does.  Everytime, without fail.

Something I seriously LOVE about summer?  Elder flower liqueur.  St. Germaine is the best.  Summer cocktails with this addition are perfection.  It has taken me a little bit, but I have finally adopted my signature cocktail.  Alright, so there are 3 or 4 signatures cocktails of Sarah.  A girl needs choices.  This stuff makes any drink instantly reminiscent of a field full of flowers.  It will also give you quite a happy little buzz.  it’s really the best of both worlds.  Stay tuned for more posts about my love obsession for this liqueur.

Angel food seems to have become the quintessential springtime/summery cake.  It’s light, airy, and HEALTHY.  Yes, totally good for you.  No butter = healthy.  Everyone eat up.  Just a slice.  Or two or more!  Just because there is no butter in this delicate dessert I felt the need to over compensate by DRENCHING this cake in lime glaze.  Holy guacamole!  Liquor-infused cake.  Lime glaze.  Basically the definition of summer.  So good.  So SO good.

Have I mentioned that I love my standing mixer?  Probably.  Well let me mention again.  I LOVE MY STANDING MIXER.  And whipping egg whites has become my new favorite activity.  I am willing to overlook the fact that making angel food cake is quite a production because whipping the egg whites into firm peaks is so fun!  To see them triple in size really gets me going.  It’s the physics of baking.  Oh, science.  How you turn me on.

I wanted to do this right so I invested in a new angel food cake pan from Sur la Table.  This was after an hour in Williams-Sonoma spent picking out wedding gifts.  For other people, I swear.  But it is no secret that I could be perfectly content camping out there and calling it home.  I could easily spend my life savings on baking supplies.  But essentials are essentials.  And an angel food cake pan is essential.  So is THIS angel food cake recipe.  Cake = love and summer = happiness.  So obviously summer love is brought to you by cake happiness.  This is so perfect with summery cocktail (see above) or with some dessert wine from a fabulous vineyard in Sonoma County, California.

Angel Food Cake

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 3/4 cups superfine sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups egg whites (from about 12 eggs)
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. St. Germaine Elderflower Liquor
• zest of 1-2 limes

Preheat an oven to 350°F.Separate eggs and discard yolks (or use to make custard).  Sift together the flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the salt in medium bowl; set aside.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy.  Increase speed to mediu-high and gradually add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and beat until medium-firm peaks form.  Stir in the St. Germaine, vanilla and lime zest (if you love lime).  Gradually add 1/2 cup of the flour mixture into egg whites over it and gently fold it into the whites using deep strokes. Add the remaining flour mixture in three equal additions.Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and gently smooth the top. Bake until the cake is golden and springs back when touched, about 40-50 minutes. Invert the pan onto its feet or the neck of a wine bottle. Let cool completely inverted and then transfer onto a plate.

(Cake for Two)

Lime Glaze

• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons milk
• 1-2 tablespoons of lime juice

Mix ingredients together until a very thick but spreadable icing forms. Once cake has completely cooled, spread a thin layer of icing all over the cake. Note: start with 1-2 tablespoons of milk.  You can sub more milk as is needed.