Passover cake using almond meal and potato starch perfect for gluten free needs too.
Grandma Fanny’s Orange-Lemon Sponge Cake
Servings
10 Servings
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 3/4 cup potato starch sift before measuring
- Pinch salt
- 8 eggs separated into two large bowls (yolks in one, whites in the other)
- Rind of 1 lemon
- Rind of 2 navel oranges
- 1 1/2 cups sugar divided into 1 cup and 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup orange and lemon juice mixed mostly orange
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place rack in middle of oven. Set a 10-inch angel cake pan, ungreased, set on a baking sheet.
- Mix together almond meal and potato starch. Add salt. Set aside.
- Blend egg yolks with rinds. Beat in one cup sugar, adding juice a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Set aside. Beat egg whites with clean beaters until soft peaks form. Then gradually beat in remaining ½ cup sugar and beat until very stiff.
- Blend almond meal mixture into yolk mixture. Fold in 1/4 of egg whites. Turn over onto remainder of whites and fold quickly but gently and thoroughly.
- Pour into pan, even out batter, and bake 45-50 minutes. When done, cake feels springy, and a toothpick comes out dry.
- Hang cake upside-down in pan on legs or on a bottle. Leave several hours or overnight until absolutely cool.
- May be made 1 or 2 days in advance and left in pan, covered with plastic wrap. Unmold on serving day by carefully cutting cake out of the pan with a flat-bladed, stiff paring knife. Keep cake covered with plastic wrap until served. Remember, this cake has no fat in it (aside from yolks), and even though it is moist and tender, it will start to stale if left uncovered or cut in advance.
- Contributed by The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts featuring Lynn Kutner
Absolutely love this cake. I’ve been making it for years for chaggim and other simchas. Such a beautiful batter. I beat the egg yolks until they’re light in color.
Thank you soooo much for this one.
I got this answer from the author – “I’ve never frozen it, but I guess it can be. I would let it cool completely upside-down , and even refrigerate it in the pan for a few hours, so that it solidifies a bit. Then I would cut it out of the pan, and totally wrap it in plastic wrap when cold (without pressing on it-it is a sponge and will compress, if you do!) Make sure you have a place in the freezer, where nothing will weigh it down.
To thaw, maybe unwrap just the top, so that the plastic doesn’t come away with it. Since it has no added fat, I wouldn’t unwrap the whole thing–it might dry out.”
It looks like it should, but I have asked the author to see if they have any other thoughts.
does this cake freeze well?