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Angel Food: Angel Food Cake w/ Fresh Lemon Curd

Source of Recipe

Emeril Lagasse


List of Ingredients

10 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour, sifted
1 recipe lemon curd
1 recipe boiled icing
1 recipe sweetened berries


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites on medium speed with the cream of tartar and the salt until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and beat for 2 minutes, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour the batter into an engrossed angel food cake pan. Bake until golden brown and springy when touches, 30 to 35 minutes. (The top of the cake may crack a little.) Remove the pan from the oven and turn it upside down over the neck of a bottle. Let cool completely.

Remove the cake from the pan slice horizontally into three layers. Place the bottom layer on a serving plate. Spoon half of the curd over the cake. Lay the middle layer on top of the curd. Repeat with the remaining curd and top with the last layer of cake. Set aside. Ice the entire cake with the Boiled Icing. At this point you can eat as is, or lightly brown the boiled icing, carefully with a creme burl torch. Slice the cake into individual slices and place on serving plates. Spoon some of the berries over the cake.

BOILED ICING
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
3 egg whites, at room temperature
pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Bring the sugar to 240¼F. **If crystals appear on the side of a the pan, take a damp pastry brush and brush the sides down. Meanwhile, combine the whites, salt and tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with wire whip. Beat on low speed until soft peaks form. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form. In a steady stream, add the sugar syrup to the whites and continue whipping until the icing is spreadable. Whip in the vanilla. Yields: about 2 1/2 cups

FRESH LEMON CURD
4 to 6 medium fresh lemons
6 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cold
Zest all of the lemons and set aside. Juice the zested lemons and strain the juice, you should get about 3/4 cups of juice. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a nonreactive saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and pour into a glass bowl. Stir in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Cool to room temperature Yields: about 2 1/2 cups

MARINATED BERRIES
2 pints assorted berries, rinsed and hulled, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup chiffonade of fresh mint Combine in a mixing bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in the mint. Yields: about 2 cups