Almost fat-free, this very light cake really is the food of angels. It is made using egg whites only, no yolks, and during baking develops a delicious golden crust that hides the tender, pure white interior. Here, it is served with creamy fromage frais and summer berries, but it is just as lovely with ... See more
Almost fat-free, this very light cake really is the food of angels. It is made using egg whites only, no yolks, and during baking develops a delicious golden crust that hides the tender, pure white interior. Here, it is served with creamy fromage frais and summer berries, but it is just as lovely with juicy peaches, mango or apricots.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF, gas mark 4). Sift the flour and icing sugar onto a large plate and set aside.
2.
Put the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk until quite frothy. Add the sugar, salt, cream of tartar and vanilla extract, and continue whisking until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
3.
Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold in very gently with a large metal spoon until well blended.
4.
Spoon the mixture into an ungreased 25 cm (10 in) non-stick tube tin, making sure there are no air pockets. Bake for 35 minutes or until well risen, golden brown and springy to the touch.
5.
Invert the cake, still in the tin, onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely, upside down. When it is cold, slide a long knife around the side of the tin to loosen the cake, then invert it onto a serving plate. (The cake can be kept, wrapped in cling film or stored in an airtight container, for 1–2 days.)
6.
Just before serving, mix together the strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Spoon the fruit into the hollow in the centre of the cake. Serve with the fromage frais in a bowl.
This is a lovely impressive looking dessert and tastes pretty yummy too. I just used raspberries for the topping. I also used a regular loose bottomed cake tin for baking. It cooled with a slight natural dip into which I piled the raspberries. Now I need to do something with all those egg yolks!
