Daffodil Cake with Whipped Cream and Fresh Berries
It’s almost daffodil season! This month brings the sweetest spring flowers to our farm. Soon the tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, and crocus with pop out of the soil and bring joy to our hearts with their beautifully sweet colors. I love narcissus for its cheery yellow coloring that makes me think of sunshine and green grass. It started snowing again today, so I am a little heartsick for spring to be here.
I absolutely love daffodil cake. Have you ever tried it before? I made it for the first time last year and shared there recipe here on the blog. It is a layered angel food cake and sponge cake, baked in a tube pan, which creates a lovely creamy white and yellow marbling effect when it is cut. Daffodil cake was invented in the 1930s by housewives during the depression who wanted to a serve an angel food cake but did not have enough egg whites to fill an entire cake pan. The sponge cake is made with only egg yolks, so it was a bit of a more sustainable way to create a cake that used the entire egg and fill up the pan at the same time. Sustainable on the wallet and kitchen ingredients!
Ingredients & Recipe:
FOR THE ANGEL FOOD CAKE:
8 egg whites from large eggs
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
FOR THE SPONGE CAKE:
4 egg yolks from large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tbsp salted butter
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Fresh berries for topping
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Set aside a 9x3” tube pan, do not grease.
Make the angel food cake: In a large bowl, add the egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla. With an electric hand mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form (tips curl), about 4-6 minutes. Slowly begin adding the sugar, about 2 tbsp at a time, until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Sift the powdered sugar and flour together. Slowly add the flour mixture to whipped egg whites, folding in with a spatula, until no dry bits remain. Set aside.
Next, make the sponge cake: In a separate large bowl, whip the egg yolks and sugar until light yellow and slightly fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt until crumbly. In a small saucepan, warm the milk and butter until just hot to the touch. Stir into the crumbly cake mixture.
Spread the angel food cake into the tube pan evenly with a spatula. Take a butter knife and cut it through the batter a few times to remove air bubbles.
Carefully pour the sponge cake mixture over the angel food cake, spreading evenly over the top.
Bake for 50 minutes or until the sponge cake is a deep golden brown and springs back when gently pressed. Remove from the oven and immediately flip on the counter or a wire cooling rack (most tube pans have little tabs sticking up for this purpose). Allow the cake to cool for an hour or until room temperature before removing.
With a knife, work your way around the outer edge of the tube pan to loosen the cake. Pop out the bottom of the tube pan and run the knife under the cake to remove it from the center of the pan. Let cool to room temperature before frosting.
In a large bowl, with an electric hand mixer whip the heavy cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread all over the cake. Top with fresh berries. Serve.
Disclaimer: Daffodils are toxic and will cause vomiting if eaten. The flowers used in these photos were for decoration only and were removed before eating. This is called a daffodil cake for the coloring of marbled cakes, not for the actual flowers!
This cake is light, airy, and has a subtle sweetness to it. It’s perfect if you are not a huge fan of sugary cake with thick frosting. I love it by itself with a bit of powdered sugar sifted on top, or you can frost it with whipped cream. The addition of a whipped cream frosting really brings out the lightness of the cake, which I think is just fantastic. It’s the perfect treat for a garden tea party to welcome in spring!
xoxo Kayla
