Sunshine Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the syrup
Measure 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of flour, and a pinch of salt.
Boil the sugar with just a little water until clear.
Make the batter
Pour the clear sugar syrup over the beaten egg whites, which have been beaten very stiff.
Beat the mixture for ten or fifteen minutes.
Add the yolks, which have been beaten lightly.
Add the flour sifted three times and the juice of a lemon.
Bake
Bake in an ungreased pan for forty minutes.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites (in the method)
- Beaten stiff, they trap air and form the light foam that gives the cake its structure.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Sweetens the cake and, boiled to a clear syrup, helps stabilise the whipped whites.
- Flour (in the method)
- Sets during baking to give the cake its body and holds the airy foam in shape.
- Egg yolks (in the method)
- Add richness, tenderness and colour to the crumb.
- Lemon juice (in the method)
- Adds acidity that brightens flavour and helps keep the egg white foam stable.
The step that matters
Pouring the hot syrup into the stiff whites. The hot syrup must be poured in a thin stream while beating, so the whites stay airy and are cooked gently. Pouring too fast or stopping early can deflate the foam and leave a dense cake.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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