Great Grandma’s Daffodil Cake
Angel food cake was one of the first recipes that I taught myself to bake. I was around twelve years old when I first separated a dozen eggs and followed the recipe in one of my mother’s cookbooks. I marveled at the egg whites as they were transformed into a light and airy meringue and baked into a delicious angel food cake.
That was decades ago. Now I find myself with my own daughter who is twelve years old. We love to spend time in the kitchen baking and cooking together. I also find myself as a chicken keeper with a supply of fresh eggs to use in our baking recipes.
It’s the chicken keeper in me that shies away from making traditional angel food cake. My reason is simple: I can’t bear the thought of having a dozen egg yolks that are purposely cast aside from a recipe. I make an exception when it comes to meringue cookies. It’s no great feat to find a way to use the three egg yolks left behind. Twelve egg yolks left from an angel food cake are quite another thing.
Luckily, I don’’t have to. Earlier this year, my Mom shared my Great grandmother’s handwritten recipe for daffodil cake with me. Instead of twelve eggs, it called for only six. My great grandparents were farmers and chicken keepers. Apparently they didn’t want to cast aside twelve egg yolks either.
Instead, they baked Daffodil Cake. As soon as I read the recipe, I understood why. The technique was altogether simple and brilliant. This cake would allow me to celebrate the best of both the egg white and egg yolk in one delicious cake.
My daughter and I gathered in our farmhouse kitchen this spring to make our first daffodil cake. I watched the look on her face as she whipped the egg whites into a beautifully made meringue. We worked together until the cake preparation was complete. She slid the cake into the oven, set the timer and we wondered aloud how the finished cake would look and taste.
I am happy to report that we loved both the taste and appearance of the daffodil cake. The color of the egg yolk mixture was a strikingly beautiful yellow. The texture was light and airy and the flavor was everything I love about an angel food cake and more.
The egg yolks added a delicious richness to the cake without compromising the lightness of the meringue. It wasn’t a fancy cake. Instead, it was the cake of a farmer, the dessert of a chicken keeper. This cake celebrated the beauty of fresh eggs. Each bite reminded me that I was proud to be a chicken keeper and collect fresh eggs from our coop every day.
More than that, the whole experience created a memory that I will hold close for a lifetime. Standing in our farmhouse kitchen with my daughter baking a cake from a recipe in her Great great grandmother‘s handwriting was a moment that connected the generations of my family past and present. Having a delicious cake to share around our family table was merely a bonus.
Great Grandma's Daffodil Cake Print
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup All-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons warm water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup All-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
- Separate all six eggs, placing the egg whites in a large bowl that has been wiped clean with a paper towel moistened with white vinegar. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Add the salt to the egg whites and beat at medium-high speed using a hand mixer or stand mixer until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat at high speed, adding the ¾ cup sugar a few Tablespoons at a time until the mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. Set the meringue aside as you prepare the egg yolk mixture.
- Add the warm water to the egg yolks and mix on medium speed using a whisk or mixer. Add ½ cup sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder, and flour. Mix until the batter is completely smooth.
- Using a spatula, gently move a portion of the meringue away from the side of its mixing bowl.
- Add the vanilla and ½ cup flour to the space created by moving the meringue. This step prevents the weight of the flour from deflating the airy meringue. Using the spatula, gently fold the meringue until the flour and vanilla extract are fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
- Transfer two thirds of the meringue mixture to an ungreased angel food cake pan, spreading lightly if necessary to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the egg yolk mixture to the pan. There is no need to spread the yolk mixture or completely cover the meringue. Add the remaining meringue to the pan. Using a skewer or toothpick, lightly swirl the two batters by moving in a random pattern around the pan.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. When fully baked, a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with crumbs attached. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cake to cool.
- Once cool, run a sharp knife or small metal offset spatula around the outside of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert the cool cake onto a plate. Slice the cake into slices and serve plain or dressed with fresh berries and whipped cream.
Notes
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this looks lovely…I can’t wait to try it. Thank you very much for sharing!
Trudy of Windermere Farm in Indiana
As my daffodil flowers are starting to bloom I remembered my mother and aunt baking Daffodil Cake in April and May. Googled it and voila, the classic recipe popped up.
I am combining tech w an old-fashioned delicious simple, yet elegant cake.
Thank you so much. Now, my grandkids can try Daffodil Cake and probably think they are eating flowers!
Will keep all of you informed.
I am so glad that my Great Grandmother’s Daffodil Cake can play a part in you baking up memories with your grandkids. I just love knowing that. Happy baking!
cojld you post a picture of that original recipie in your g grandmother’s handwriting?
Sure. I’ll be sure to take one and share it here soon.
Could this be baked as cupcakes?
I would be perfect if it could!
I haven’t tried this batter baked as cupcakes, but I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t. I hope that you’ll let me know how they turn out for you!
I’m confused….do you add flour to yolk mixture & the meringue so Itd be a total of 1 cup of flour?
Oops never mind! I reread it! Sorry!
There’s no need to apologize. I’m so glad that you were able to answer your own question before I had the chance to see it and point you in the right direction. I hope that it turns out beautifully and that you enjoy it as much as we do!
What does this mean: Position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Should the rack be on the very bottom? or just below the halfway mark in the oven?
Ideally, the oven rack would be just below the halfway mark. Placing the cake in the bottom third will allow it to rise without running the risk of bumping into the top of the oven or broiling element. I hope that you’ll enjoy this cake as much as we do!
No butter in it? I tried other cakes without butter in it and it did not turn out well so would it be right to do without the butter? Would it turn out well or do u add 1 cup butter as well?
There’s no need to add butter to this cake. In fact, adding butter would work against the meringue, yielding a very heavy, dense cake. This cake will be light and airy thanks to the egg whites and also have a rich flavor from the yolks, so there’s no need to add any butter, I promise!
What is cream of tartar can I leave that as I dont know where to get it from or how to make it
Cream of tartar is a fine white powder that adds acidity to the egg whites and helps to stabilize the meringue. I find it in the spice section of our local markets. If you cannot find it, you can make the recipe without it. Your egg whites will probably require a few extra minutes of whipping, but the finished cake will be just as delicious.
Please tell me how can I make strawberry syrup and cream chese at home.I saw in some recipes these are needed to make the frosting for the cake
I apologize for missing your original message. I don’t usually add any frosting to this cake. Instead, I serve it with fresh berries and whipped cream. While I don’t have a recipe for cream cheese, here is my recipe for strawberry syrup:
http://1840farm.com/strawberry-syrup/
Nob8dy replied my query
Thank you so very much. During a lean period in my younger years my mixer broke and I used a wisk or hand beater to mix my cakes. The wisk made for lighter more airy baked goods. I would make this cake when I was angry to work out my frustration withoug venting on family. I learned after my husband’s death that he would often pick fights to get me to bake this cake. I had lost my recipe. Now I have it again thanks to your generosity in sharing it.
I hope that you will bake this cake often and think fondly of your husband every time. Happy baking!
How long should it take the meringue to make “stiff glossy peaks”. Seems like I am beating forever.
What have I done wrong?
I am sorry that you are feeling frustrated. The length of time will depend on the strength of your mixer and any variation (volume, temperature, freshness) of the egg whites. If there is any fat residue on the mixing bowl and beaters that can also inhibit the process.
It can feel like it is taking a very long time and then they take shape beautifully. I have my fingers crossed that is exactly what you experienced this afternoon.
Sally – a trick that works for me when I’m making meringue is to wash the bowl and beaters REALLY well – if there is any oils on it, it is hard for the meringue to form. Also, once I wash and dry (with a new towel so no cross contamination) I freeze the bowl and beaters. The colder they are, the better the meringue. I do this when I’m making whipped cream as well. Hope that helps.
Thanks for sharing your tips!
Do you turn this cake upside down on a bottle like you do for an angel food cake to cool? So it won’t fall?
I haven’t needed to, but it wouldn’t hurt anything to do so. If you usually turn your angel food cake pan upside down on a bottle to cool, you could certainly do so with this cake. Because this cake includes two batters, I find that it is more stable and sturdy than an angel food cake and doesn’t need special treatment.
I hope that you will give it a try and let me know what you think of it!
Would this cake survive baking in regular cake pans or in a casserole dish?
I haven’t tried to bake it in a non-tube pan/angel food cake pan. It rises quite a bit, so I would make sure not to overfill it and probably set it on a baking sheet just in case it rises up and out of the baking vessel. If you do try it, I hope that you will let me know how it turns out for you.
Do you have the nutrition information for this recipe?
I don’t have nutritional information to share. The app I use to publish recipes doesn’t have a mode to create the nutritional information.
thank you so much for the recipe. my husband and my parents loved it! i’m from Sweden and I did not have any cream of tartar… It came out good anyway👍
I was just wondering for how long I should whisk the yolks? until they just mixed or until they bacome a bit fluffy??
/Sofia
I am so glad that you all enjoyed it! You can just mix it until the mixture is smooth. If you like, you could mix it a bit longer to incorporate a bit of air into the batter and make it fluffy. I have tried both and they are equally delicious. I hope that you will bake it again soon.
If the pan is ungeased, what keeps the cake from sticking?
Such a beautiful cake! We made this for Easter and my family loved it. The only issue I had was the flour not incorporating nicely into the meringue – it just created little lumps of flour – I’m wondering if there might be a better method? Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
I am so glad that you enjoyed it! I’m sorry that you had an issue with the flour forming lumps. I haven’t had an issue with lumps baking into the finished cake. However, you could also sift the flour into the bowl with the meringue to lighten and aerate it a bit. That might make the flour easier for you to fully incorporate into the meringue without deflating it. I do hope that you will bake it again soon and let me know if that helps!
Made this yesterday-it is a very good cake. Question-how do you keep the vanilla and flour from forming small balls when folding into the meringue, without deflating it? The small balls were detectable in the finished product. Loved the ‘eggie’ flavor and the texture of the cake. Since I couldn’t find my angle food cake pan, I used a bundt pan. Had to ‘slam’ the cake out of the pan, (after running a spatula around all the edges) but it stayed intact. Will make it again!
I am so glad that you enjoyed it! I am so glad that it worked in your Bundt pan. It’s even easier to remove from a angel food cake pan with those sloping, straight sides. I hope that you will make it again!
I posted a question about a week ago, and saw that it was awaiting review. It concerned how to prevent the ‘balling up’ when the flour and vanilla were added to the meringue mixture, which carried over to the finished product. Went through the process of setting up a wordpress account . Thanks!
I’m sorry that I had missed the question about the flour incorporating into the meringue. I haven’t had an issue with lumps baking into the finished cake. However, you could also sift the flour into the bowl with the meringue to lighten and aerate it a bit. That might make the flour easier for you to fully incorporate into the meringue without deflating it. I hope that you’ll give it a bake again soon and let me know if that helps!