Carole Walter's Passover Lemon Chiffon Cake
Dear SOS: Several years ago you published a lemon chiffon cake recipe for Passover. It called for sifting cake flour and potato starch several times and cooking down lemon juice. It might have been called Carol’s. It was excellent.
Vivian Rice
Palm Springs
Dear Vivian: Carol agrees--Carol Walter, that is, author of “Great Cakes.” In the April 1995 story she says: “Sponge cake and Passover seem to go hand in hand, but I like to add a special dessert or two to the traditional ones. My lemon chiffon cake is great at any time of the year and everyone just loves it at Passover.”
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the lemon juice and grated zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil. Simmer 4 to 5 minutes. (There should be 6 tablespoons of liquid. If not, add water.) Set aside to cool.
Using a fine-mesh strainer, sift together the matzo cake meal and potato starch 4 times. Set aside.
Place the egg yolks and whole egg in the small bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until the mixture begins to thicken, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue beating until the mixture turns pale yellow and is very thick. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream.
Reduce the speed to medium-low. Add the cooled lemon juice and zest and beat until blended. Reduce the speed to low. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Place the egg whites in the large bowl of a mixer. Using clean beaters or the whip attachment, beat the whites on medium speed until frothy. Add the salt. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the remaining 2/3 cup of sugar at the side of the bowl, beating until soft peaks form.
With a rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of the beaten whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whites.
Gently pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch angel food pan with a removable bottom. Smooth the top. Bake in the lower 1/3 of the oven until the cake is golden brown and springy to the touch, 45 to 50 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert the pan onto a wire rack. Cool the cake completely in the pan. Turn the cake upright and run a thin, sharp knife around the sides of the pan, then around the center tube. Lift the cake by the center tube and remove the ring. Run a knife under the cake to loosen the cake from the pan. Invert the cake and remove the tube section.
Transfer the cake to a platter. Store the cake at room temperature under a glass dome or cover with foil up to 1 week.
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