| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 20 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 3/4 cups superfine sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup dark rum
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the cake flour, 3/4 cup superfine sugar and the salt onto a piece of parchment paper. Sift the flour mixture a second time onto another piece of parchment; set aside. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form, about 4 more minutes. Gradually beat in the remaining 1 cup superfine sugar; increase the speed to high and beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, about 7 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, until fully incorporated with no pockets of dry ingredients. Transfer the batter to an ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan. Bake until golden and the cake springs back when pressed, 40 to 45 minutes. Invert the cake pan onto a small funnel or bottle neck and let cool completely, at least 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, make the compote: Combine the brown sugar, rum, 1/2 cup water and the rosemary and thyme sprigs in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add the pineapple, return to a gentle simmer and cook until the pineapple is softened and the liquid is syrupy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cool, about 1 hour. Remove the herb sprigs.
- Loosen the edge of the cake with a knife, tap the sides of the pan against the counter and unmold the cake onto a platter. Slice and serve with the compote.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 324 |
| Total Fat | 0 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 69 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 54 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 188 mg |
Reviews
I’m very conflicted about this cake. Something just tastes slightly ‘off’ about it. I’d either put the herbs in the cake (probably the cake as it takes it better) OR the sauce next time, not both, as it becomes overpowering. I’d also halve the vanilla because that’s just a ridiculous amount (yes I used pure vanilla) and all I can taste is vanilla in the sauce, when it tasted fine before the addition. The pineapple remained boozy but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Amazing flavor. This was a huge hit at the dinner we brought this to. This will be a make again.