Cooking Light's Citrus Chiffon Cake

I wanted to bake a cake but I was looking for a recipe that was light and worthy of serving to guests. I found this Cooking Light recipe, I think it is from the June 2005 issue. The citrus is not overpowering, just the right balance. I don't think the cake would be that good without it. And good variation would be lime or key lime with the orange or lemon. I made a thin powdered sugar icing with orange juice in place of milk and drizzled over each slice. YUM. I can also picture this served with fresh strawberries or any berry that's your favorite. Lots of plans for this one, let me know if you try it!

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. sugar (about 1 cup), divided
6 oz. sifted cake flour (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 Tbs. grated orange rind
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tbs. grated lemon rind
5 Tbs. canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 large egg yolks
8 large egg whites
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325°

A couple of notes, I have a postal scale so I measured out this recipe in ounces, like it says to. I also used a silicone angel food cake pan and I think this would work well in a bundt pan if you have one. 158 calories and 5.3 grams of fat per serving.

Combine baking powder, salt, 7 ounces of the sugar and all the flour in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk until the mixture is well combined.

Combine orange rind, orange juice, lemon rind, canola oil, vanilla, and egg yolks in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add rind mixture to flour mixture, stirring until smooth.

Place egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1 ounce of sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-forth of the egg white mixture into the flour mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture.

Spoon batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan, spreading evenly. Break air pockets by cutting through batter with a knife. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes or until cake springs back lightly when touched. Invert pan; cool completely. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula. Invert cake onto plate and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Coffee Crumb Cake

I love anything that has coffee in it. This cake is so dense and moist, and not to sweet. It's a great breakfast treat when you have company or to snack on when getting together with friends for a game of cards. You can make it in a 9x13 or divide it into 2 8x8 cake pans and freeze one for later. Freezing one is the only way I can keep myself from eating the whole thing!

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 c. warm coffee
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix the sugar, salt and flour together in mixer bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, making fine crumbs. Take out 1 cup of the crumbs and set aside. Dissolve the baking soda into the coffee and add to crumb mixture. Add egg and vanilla. Stir until combined, the batter will be thin and a little lumpy. Pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan. Sprinkle the reserved cup of crumbs evenly over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Try not to overbake.

Note: I use a mixer but you can also mix this by hand.