Growing up, my sister and I were usually left to our own devices… meaning left to kill each other for most of the day, accidentally call the police, and hide from them when they came to the house. This happened more frequently than you might imagine.
Needless to say, we didn’t spend much time refining our culinary expertise. My dad was starting a business and my mom was logging extra hours at her accounting job, so as a result, my family’s idea of a home-cooked meal was a package of Chicken Voila.
I may have been a full foot shorter than the other kids my age (seriously – it’s a wonder I didn’t turn out to be midget stature), but damn, I could eat. Let me tell you, you don’t want to get between a tiny asthmatic child on steroids and her plate of ribs.
Since I clearly loved to eat more than anyone else in my family, I was fittingly the most enthusiastic about cooking.
I used to cook for my family out of the goodness of my heart. However, since my technique has improved, I use my skills as blackmail. May make me sound lazy and greedy, but it works like a charm.
My family was in town for Easter this weekend (since I obviously lured them here with food), and I made this light and fluffy dessert as a perfect ending to our Easter lunch. It’s sweet, tart, fluffy, and seasonal. It also contains a fresh herb (mint), which is my favorite way to make a dessert extra intriguing. The dish is kind of a souffle-meets-cake that will balance out however many Cadbury Eggs you may have consumed that morning.
I know I have fewer pictures than usual, but I was trying to do a photo shoot with five dogs crammed into my one-bedroom apartment, all salivating at the cake on the floor. It was hard. So you can all calm your pants for more pictures until next time.
To make this delectable lemon cloud cake, I used a recipe found here. I usually make a few modifications, but I had never made anything souffle-like before, so I didn’t want to risk it. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 large egg yolks
- 4 large egg whites
- Dash of salt
- 2 cups quartered small strawberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Directions
To prepare cloud, preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly coat a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, shaking out excess. Place dish on a baking sheet.
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Stir in lemon rind, juice, and egg yolks. Place over medium heat; cook for 3 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; immediately scrape mixture into a glass bowl. Cool to room temperature.
Place egg whites and salt in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 30 seconds or until foamy. Increase mixer speed to high. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating just until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon into prepared dish. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Remove from oven, and cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover and chill.
To prepare compote, combine strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and mint; toss gently. Cover and chill. Serve with lemon cloud.
Source: ringfingertanline.com (defunct blog)
