Recipe for Sunshine Cake
Sunshine Cake is a light, airy classic—similar to an angel food style cake but made with yolks too for a tender golden crumb. It’s baked in an ungreased tube pan and gets its lift from stiffly beaten egg whites and cream of tartar. Sunshine Cake has a rich history dating back to the late 19th century, with roots in cookbooks from as early as 1896. Variations of the recipe appear in mid-20th-century cookbooks, like those from the 1920s and 1960s, often passed down through families as a beloved heirloom.
Sunshine Cake
Ingredients4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup of boiling water
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon flavoring
whites of four eggs, stiffly beaten
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Preheat oven 325 degrees
Instructions
Beat egg yolks with cold water. Add sugar and beat well. Add boiling water and beat until frothy. Stir in 1 1/2 cups
of flour, sifted with baking powder and salt. Add flour as desired. Fold in egg whites, stiffly beaten with 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar.
Baked in a ungreased tube pan for 1 hour. Cool tube pan upside down.
Total Cook Time - 1 hour
Equipment - tube pan
Servings - 10
Sunshine Cake FAQ
Why is the tube pan ungreased?
Un-greased pans help airy cakes “climb” the sides as they bake, giving better height and texture.
What flavoring should I use?
Vanilla is classic, but lemon or almond flavoring also works nicely.
How do I cool a tube pan cake?
Cool the cake upside down (if your pan has feet) or inverted over a bottle to help prevent sinking.
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