I should have written about this cake back in the spring when daffodils were in bloom. It’s called “Daffodil Cake” because of its white and yellow color. But why can’t we call it a “Chrysanthemum Cake”? They are yellow, too. That would be in keeping with the Autumn season.

Have you ever heard of a Daffodil Cake? It is not an angel food cake. It has egg yolks in it. It’s not a chiffon cake either. It doesn’t have any oil. Nope. It’s in a class by itself.

You know, there was a time before Duncan Hines cake mixes when we stirred up cakes from scratch. But not everyone is a “baker.” I have tasted some gosh-awful homemade cakes back in the day. They could be as tasteless and hard as Styrofoam but not the Daffodil Cake. It always seemed to turn out soft as a feather and delicious. An inexperienced baker could mess it up, of course.

The key to success for any cake, as it is with most everything else, is to follow the directions. That includes having the eggs at room temperature. This cake will take about an hour to gather the ingredients together and stir up. It will take another 40 minutes to bake, so make it when you have time to do all this without hurrying. It’s worth the effort. If you haven’t sifted flour in a while, a large strainer will do. Cake flour is not as dense as all-purpose flour. After you measure the flour, remove two teaspoons from the cup. Voila! Cake flour. Egg whites beat up to a larger volume if they are at room temperature. If you have a teenager in the house, turn her loose on this cake. She will appreciate Duncan Hines all the more.

Daffodil Cake Recipe
1 cup cake flour
1 ½ cups plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ¼ cup egg whites (10 large eggs at room temperature)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon vanilla
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest plus more for garnish
2 Tablespoons orange juice

Glaze
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 Tablespoons orange juice
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 F. Sift flour with ½ cup sugar. In large bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites with salt, cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. With mixer at same speed, beat in 1 cup sugar, sprinkling ¼ cup at a time over egg whites. Beat until sugar is just blended. With rubber spatula, gently fold in flour by fourths until fully incorporated.

In another bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg yolks with orange zest, juice and remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar until thickened and pale in color. Fold in one-third of white batter.

In ungreased 4” deep 10” tube pan, alternate yellow and white batters to give a marbleized effect ending with white batter on top. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until straw inserted in center comes out clean.

To cool cake, invert tube pan and let hang until completely cooled. Do this by resting pan on center tube or by placing tube over funnel or neck of bottle. Cake will shrink if warm when removed from pan. To remove cooled cake, use thin bladed knife or spatula to loosen cake all around side and tube. Invert cake onto wire rack and lift off pan.

In small bowl, mix confectioners’ sugar, orange juice and melted butter until smooth. Brush all over cooled cake and let sit until partially set. Garnish cake with orange zest, either finely grated or in thin strips. Makes 12 slices. Enjoy.