Lemon Chiffon Cake with Strawberry Sauce

Ducky's Note:

This is a wonderfully easy cake to make for Passover. It has a nice light lemon taste and the strawberry sauce is a great compliment. However, feel free to use the sauce of your choice or other accompaniment. Serve the sauce warm or at room temperature. The sauce can be made several days ahead and brought to room temperature to serve. The sauce makes 2 cups. I let each person apply their own sauce rather than pouring over the entire cake. This recipe was originally found in the "Let My People Eat!" cookbook.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

CAKE

• 1 (9 ounce) box passover angel food cake mix (I use the Manischewitz brand)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zest of, grated
• 1 1/2 teaspoons matzo meal

SAUCE

• 1 (8 ounce) jar strawberry preserves
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 2 tablespoons dry red wine
• 1/2 cup pineapple preserves
• 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
• 1 cup toasted almond, chopped,for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. From cake mix, empty bag containing the powdered egg whites into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add water and mix on low until egg whites are dissolved, then slowly increase the speed.
4. When soft peaks begin to form, slowly add the sugar, a little at a time.
5. Beat on high 1-2 minutes or until soft peaks form and then set aside.
6. In another large bowl, beat oil and eggs 1-2 minutes until mixed and light in color.
7. Add vanilla, lemon juice and zest and mix well.
8. To the oil and egg mixture, add second bag from cake mix along with matzo cake meal.
9. Mix on low until blended.
10. Fold into beaten egg whites.
11. Pour into ungreased angel food cake pan or 9-inch tube pan.
12. Bake 35 minutes.
13. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing the cake.
14. Serve with the sauce of your choice.
15. SAUCE: Place strawberry preserves in a small saucepan.
16. In small bowl, mix together the potato starch and wine, then add to the preserves.
17. Heat on medium-high until it begins to boil.
18. Reduce to low and stir until thickened.
19. Remove from heat.
20. Fold in the pineapple preserves and strawberries.
21. Pour some over the cake or cake slices, sprinkling with almonds.

Reviews

[aviva]

This was a very good cake for Passover. My husband loved it with the strawberry sauce. I couldn't find pineapple preserves so I used crushed pineapple instead. I used a tube pan and my cake also collapsed a little on one side. I wonder if this is just due to it being a Passover cake. My aunt made an angel food cake this year and it also collapsed on a side. I also had a problem removing the cake from the bottom cake ring part of the tube pan. I left the pan ungreased as the recipe said and I also had a nonstick pan. This was the first time I used a tube pan so maybe I did something wrong. I didn't know which was supposed to be the top of the cake, so I flipped it and had the bottom be the top though some of the bottom had scraped off on the pan. It still looked better than the collapsing side. I will make this cake again next year since so many people enjoyed it.

[Chef #211864]

This was great for Passover - easy and fast. We served it with strawberries and everyone loved it. I would just cut the added sugar by half so it is not quite so sweet - especially if serving with fruit and/or whipped cream. the texture was special - a combination of angel food cake and the chiffon. The cake served ten easily.

[Miraklegirl]

Ok.. I had some doubts about this cake- it kinda ended up looking like a regular old Passover angel food cake or sponge cake and it had sunken in the middle (probably my fault). Boy, was I wrong! To cover the sunken middle I decided not to make the strawberry sauce but instead spooned in some whipped cream and topped with fresh cut strawberries. The cake itself tasted like some sort of lemon cheesecake! It was very creamy and light and just delicious. Everyone loved it and I think it will be a Passover regular. Thanks Ducky!