Daffodil Cake Recipe: A Family Favorite You Absolutely Need to Try

Name: Daffodil Cake Recipe: A Family Favorite You Absolutely Need to Try
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 8-10
Ingredients: 3/4 cup cake flour; 1/3 cup sugar; 6 egg yolks; 1 tsp lemon extract; 3/4 cup egg whites; 1/8 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp cream of tartar; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 cup cake flour; 3/4 cup egg whites; 1/8 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp cream of tartar; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract

by Karen Kasberg

8-10 slices

1 hr 30 min

Who doesn’t love a good cake? Yes, it is easy to throw together a box mix cake and call it a day. However, for special occasions, it’s nice to go the extra mile and bake a cake from scratch. Why not try this made-from-scratch daffodil cake recipe?!

In this blog post, I’m sharing just that, a cake made totally from scratch with a little extra TLC.

Now, don’t fret at the idea of baking from scratch as it really is not that difficult. This daffodil cake recipe is so delicious and will leave you wanting more… yes, more cake.

As a child, I remember my mom baking one of two family favorite desserts at Easter. In particular, one dessert is a strawberry-filled angel food cake which is extremely refreshing and even better, it is easy to make.

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The other family favorite Easter dessert recipe is this daffodil cake. The recipe is a little more involved, however, the end result is so worth the extra effort.

Fun Family Sidenote Related to the Daffodil Cake

The daffodil cake is a family favorite not only because it is so delicious, but it also shares the flower name with my middle sister.

As youngsters, my grandfather gave my sisters, mom and I flower names. For example, my middle sister was given the flower name Daffodil, my oldest sister is Primrose, my mom Snapdragon, and my flower name is Buttercup. Our family loves to reminisce about all the beautiful flower names our grandfather gave to many women in the neighborhood.

Best Type of Pan to Use

When making this daffodil cake recipe I have always used a tube pan, however, a Bundt cake pan would also work well.

It is my hope that you and your family will find as much delight in the deliciousness of this daffodil cake for celebrations such as Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or birthdays.

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daffodil cake recipe a family favorite you absolutely need to try

This recipe is a delicious twist on traditional angel food and yellow cakes. Its light, fluffy texture will have your guests reaching for seconds!

Daffodil Cake Recipe: A Family Favorite You Absolutely Need to Try

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Recipe details

Yield 8-10 slices
Time spent: Prep time: 30 Minutes Cook time: 1 Hours Total time: 1 hr 30 min

Show Nutrition Info

Per serving

% Daily value

Ingredients

Yellow cake batter

3/4 cup cake flour
1/3 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1 tsp lemon extract
3/4 cup egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

White cake batter

1/2 cup cake flour
3/4 cup egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Before Starting to Mix the Cake

Before starting to mix this cake, sift flour for both parts.
Measure ½ cup flour, add 2 2/3 Tbsp sugar and resift 5 times.
The last time, sift onto wax paper and place it near the bowl for mixing the white part of the cake.
Measure ¾ cup flour, add 1/3 cup sugar and resift 5 times, again the last time sift onto wax paper, placing this near the mixing bowl for the yellow part of the cake.
Measure the 2 portions of egg whites into two 3-quart bowls and yolks into a 1-quart bowl.

Mixing the White Cake Batter

Beat egg whites until foamy. Sprinkle salt and cream of tartar over egg whites. Beat until soft round peaks form.
Then, beat in ½ cup sugar, 2 tbsp at a time, and beat until whites form shiny peaks that curve at the tips.
Add vanilla.
Sift sugar/flour mixture over whites in four portions, folding in by hand the first 3 portions with 20 complete fold-over strokes after the addition of each portion.
Then 40 complete fold-over strokes after the last portion.
Set aside.

Mixing the Yellow Cake Batter

Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored.
Add lemon extract at the very end of mixing.
Now, beat egg yolks with a wire whip until foamy.
Sift salt and cream of tartar over egg yolks and beat until whites form soft rounded peaks.
Add sugar 2 tbsp at a time beating until whites form shiny peaks that curve at tips.
Gently fold in by hand the yolks into the whites using about 20 strokes.
Sift flour/sugar mixture over the yellow part, cutting and folding just as you did with the white part.

Adding Batter to the Pan & Baking

Quickly, but gently place alternating yellow and white batter spoonful’s into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan.
Place the pan on the lowest rack of a cold oven. Start the oven immediately and set it to 325 degrees.
Bake for 1 hour or until done.
Remove from the oven and place upside-down until completely cool.
Remove from the pan.
You can serve this cake plain, add a glaze (lemon or orange), add a light frosting, or whipped cream.
Enjoy!

Comments

Cso51108026 on Aug 04, 2022
There are a lot of steps to this recipe, but you've explained every step so very well, none of it seems daunting, in the least! I'm so excited to try it!! I have a couple of questions, though:
1. The ungreased pan - doesn't that make it hard to remove? I honestly don't remember if I even have a tube pan, it's been so long since I made an angel food cake... but I definitely have a bundt. It's non-stick, though - does that matter?
2. How do you turn it upside down and keep it from, well, falling out??? And if it's because it's ungreased, what's the best way to remove it from the pan??? You can slide a knife around the edges, but what about the bottom? Oh, wait - on a tube, you can lift it out, so nvm...
3. I think folks think baking from scratch is so complicated or difficult, and it's really, honestly, truly not... I am really glad you didn't post: take an angel food cake mix and a yellow cake mix, blah, blah, blah... This is the real deal, and there's no substitute.
4. I tell you what, I make a 2-ingredient no-knead bread, every week, for my husband! It's dense, it's definitely not fluffy, but you can mix it up to make it savory or sweet, it's just self-rising flour and selzer water (or zero-calorie generic 7-up if I want a sweet bread). I add garlic/cheddar, olives and rosemary, or even tropical fruit trail mix from Aldi, chopped up. But anything where you can control the ingredients, the sugar, etc...? Especially with special needs kiddos who need to watch these things? Score!!!
5. Sorry this post got long, but so few folks are brave enough to still do it "old school!" That deserves to be celebrated, and this cake is HAPPENING, this weekend!!! You had me at the picture of the slice, those great sworls of the 2 batters? Sold!!! Thank you, so much, for posting. I am certain this is going to be part of our family, now, permanently.
6. Last, I absolutely adored the story of your Grandpa giving you gals flower names. I love that! Simply lovely, little Buttercup!!
1 Reply
- Karen Kasberg on Aug 05, 2022
  
  Thank you so much for your kind words!! Our family treasures the flower names we were given ♥️.
  To answer your questions - the bundt cake pan you have should work just fine.
  To turn the cake upside down I put a cooling rack on top of the right-side-up cake and then carefully flip them over (I hope that makes sense)
  The bread you make sounds quite delicious!! Your hubby is very lucky to have you baking for him 😍.
  I agree about how cooking from scratch can be daunting and quite honestly every time I look at this recipe I think "do I really want to tackle this?" lol. However, once I start putting the ingredients together I remember that it is not difficult at all. It just takes time and patience.
  I would totally love to hear how you and your hubby enjoy this cake once you've made it.
  
  Like
Cso51108026 on Aug 12, 2022

Hi, sweet Buttercup!! Okay, this is officially a THING!!! I talk all the time about the "restaurant I want to open... someday!" - farm-to-table, Mediterranean and home cooking, a handful of menu staples and others more seasonal/rotational, more farm-to-table, etc. We live in a farming community in rural of Wisconsin of 3,000, and have more than our share of food insecurity, so I'd also like it to be a place where folks could give what they could, if they could, and pay forward so others who maybe couldn't could still come and eat a healthy meal, in dignity, and be served. Anyway, when I make something my husband is super-enthusiastic about, he'll quip, "PUT THIS ON THE MENU!!!" This is going on the menu!!! Just the hint of lemon is what does it. You might also call it a sunshine cake, because that's what it tastes like! Sunshine on a summer day, on a plate! (Though, note to you: The bundt cake worked beautifully, and it actually *looked* something like a daffodil or daisy, sitting on the plate I transferred it to after cooling!!) Thanks so much for posting - if I ever get the restaurant, it's going to be called Buttercup's Daffodil Cake!! ;)

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