Paula Deen Sunshine Cake

Paula Deen sunshine cake is a light angel-style cake made with six eggs, cake flour and a tangy orange butter cream frosting, ready in 3 hours 20 minutes with cooling. Make this easy Southern orange cake for your holiday table, church supper or Sunday dinner, since it feeds 15 and tastes fresh.

Fold the yolk mixture into the whites slowly with a rubber spatula until nothing streaky is left, because that air is the only thing lifting this cake. Stir hard and it bakes up dense and short.

The cake goes into an ungreased tube pan so the batter can cling to the sides and climb as it bakes. Then you flip the pan upside down to cool for 90 minutes, which keeps the crumb from sinking before it sets.

Paula Deen Sunshine Cake

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Course: DessertCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Medium

Servings

15

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Calories

380

kcal

Whipped yolks and glossy egg whites fold together into a tall, tender cake with a soft, springy crumb. A thin orange butter cream sets over the top and drips down the sides.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
  

• 1 teaspoon or almond or both vanilla extract
  

• 2 cups sugar
  

• 1/2 cup cold water
  

• 6 separated and at room temperature eggs
  

• 1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch salt
  

• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  

• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  

• 2 sticks Butter
  

• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  

• plus zest orange juice
  

Directions

• Preheat and separate eggs: Preheat the oven to 325°F, then separate the 6 eggs, putting the whites in one large bowl and the yolks in another. Take care that no yolk gets into the whites, since even a little will keep them from whipping up.
• Beat the yolks: Beat the yolks until light and foamy, then slowly add 1/2 cup cold water. Gradually beat in 2 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract until pale and thick, which can take up to 7 minutes.
• Add the flour: Sift 1 1/2 cups cake flour again with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Return it to the sifter and fold it into the yolk mixture a little at a time.
• Whip the whites: Beat the egg whites gently until foamy, then add a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. Turn the mixer up and beat until the whites form moist, glossy peaks.
• Fold and fill the pan: Pour the yolk mixture in a thin stream over the whites, cutting and folding with a rubber spatula until completely combined. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch round tube pan with a removable bottom, then draw a thin spatula through it to pop any large air pockets.
• Bake the cake: Bake at 325°F on the second rung from the bottom for 60 minutes. The cake tends to fall a small amount around the 50-minute mark, so don't panic if it dips.
• Cool upside down: Invert the pan right away and let the cake cool for 1 1/2 hours. Frost it only once it is completely cool.
• Make the frosting: Mix 2 sticks butter with 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, then carefully add just enough orange juice to thin it for spreading. Spread it over the cooled cake and garnish with orange zest or peel if you like.

Tools for this recipe

• Chicago Metallic angel food tube pan, removable center, KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer, OXO silicone spatula set, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?

You can in a pinch, but the crumb will be a little heavier and less tender. To get closer, take 2 tablespoons out of each cup of all-purpose flour and replace them with cornstarch, then sift it twice.

Why does the pan need to be ungreased?

The batter has to grip the sides of the pan to climb as it bakes. Grease would let it slide back down, and you would end up with a shorter, denser cake.

Can I bake it ahead of time?

Yes, bake and cool the cake a day ahead and keep it covered at room temperature. Frost it on the day you serve it so the butter cream stays fresh and soft.

What if I don't have a tube pan with a removable bottom?

A regular 10-inch tube pan works too, but the cake is harder to release. Run a thin knife around the center tube and outer edge once it has cooled, then turn it out gently.

How do I keep the egg whites from deflating when I fold?

Use a wide rubber spatula and cut straight down through the middle, then sweep up the side and over. Stop as soon as no streaks remain, because extra folding knocks out the air you whipped in.