Spiced Angel Cake

Too rich to be angel food cake, too light to be shortbread, this mildly fragrant dessert is a Coastal Living staff favorite.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2  vanilla bean
• 1  teaspoon  lemon rind
• 1/2  cup  butter, melted and cooled
• 4  egg whites
• 1  cup  sugar
• 1 1/4  cups  sifted cake flour
• 3/4  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 3/4  teaspoon  ground cardamom
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• Orange marmalade
• Crème fraîche

Preparation

Split vanilla bean lengthwise; scrape out seeds. Stir seeds and lemon rind into butter.

Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves (5 to 6 minutes). Fold butter mixture into the meringue.

Whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients. Gently fold dry ingredients into meringue. Carefully spoon batter into a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan; spread to edges of pan.

Bake at 350° for 14 minutes or until golden. Cool cake completely. Cut cake into squares. Top each piece with a dollop each of orange marmalade and crème fraîche.