Lemon Angel Food Cake - cake flour

Method

• Cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Sift the sifted cake flour with 1/2 cup of the sugar 3 times (this is to aerate the mixture and make it light).
• Set aside.
• Whip the egg whites in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until foamy.
• Add the cream of tartar and salt and continue whipping until soft peaks form.
• With the mixer running, gradually add the remaining cup of sugar and continue whipping until stiff and the sugar is dissolved, about 30 seconds more.
• Gradually add the sifted flour-sugar mixture and fold into the whites.
• Lastly fold in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
• Pipe the batter into ungreased mini muffin tins.
• Bake until light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans, then run a knife along the edges to loosen them.
• Remove from the pans and place upside-down on a wire rack set over a sheet pan.
• Stir the lemon juice and powdered sugar together until smooth, creating a glaze.
• Pour over each cake until the tops are smoothly coated.
• Confit: Cut a slice off the top and bottom of each lemon to expose the flesh.
• Cutting from top to bottom and following the contours of the fruit, cut off the peel and white pith in 1-inch-wide strips.
• Scrape off any pulp adhering to the strips, but leave the pith intact.
• You now have several 1-inch wide strips of lemon peel and pith.
• Cut each one into long strips, about 1/4-inch by 3 inches each.
• Meanwhile, boil a kettleful of water.
• Pour about a quart of the boiling water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, add all the lemon rind, and boil 30 seconds.
• Drain in a strainer and rinse under cold running water.
• Repeat 2 times more, using fresh boiling water each time.
• Combine the 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Add the blanched rind and reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Simmer until tender, about 1 hour.
• Drain in a strainer and let cool 15 minutes until cool enough to handle.
• Using your fingers, arrange the strips on a wire rack so that they do not touch each other.
• Let cool.
• Chop the lemon confit and sprinkle over the tops.
• Let set 30 minutes before serving.