Egg White Cake

Here is a classic recipe for an egg white cake, ideal for using up leftover egg whites from other preparations. I offer you a simple, but flavorful version.

Ingredients

• 150 g of egg whites (about 5 egg whites)
• 150 g of sugar
• 100 g of flour 00
• 50 g of melted and cooled butter
• 50 g of potato starch
• 1 sachet of vanillin (or the seeds of a vanilla pod)
• 1 pinch of salt
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
• Icing sugar for garnishing (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C if fan-assisted) and butter and flour a cake pan or line it with parchment paper.
2. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until frothy.
3. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whip until you achieve a swollen and shiny mixture that forms a “bec d’oiseau,” or soft peaks that hold their shape.
4. Add the vanillin and, if desired, the grated lemon zest to give a touch of freshness to the cake.
5. Gently fold in the sifted flour and potato starch, with movements from bottom to top so as not to deflate the mixture.
6. Pour the melted butter into the mixture and blend it with the same care, avoiding deflating the mixture.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, level it gently, and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely. Unmold and sprinkle with icing sugar before serving, if desired.

This cake is soft and light, and lends itself to many combinations. You could serve it on its own, with a dusting of icing sugar, or fill it with a buttercream, a chocolate ganache, jam, or accompanied by a red fruit sauce.

Curiosity

Many traditional recipes require only egg yolks, often leaving egg whites to spare. The egg white cake was born, therefore, as a delicious solution to not waste these leftovers. In the past, when kitchen waste was a luxury not allowed, recipes like this represented the pinnacle of home creativity and ingenuity.