Our sweet and fluffy Daffodil Cake is the perfect spring treat. (Photo by Mike Garten)

Good Housekeeping’s resident kitchen pro, Susan Westmoreland, shares her favorite shortcuts and best finds for getting dinner (and dessert!) on the table fast. This tasty throwback, Daffodil Cake, is sure to please a crowd.

A Sweet Slice of Spring: Daffodil Cake

When we found the recipe for Daffodil Cake in our 1942 cookbook, we had to share it again. A heavenly union of fluffy angel food cake and golden sponge, the citrus dessert practically screams spring! To pull it off, make sure the cake hangs upside down as it cools.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total cooking time: 55 minutes, plus cooling

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups egg whites (from about 10 large eggs) at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons orange juice

Glaze Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon butter, melted

To Prepare Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Sift flour with 1/2 cup sugar.

2. In a large bowl, with a mixer at high speed, beat egg whites with salt, cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. With mixer at same speed, beat in 1 cup sugar, sprinkling 1/4 cup at a time over egg whites. Beat until sugar is just blended.

3. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in flour mixture by fourths until fully incorporated.

4. In another bowl, with a mixer at high speed, beat egg yolks with orange zest and juice and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until thickened and pale. Fold in 1/3 of white batter.

5. In an ungreased 10-inch tube pan (4 inches deep), alternate yellow and white batters to create a marbleized effect, with white batter on top. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

6. To cool cake, invert in tube pan and let hang until cooled completely, resting pan on center tube or placing tube over funnel or neck of bottle. (Cake will shrink if removed from pan while warm.)

7. To remove cooled cake, use thin bladed knife or spatula to loosen cake all around side and tube. Invert cake onto wire rack and lift off pan.

To prepare glaze:

1. In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar, orange juice and butter until smooth. Brush all over cooled cake and let sit until somewhat set. Garnish cake with orange zest.

Serves 12. Each serving is about 250 calories, 5 g protein, 52 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat (1 g saturated), 95 mg sodium.

Kitchen trick: Flip over the tube pan, then perch it atop a wine bottle – it’ll fit perfectly!

ON ANOTHER MATTER …

Fun and Games: Grab Bags of Awesome

Topping kids’ pretty-please list this year: Mystery packs of the cutest collectibles. Luckily, there’s a lot little ones can learn from reaching into these “blind bags.”

Slither.io: Your child can collect the squirmy little worms from the wildly popular game and app. Each pack includes one worm, and kids can collect and swap all 15 different colors of skin ($5-$6, ages 3 and up).

L.O.L. Surprise!: Kids peel off the layers, revealing a secret message; stickers; a baby bottle that’s also a charm; and clothes and accessories for their new friend, who’s at the center. Collect all 45! ($8, ages 4 and up)

Cabbage Patch Kids Little Sprouts: These hit shelves in the fall – each mini kid (or pet or baby) comes hidden in its own unmarked cabbage, and there are over 120 characters in all ($3, ages 4 and up).

TABLE

Tried and Tested: Baking Blanket

Think of this vibrant silicone liner as a gorgeous, reusable piece of parchment. After making cookies, just toss the sheet in the dishwasher. In Good Housekeeping’sKitchen Appliances Lab tests, the colors didn’t bleed or fade after cleaning (Baking Blanket, $20, wandpdesign.com).

Recalls Alert

The following products and vehicles were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Unless otherwise indicated, discontinue use of the products immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a refund. For more information about the products, call the manufacturer or CPSC’s toll-free hotline, (800) 638-2772. Only some cars or trucks recalled are affected. Contact a dealer for your model to see if it is included in the recall. The dealer will tell you what to do.

PRODUCT/VEHICLE

PROBLEM

HoMedics handheld massagers, sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s, Rite-Aid, Walmart and other stores nationwide and HSN from August 2013 through February 2017 for between about $30 and $50.

The cord can break near the base of the massager and expose the wires, posing an electric shock and burn hazards. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled massagers and contact HoMedics for instructions on removing the cord and to receive a refund in the form of a credit for any replacement product from the company. Customers can contact HoMedics toll-free at (888) 803-0509 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or online at www.homedics.com. Click on the “Product Recall” tab for more information.

Volvo 2017 S60, S60CC, V60, V60 Cross Country and XC60

The affected vehicles have driver and front passenger seat side mounted side air bags with inflator initiators that may fail to ignite during a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, “Occupant Crash Protection” and No 214, “Side Impact Protection.” If the air-bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury. Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the front seat side air bags for free. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at (800) 458-1552. Volvo’s number for this recall is R89712. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 16V-918.

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