Lingonberry Chiffon Cake

The Poohtini Chiffon

Last year my daughter turned 21, and I invented a cocktail in her honor ala Gilmore Girls. We called it the Poohtini and it was a concoction of vodka, lingonberry syrup, and lime juice. Although it was tasty enough the syrup tended to get a little medicinal (i.e. COUGH SYRUPY). This year, I updated the cocktail, swapping out the syrup for a homemade mix of lingonberries, sugar, and vodka. The lime was replaced with orange. Her cake, pictured above, is made using the lingon-hooch but you can substitute any flavored vodka.

LINGONBERRY CHIFFON CAKE
A.K.A. POOHTINI CHIFFON

Preheat oven to 325.

Sift together then set aside:
1 and 1/8 cup cake flour
1/2 c sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 t salt

Beat until smooth:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 egg yolks
3 ounces flavored vodka (OR fresh squeezed orange juice for non-alcoholic cake)
1 t vanilla extract
Zest from one orange

Add flour to egg-oil mix and beat until smooth and incorporated. Set aside.

In clean bowl beat 6 egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. Add ¼ cup sugar as whites start to foam. Continue beating until whites are VERY stiff.

Gently fold whites into flour-egg-oil mix until well incorporated, but taking care to keep air from whites.  Pour batter into ungreased pan and bake ~1 hour. Cool upside-down.

Meanwhile, prepare soaking syrup (I don’t measure this - just kind of eyeball) of sugar, fresh or frozen lingonberries, and juice from 1 lime and 1 orange (should taste pretty sweet but have a nice sour note if using tart citrus). Heat to boil, remove from heat. Remove berries from liquid and set aside. Pour liquid into measuring cup. Add enough vodka to make 1 cup syrup. Pour half over cooled cake (poke holes in the cake with a chop stick to help it absorb). About half an hour later, remove cake from pan and place top side down on serving plate. Pour remaining syrup over cake.

Frost with 7-minute frosting or simple glaze of powdered sugar and lemon or orange juice. Garnish with lingonberries and orange zest if desired.