Sand Cake II

Increasing the amount of cornstarch in a sand cake tends to increase the crumbliness of the cake. Cornstarch can give a lovely and delicate feeling to the cake, but one must be careful not to overdo it: the result may be too dry. This recipe lies between the spongy quality of No. I and the richness of No. 3.

Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Line a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with lightly buttered foil or baking parchment.

Batter:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

5 egg yolks

1 tablespoon rum

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

or

grated peel of ½ lemon

1½ cups sifted flour

¼ cup sifted cornstarch

5 egg whites

1. Cream butter, sugar and eggs, using one of the methods here.

2. Add rum and vanilla or lemon peel.

3. Fold in flour and cornstarch.

4. Beat egg whites separately and fold in gently.

5. Pour immediately into the prepared pan and bake on the lowest rack of a preheated 375˚F oven for 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to cool thoroughly.