Spring has sprung, and I’m in the mood to baaaaaaaake!
But, with the new season, there are so many fresh and delicious flavors to choose from, I’ve been having a hard time deciding which ones to use.
Luckily, I have Great Grandmother’s wonderful recipe box to look to for inspiration!
I’ve been eyeing her Sunshine Cakes recipe for months now, waiting for the perfect time (and perfect citrus!) to whip it up – and that time has finally arrived!
The Best Vintage Sunshine Cake Recipe
I know you’ve all been looking forward to another winner from Great Grandmother as much as I have been, and I’m so very excited to share this amazing Sunshine Cake recipe with you. It is, no doubt, the best of all the vintage Sunshine Cakes recipes you’ll ever try!
Let’s check out the recipe card, shall we?
It’s not handwritten – she acquired it from the Southern California Gas Company (similar to her Pumpkin Ice Cream recipe from the power company – remember the wonderful Mile High Pumpkin Sundae Pie I made with that ice cream? Yum!)
I stick by my belief, if she saved it, it’s totally delicious.
Trust me, Great Grandmother knew best.
Although, I admit, I had a bit of an issue with one of the instructions, though. I really wanted to use the adorable mini bundt pans I recently picked up, instead of the “tube pan” the card calls for.
If you want total perfection, always follow the recipe, guys.
This Sunshine Cake is essentially an angel food cake, and tube pans are great because, since you don’t grease them, you can just use a knife or spatula to “cut” the edges of the cake away from the pan before you invert it for cooling.
Using my little bundt pans made the cutting part slightly more difficult, which resulted in losing a lot of the pretty brown, crusty bits angel food cakes are know for.
My husband loves the brown, crusty bits ON the cake…but he was perfectly happy nibbling on the stuff left in the pan.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter, because I was planning on drizzling it with my homemade Orange Creamsicle Glaze, anyway! What a great idea! The cake combined with the glaze was light, fluffy, and such a wonderful springtime treat!
I’m planning on making it again for Easter Sunday dessert!
I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this recipe box classic again! And again, and again…
Here is a printable recipe for my the Sunshine Cake and my Orange Creamsicle Glaze. The cake would be great without it (if you’d rather pair it with fresh fruit or make it into an orange-strawberry shortcake), but it adds such a great flavor, you should at least give it a try!
The Best Vintage Sunshine Cake Recipe You'll Ever Try (From Old Recipe Box)
Ingredients
Sunshine Cake
- 1 cup unbeaten egg whites about 8
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- Zest from 1/2 an orange
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
Orange Creamsicle Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of 1 orange
Instructions
Sunshine Cake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or large bowl and hand mixer, beat egg whites and salt until foamy; add cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold in the granulated sugar, then set aside.
- In a clean bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored.
- Gently fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the yolks and blend well, then add back in to the egg whites.
- Add orange zest and flour, and gently fold until incorporated, until there are no streaks of flour left.
- Bake at 325 degrees in an ungreased 9 1/2-inche tube pan (angel food pan, bundt pan) for 40-60 minutes (depending on your oven - mine only took about 43 minutes).
Orange Creamsicle Glaze
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until incorporated, adding more cream if you want it thinner. Drizzle over cake before serving. Makes enough glaze for the whole 9 1/2-inch cake.
Nutrition
Loved this recipe?
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This cake makes me want to sing! You are my sunshiiiine, my only sunshiiiine….
-> See all of my From Scratch recipes here.
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Lisa says
I have been looking for this recipe for years! My grandmother made it also. She added (a whole small bottle) of almond extract. She used a tube pan and did not ice. It had the texture of angel food cake, but was so much more flavorful! If anyone has the recipe using almond extract with modification of other ingredients, please post!
Chere Hiller says
So excited to try this. Sunshine cake was my Mom’s favorite from her childhood,I have never found a recipe that was quite right, but this sounds just the way she remembers her grandma making it. She is 87 and if this is the match I believe it will be, it will mean so much to us both! Thanks so much for posting, can’t wait to give her a REAL sunshine cake for her birthday!
Lucia smith says
This is a cake recipe and I will bake it with ghee. Baking with ghee is safer than using other oils. Ghee offers a higher smoke point and is more flavorsome than any other oil. I love the cake baked with ghee.
Ben says
I loved making this when I was young but haven’t been able to find this recipe in over 25 years. I wanted to make it for my wife’s birthday this year and after spending months going through old recipe books everywhere I decided to search the Web one more time and came across your posting!!! Thank you so much ❤️ Sunshine cake for my Sunshine, my only Sunshine!!! You’re my hero!
Natasha says
That is so lovely. What a wonderful sentiment. Made my day. I hope your sunshine enjoyed her sunshine cake.
Gail Mailloux says
Just put this together and am waiting for the result! So excited to see this recipe! Years ago I saw a vintage recipe Sunshine Cake in the Firestone Farm House at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI. It was apparently Mr. Firestone’s favorite cake back when oranges were a rarity. It looked delightful in that setting of antiques in the old dining room. Thank you for posting this. These gracious old recipes are to be vaiued. Simpler times, precious times.
Kim says
Thank you for posting this. I have been looking for my grandmother’s sunshine cake recipe for a long time. Your orange glaze looks delicious. She always served hers with a milk chocolate buttercream. Regardless, I am now ready to recreate!,
Amanda says
Did you grease the bundt pan???
Gloria says
No- it’s a little tougher to get out, but gives you the crunchy m, yummy crust!
Melissa says
Looks amazing, just printed the recipe and pinned it too incase I lose it. Maybe this afternoon will yield a bit of time after homeschool and a trip to the library. Thanks for sharing!
Kentucky Lady 717 says
This looks so delicious….love anything orange and love angel food cake too….this will be a must bake soon cake 🙂 thanks Karrie for sharing ……
Marie Hickman says
Looks terrific – very Florida!