When the weather gets warmer, there’s nothing like a nice, light dessert to round out a grilled meal. 

To ring in the georgeous weather in the forecast for the upcoming weekend, I’ve decided to let the photos speak for themselves.

You know where I’ll be on Sunday afternoon.

 As soon as I’ve recovered from the conference I’m working this week in DC.

Brian, get an extra big bag of that rockin’ hardwood charcoal.

And make sure the grill is nice and clean. I’ll reward you with strawberry rhubarb goodness, spooned over cake as light as air. Hurrah! Summer!

Angel Food Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
Adapted from Gourmet, May 1993

Cake:

1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

1 2/3  cups sugar

1 3/4 cups egg whites (about 13 large egg whites)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon rosewater (available at specialty foods shops) if desired

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Sauce

4 cups sliced, cored strawberries

1 cup chopped rhubarb

Sugar to taste

Make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Sift the flour 3 times onto a sheet of wax paper. Sift together the sifted flour and 2/3 cup of the sugar onto another sheet of wax paper. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites until they are frothy, add the salt and the cream of tartar, and beat the mixture until it barely forms soft peaks. Beat in the remaining 1 cup of sugar, a little at a time, the rosewater, and the vanilla and beat the mixture until it holds soft peaks. Sift one fourth of the flour mixture over the whites, fold it gently but thoroughly, and sift and fold in the remaining flour mixture in the same manner. Spoon the batter into a very clean, ungreased tube pan, 10 by 8 1/4 by 4 1/4 inches, preferably with a removable bottom, smoothing the top, and rap the pan on a hard surface twice to remove any air bubbles. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until it is springy to the touch and a tester comes out clean. If the pan has feet invert it over a work surface; otherwise invert it over the neck of a bottle. Let the cake cool for at least 2 hours or overnight. Run a thin knife in a sawing motion around the edge of the pan and the tube to loosen the cake from the pan and invert the cake onto a cake plate.

Make the sauce:

Core the strawberries and slice them into small pieces. Wash the rhubarb and cut off any leaves so you have smooth stalks. Chop them into small pieces. Place the chopped strawberries and rhubarb in a small saucepan over low to medium heat. Add a little sugar and a few tablespoons of water. Cook the strawberries and rhubarb until the get soft, stirring frequently, mashing.  Simmer until most of the liquid has cooked away and add sugar to taste. Remove for heat and allow to cool for at least ten minutes before serving (it is fine to chill the sauce completely, if you prefer).