Rose Petal& Lavender Angel Food Cake

One 10" Angel Food Cake Pan OR 9 individual Angel Food Cake Pans

--- Rose Petal & Lavender Cake: --- 1 c cake flour

1 1/2 c confectioner's sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 organic roses, petals removed

12 lg egg whites -- at room temperature

1 1/2 tsps cream of tartar

1 c granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsps dried lavender

--- Santa Rosa Plum Sauce: --- 6 ea very ripe purple plums

1 ea orange, zested & juiced

1 tsp vanilla extract

Granulated sugar -- to taste --- Assembly: --- Vanilla sorbet

* NOTE: Individual angel food cake pans are available by mail order from New York Cake & Baking Dist.; (212) 675-CAKE (and other sources).

Make the rose petal and lavender angel food cake:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350?F.

Sift the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt together. Set aside. Chop the rose petals and set aside.

In a DRY, GREASE-FREE, 4 1/2-quart bowl of a heavy-duty (such as Kitchen Aid) electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they become frothy; add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla in the final moments of beating.

Put the dry ingredients back in the sifter and sift over the beaten egg whites, in four additions, folding with a large rubber spatula to incorporate after each addition. (Folding should be done quickly but gently in order to maintain the maximum volume of air in the egg whites). Fold in the chopped rose petals and dried lavender in one addition.

Pour the cake batter into a 10-inch angel food cake pan, or 1 1/2 cups of the batter into each of the 9 individual angel food cake pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes for the 10-inch, or 15 to 20 minutes for the individual pans, [DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR FOR THE FIRST 30 minutes if using a 10-inch pan or for the first 15 minutes if using individual pans. If door is opened the cake will FALL without hesitation!] until the cake(s) are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed. Remove the cake(s) from the oven and place upside-down on a wire rack and allow to cool COMPLETELY. Before removing from the pan(s) run a knife between the cake and the pan side.

Make the Santa Rosa plum sauce:

Wash the plums and remove the pits. Place the plums in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Process the plums for 2 minutes or until they are completely pur?ed. Force the pur?e through a fine-mesh sieve, using a rubber spatula, into a medium-sized bowl.

Using a wooden spoon, blend in the juice and zest of the orange and the vanilla extract. Add sugar to taste. (The amount of sugar will vary, according to the sweetness of the plums, from 1 to 5 tablespoons.)

Assembly:

Dust the cake(s) with confectioners' sugar. Coat each desert plate with 1/4 cup of the plum sauce and place a slice or an individual cake on top of the sauce.

Serve with sorbet.