1. The Lemon Cream Glaze can be made while the cake bakes or made up to 5 days ahead. The Candied Lemon Zest needs to be made 4 hours or up to 5 days ahead.
2. Place oven rack in the middle position, and heat oven to 350°F.
3. Set a 10-inch aluminum tube (angel food cake) pan nearby. Do NOT grease or butter the pan.
4. Shake flour through a mesh strainer or sift it and set aside.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine egg whites, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix on LOW 1 minute, then increase speed to MEDIUM-LOW and whip 3 minutes. The whites will look darker and will still be thick.
6. With the mixer running, add lemon juice and salt.
7. Set speed to MEDIUM and whisk the meringue 3 more minutes. At this stage, the meringue will be foamy and thin.
8. Increase speed to MEDIUM-HIGH and whip another 2-4 minutes. The meringue should be glossy white and thick(ish), but not to the stiff-peak stage. It should still be soft enough to run off the wires of the whisk, when lifted, and mound like soft-serve ice cream in the bowl.
9. Sprinkle cake flour over the meringue and use a clean & dry rubber spatula to fold the flour into the meringue. Fold the flour by scraping from the bottom up and folding through the center. Fold the flour until no pockets of flour remain.
10. Spoon the batter into the (ungreased) tube pan and gently smooth it out on top. Give the pan a couple of gentle raps on the counter to release any large air bubbles.
11. Bake at 350°F 40-50 minutes or until the cake has risen, is golden blond and somewhat firm to the touch. The internal temperature should read 206°F on a food thermometer.
12. Angel Food Cake has to be placed upside down to cool completely. If your pan has stilts, invert it onto its stilts over a clean kitchen towel. If your pan doesn’t have stilts, invert it onto a trio of cans (see ***Note).
13. Allow cake to cool completely – at least 2 hours. Slide a thin knife or an offset spatula around the sides and around the center tube to loosen the cake. Lift the cake by the center tube and set it on the counter. Loosen the bottom of the cake by sliding a knife between the cake and the bottom of the pan’s insert. Place one hand on each side of the cake and carefully lift the cake off the center tube. Set the cake on a cake tray or serving plate.

For the Lemon Cream Glaze:

1. Use a stand or hand mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter, at medium speed, until creamy and light.
2. Add lemon juice and lemon zest and beat until well incorporated.
3. Gradually add powdered sugar, on low speed, until glaze is smooth and creamy.
4. Glaze can be made up to 5 days ahead – be sure to keep refrigerated in an airtight container. This recipe makes more than needed for this Angel Food Cake; reserve the remainder for another use. It can also be frozen up to 1 month (thaw in the fridge when ready to use).

For the Candied Lemon Zest:

1. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest off the lemons. Be careful to get only the zest and not the white pith.
2. Slice the peels into thin slices and cut the longer slices in half or thirds.
3. Place the peels in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and boil for 30 seconds, drain and rinse with cold water. Repeat two more times (a total of three times).
4. After the third time, leave the lemon peel in the strainer until ready to use.
5. In the same saucepan, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Heat over medium heat and stir until sugar is melted. Add the peels and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook 30-60 minutes. ****See note. Stir occasionally. After the mixture has cooked 30 minutes, watch it closely. The peel should still be a soft yellow and not brownish.
6. It can go from yellow to brown very quickly near the end.
7. The lemon peel is ready when the mixture is very bubbly and almost all the liquid has evaporated.
8. Drain off the lemon syrup. Allow the peels to cool 10 minutes then toss with the reserved 2 tablespoons sugar. Lay the Candied Lemon Zest out to dry completely.
9. Keep in an airtight container up to 5 days.

For Serving:

1. Drizzle with Lemon Cream Glaze and sprinkle with Candied Lemon Zest.
2. Top with fresh fruit, if desired
3. Cut cake with a serrated knife.
4. Enjoy!