Tuesday, May 27

Old Fashioned Angel Food Cake

I have been completely lazy all week. I needed to recoup after our son and new daughter-in-law's wedding last weekend. So today, I decided it was time to clear out our refrigerator in preparation for the coming summer. What did I find? Too many eggs, cream and a half a flat strawberries - leftovers from the wedding. So instead of waiting until they were too bad to eat, and they almost were, I decided to bake an Angel Food Cake and serve it with strawberries and cream in honor of Memorial Day.

As I write this, my angel food cake is upside down, cooling in the kitchen. Upside down. You heard me right. Making angel food cake is one of the great acts of culinary faith. I know separating a dozen eggs, beating them to soft peaks, baking your cake in a quake-free kitchen and flipping it over so that it can cool upside down may be absolutely the last thing you want to do. But trust me, homemade angel food cake is worth the effort. It is moist and airy, unlike the sweet styrofoam cakes available at the market.

This delicious Angel Food cake has a sweet golden brown crust with a soft and snowy white interior. It's made with egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract, and cake flour. It does not contain egg yolks or fat of any kind. Making it perfect for those watching their weight. Angel Food cake is versatile and can be eaten plain or served with fresh fruit and whipped cream. It is also excellent with fruit sauces, chocolate sauce, lemon curd, ice cream, sherbet or sorbet - wonderful for Summertime dining.

Now ask me if this homemade delight lasted in our house until Monday, Memorial Day?

ANGEL FOOD CAKE
There's a reason angel food cake is one of America's favorite desserts
-- it's tender, light as air, and tastes, well, down right divine! 
SERVES 10 to 12
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INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 12 large egg whites, MUST be room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Whipping the egg whites.


Gently folding in the flour and sugar.


Cooling cake upside down. You can see that even though I cooled my cake upside down it still sank slightly after placing it on my cake stand. It was STILL delicious!


WHAT TO DO
  • DO NOT GREASE PAN. I used a two piece tube pan that once belonged to my grandmother.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Sift together flour and 3/4 cup + 2 tblsp sugar. Repeat. Set aside.
  • Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until it forms peaks.
  • Slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, then beat on high until soft peaks form.
  • Beating on LOW, add vanilla extract.
  • Using a spatula, gently fold the flour-sugar mixture into the egg white mixture.
  • Lightly spoon into an angel food cake pan.
  • Bake 30-35 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly with finger and is light golden brown.
  • Invert pan onto a glass, I used a clean flower pot, for at least an hour before removing cake from pan.
  • When cake has cooled, run a knife around the rim of the cake pan and invert onto your serving platter.

TIPS:
  • Don’t grease your pan. Really, don’t. You need the cake to stick to the pan so that it doesn’t fall when baking or when you invert it to cool.
  • Use cake flour. Trust me. It’s lighter than regular flour. See note below*.
  • Don’t get a speck of yolk in your egg whites. Yolks are all fat, and fat keeps egg whites from whipping up properly.
  • No jumping in the kitchen when it’s in the oven. Think of this as a slightly more stable souffle.
  • Cool it upside down for at least 1 hour, longer is better, to minimize shrinkage and maximize poof. 
  • Angel food cake doesn’t like humidity. So, if it’s sticky hot where you are, make the cake the day you’re going to serve it.
  • If you want to get really technical, pulse your sugar in a food processor a few times. It will make it super-fine and add to the over-all appeal of this cake. I skipped this step and my cake was spectacular. Do as you wish!
  • Anyone with the fortitude to beat 12 egg whites by hand has my highest admiration. I on the other hand use an electric mixer!

*NOTE: 
Cake flour is specially milled flour and is low-gluten and slightly acidic and is stocked in most grocery stores. You can remove 2 tablespoons from 1 cup of all-purpose flour and replace it with corn starch, and sift the two together several times for a reasonable facsimile, although it’s not quite the same. 


Yep, it was really good!


angel food cake, homemade, old-fashioned, light, sweet, culinary, egg whites, moist,



26 comments:

  1. This is gorgeous! You're making my mouth water and so ruining my appetite for epic-fail thumbprint cookies. Beautiful post.

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  2. oh this looks so good! I really need to make an angel cake, I have been saying that for a while!

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  3. Wowwwwww this Angel Food Cake looks amazing!!!!

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  4. Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream is easily my favorite dessert EVERY! I could eat it every day and never get sick of it :D

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    1. The cake is good Jennifer, but the strawberries make it for me!

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  5. Every time I make this cake I think of Bill Murray shoving a huge piece of angel food cake in his mouth in 'Groundhog Day'! It's that light and airy!

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  6. This looks heavenly!! I need to make this - thank you for sharing Ronda!! -Iva

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  7. This looks just like how my grandmother used to serve it! Thanks for sharing and happy SITS day! =)

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  8. This looks amazing but I am slightly intimidated to try it! Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a wonderful SITS day!

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    1. Ana Lynn, it's not that hard. Once you get past beating the egg whites you're home free!

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  9. Yummm! I cannot wait to make this! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Your pictures are amazing, Rhonda! I've pinned this to make sure that I try it because it sure does look heavenly! :)

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    1. Thanks for the compliment. It is a wonderful cake - family recipe!

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  11. This looks so yummy with the strawberries and whip cream! Happy SITS Day

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    1. Sonya, for me - the strawberries make it! Thanks for stopping by!

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  12. Oh, that cake looks good! Happy SITS Day!

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    1. Love love love your name!!!! Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. That just looks gorgeous! I wish I could eat some right now! Thanks for sharing & happy SITS Day!

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    1. Thanks Jean for the kind words and stopping by to say hi!

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  14. I love angel food cake but I've never made it from scratch before.

    Looks great! Thanks for sharing (and happy belated SITS day).
    xoxo

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