Angel Food Cake (Berry Blast)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angel Food Cake or Angel Cake is a type of light sponge cake which is so airy that is said to be the “food of the angels.” This is a healthier cake for people on a diet as it does not contain egg yolks or fat of any kind. This cake gets its leavening entirely from egg whites. In this recipe, I stuff the cake with a lot of berries and frost it with whipped cream frosting. It is somewhat technical to make, but the steps are easy to follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOOLS:

(1) A Two Piece Tube Pan. This is important as hot air needs to flow both in the middle of the cake and around it while baking.

(2) A Stand or Hand Mixer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

For Cake:

(1) 1-1/2 Cups Egg Whites (10 to 12 Large Eggs)

(2) 125 Grams Cake Flour (1 Cup + 1 Heap Tablespoon)

(3) 1-1/2 Cup Caster Sugar

(4) 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

(5) 1/2 Teaspoon Salt

(6) 1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar (Optional)

(7) 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

(8)/1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract (Optional)

For Whipped Cream Frosting:

I have a whipped cream frosting recipe here. Double the recipe for this cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Topping and Filling:

(1) An Assortment of Berries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

(1) Make sure your eggs whites are at room temperature so they beat to full capacity.

(2) Your mixing bowl should be very clean or else the egg whites will not beat well.

(3) Cream of tartar is used to stabilize the egg whites. You can do without it if you cannot find it where you live.

(4) The egg yolks can be used to make Lemon Curd or Yellow Butter Cake.

“HOW TO” NOTE:

This recipe makes use of caster sugar as Granulated white sugar would weigh down the batter and you need the batter to be very light and airy. You can make this yourself at home. Simply place granulated white sugar in a good processor and process until the Granulated white sugar is broken down into smaller particles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROCEDURE:

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

(2) Get a tube pan ready. DO NOT grease tube pan as this cake needs to ‘grab on’ the pan to rise. Greasing the pan would reduce friction.

(3) In a bowl, sieve together the cake flour and half (3/4 Cup) of the caster sugar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4) In the bowl of your stand mixer, place the egg whites and beat until foamy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5) Add the cream of tartar, lemon juice and salt and continue to beat at high speed until soft peaks form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6) With the mixer running, Add the remaining 3/4 cup of caster sugar little at a time until stiff peaks form and the egg whites look glossy like clouds fit for angels to live in 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7) Add the Vanilla and almond extracts and beat to incorporate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8) Take the mixing bowl off the stand mixer and FOLD IN the flour and sugar mixture in 3 additions. Sieve in the flour and sugar mixture so as not to deflate egg whites. Be careful not to over mix and deflate the egg whites as this cake gets it’s rise from the egg whites. You can use a whisk or rubber spatula to fold in the flour and sugar mixture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9) Pour the batter into the tube pan and run a knife through it to remove any air pockets. Flatten the top of the batter with a spoon or spatula and bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(10) THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, invert the pan and let the cake cool this way for at least 1-1/2 hours. If the pan is left upright, the cake would sink and implode. If your tube pan does not have stands like mine, rest it on an inverted glass cup placed in the middle of the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(11) When cake is cool, run a knife or spatula around the edges, middle and bottom of the cake to remove cake from pan.  This cake can be eaten as it is or with some berries, whipped cream or syrup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(12)/This cake is best frosted with whipped cream and stuffed with berries. The whipped cream frosting recipe can be found here.

To frost the cake, slice it into two. Fill the hole in the middle of the bottom layer with some berries. Next, frost the top of the bottom layer with whipped cream frosting. Next, arrange some berries (or spread some lemon curd) on this layer and cover with some more whipped cream. Place the top layer on the bottom layer and stuff the hole in the top layer with some more berries. Frost the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream frosting and top with some more berries. This cake is truly berry-licious. (Pics below)