My birthday cake!

This is a cake from my childhood. I often requested this for birthdays because I loved the white, light texture and the distinctive vanilla with a hint of something else (which I later discovered was almond) that I couldn’t quite put my finger on because it was so faint. It was a pretty cake, a celebration cake!

I have never had or seen Angel Food Cake in the UK, so I thought it might be a good American food to share with my British readers, but a quick Google search shows me that it is indeed here. Although the reviews on the British recipes I have found are not all together favourable, which surprises me, as this is a really popular cake in the States. I compared recipes from those sites to the American ones and have found differences so I have given you, dear readers, the American recipe (with British kitchen equivalents). If you’re at all cakey, try this and let me know what you think!

Wiki tells me that it became popular in North America in the late 19th century. It is basically a meringue recipe, in which you add flour. Although the flavour brings me straight back to my childhood, it is actually quite an elegant, grown up cake.

This cake uses no fat (which probably helps make it so light), and it’s dairy free! You need a special angel food cake tin that has a tube in the middle and high sides, but a Bundt pan will probably work too. However, I have also made this very successfully as cupcakes so if you don’t have either tin, go for the cupcakes as they are really, really lovely!

To serve

The best icing is a dusting of powdered sugar (on cupcakes or cake). But a light, lemon drizzle icing would also be lovely (powdered sugar sifted into water and finely grated lemon rind).

To serve the slices of cake, try lemon curd, or a berry conserve (heated up is nice), or a warm chocolate sauce, or my favourite: slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Home made whipped cream is easy, just pour the whipping cream in a bowl and turn on the mixer for about 5 minutes or until the cream is whipped up to the consistency you like. Add a little icing sugar while you’re whipping it, until you’ve sweetened it to your taste.

Use a serrated knife to cut (like a bread knife). Try not to press down on the cake when cutting, as this will squash its light texture.

What to do with left over egg yolks?

Ideas include: crème brulee, ice cream, aioli, mayonnaise, custard, lemon curd, Zabaglione, Caesar salad dressing, tiramisu, spaghetti carbonara, and fettuccini alfredo.

And here’s a bit of baking trivia for you:

Cream of Tartar is tartaric acid and is a fine white crystalline acid salt, which is a by-product of the winemaking industry.  It is used when whipping egg whites to stabilize them and to prevent over beating and the whites drying out.

This recipe is taken from The Joy of Baking. For a video of this go here.

Angel Food Cake

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups (125 g) sifted plain flour

1 1/2 cups (300 g) caster sugar

1 1/2 cups (360 ml) egg whites, at room temperature (about 12 large eggs)

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C and place rack in centre of the oven. Do not grease the pan (the cake needs to stick to the sides in order to help it rise in the oven).

2. In a large bowl sift together 150g caster sugar and the sifted flour.

3. In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, lemon juice, and salt and continue to beat until soft peaks form.

4. Gradually beat in the remaining 150g caster sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until glossy stiff peaks form. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

5. Beat in the vanilla and almond.

6. Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites (about one quarter of the flour mixture at a time) and gently but quickly fold (do not stir) the flour into the egg whites. You can use a large wire whisk or a large rubber spatula. (It is important not to over fold the batter or it will deflate.)

7. Pour the batter into the pan and run a metal spatula or knife through the batter to get rid of any air pockets. Smooth the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 – 45 minutes. The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when gently pressed. The top of the cake will have cracks. Do not over bake.

8. Immediately upon removing from the oven turn the pan upside down and suspend the pan by placing the inner tube on the top of a mug or wide bottomed glass turned upside down. This is to keep it from flattening as it cools.

If you’ve made cupcakes, take them out of the tin as soon as you can, and let them cool on a wire rack (fi you don’t do this they will become chewy).

9. Allow the cake to cool for about 1 1/2 hours.

10. When completely cool, run a metal spatula or knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake and then remove the cake from the pan. Next, run a metal spatula or knife along the bottom and centre core of the pan and remove.

11. Some people turn the cake upside down on the cake tray, but I quite like mine right side up so the cracks show.

This cake is best served on the day it is made but it will keep covered for a few days at room temperature or for several days in the refrigerator.

Tip: try toasting the slices!

PS The winner of my competition last week (to win a gorgeous enamel house sign from Ramsign) is Mrs B @crankymonkeys. Congratulations! And thanks to everyone who participated!