Cool white is the theme for this impeccably frosted summer angel food cake. - Cole Publishing Group/Universal Press Syndicate BIRTHDAYS, BABY showers, housewarmings, potlucks - any occasion's a good pretext for a big cake - tall, handsomely decorated, delectable. Make it fat-free, and there's no reason not to indulge.
Angel food cake with a classic meringue frosting is airy light, pure white, and has no butter, oil, shortening or egg yolks. Not a drop of fat is needed, even for greasing the baking pan, although the cake and frosting call for a total of 18 egg whites.
What to do with 18 egg yolks? Add them to scrambled eggs, omelettes, pancakes or waffles. Or use them for making mayonnaise, Hollandaise and other sauces; meat loaf or burgers; baked custard or custard pie fillings, dessert sauces or rice pudding; cookies, cakes or pastry for pies and tarts; or as an egg wash for breads or muffins.
Angel food cake tastes best the day it's baked, but for convenience, it can be made up to five days ahead, wrapped (unfrosted) in plastic film, and overwrapped in a plastic storage bag or placed in a rigid airtight plastic container. Before frosting or serving the cake, remove wrappings and thaw at room temperature.
SUCCESS TIPS:
To refrigerate leftover yolks, place in shallow, airtight container, add water to cover yolks, and use within two days.
To freeze a quantity of yolks, prepare them for freezing by combining and gently stirring yolks together, taking care not to beat in bubbles. To help keep the yolks from turning rubbery, for each 1/4 cup of stirred yolks (4 tablespoons or approximately 4 yolks), stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar if they will be used in sweet dishes; substitute 1/8 teaspoon salt for sugar if they will be used in unsweetened dishes.
Divide yolk mixture into airtight containers labelled with the date and contents (note the amount or number of yolks and whether sugar or salt is added).
Thaw frozen yolks in refrigerator; cook before serving.
For a lofty, feather-light cake, take time to resift the dry ingredients, and avoid overmixing the batter. Beating egg whites to a foam is most successful when using a stainless steel or unlined copper bowl; avoid plastic, glass, ceramic or aluminium.
Angel Food Cake
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
14 egg whites
Pinch salt
1 tsp. cream of tartar (if using a
stainless steel bowl)
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
(or 1/2 tsp. lime juice)
1 recipe White Mountain Frosting
(see below)
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Resift the previously sifted flour into a dry mixing bowl. Sift sugar into a separate bowl and set both bowls aside.
2. In unlined copper bowl or stainless steel bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. If using copper bowl, add salt when whites are just foamy; if using stainless steel bowl, add salt plus cream of tartar. Gently fold in sifted sugar, using rubber spatula; fold in flour in 2 batches; then add vanilla and almond extracts and lemon juice. When all is completely incorporated, pour batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan; smooth top of batter.
3. Bake until the top of cake develops a pale, creamy brown colour and springs back when gently touched with finger; a wooden skewer inserted into centre of cake should come out clean (about 1 hour). Invert pan on a cake rack to cool.
4. When fully cool, gently remove cake from pan, running a knife around the perimeter of pan to release cake.
5. To decorate, apply White Mountain Frosting first to sides of cake and then to top, swirling and smoothing frosting as desired. Refrigerate frosted cake if it will not be served within an hour.
Serves 10 to 12.
This old-fashioned frosting is easily sculpted into high peaks resembling miniature mountains. You will need a stainless steel pan or bowl and a candy thermometer or instant-read digital thermometer.
White Mountain Frosting
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 egg whites
4 tsps. water
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 tsp. grated orange or lemon zest
(optional)
METHOD
1. In a heavy stainless steel saucepan, the top of a double boiler, or bowl placed over water in a saucepan, combine sugar, egg whites, the 4 teaspoons water and cream of tartar. Place over low heat or simmering water; cook, beating constantly with portable electric mixer at low speed, until whites reach 160 degrees. Remove from heat; beat on high speed until whites stand in soft peaks.
2. Add vanilla and, if desired, zest; beat briefly to incorporate. Apply frosting to cake at once.
Makes about 3 1/2 cups frosting.
