Angel food cake is a cake made with a lot of egg whites and usually no shortening or leavening agent. It's like a sponge cake. From WhatsCookingAmerica.net comes this piece of information: Angel Food Cake is also known as ice cream cake (a Pennsylvania Dutch wedding cake). And, because there are an abundance of cake molds in southeastern PA, one of the major producer of cake molds, angel food cake may have originated there in the 1800s. Some other historians think that the first angel food cakes were baked by African slaves in the South because making this cake required a strong beating arm and lots of labor to whip the air into the whites (pre egg-beaters 1865). Angel Food cakes are also a traditional African-American favorite at funerals. You decide, but whatever the origin, you'll love this cake!
Easy Egg Separating Tip: Because there are so many eggs to separate in this recipe, I use the 'egg trick.' Break all eggs into bowl (yes yolks and whites). Then take an empty water bottle and place the neck near a yolk and squeeze the water bottle. The yolk pops up into the bottle. Then place the water bottle over another bowl and release. So cool! Try with one egg first, just to master this simple task!
CHOCOLATE ANGEL FOOD CAKE
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
Scant 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 ounce dark chocolate, grated (about 1/2 cup)
12 large egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp pure Madagascar vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oven rack in center.
Sift together onto a piece of parchment paper 3/4 cup sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add grated chocolate; set aside.
In bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. With machine running, add remaining 3/4 cup sugar in slow steady stream, beating until fully incorporated and stiff glossy peaks form. Add vanilla and almond extracts; beat to combine.
Remove from mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, gently but thoroughly, folding into egg-white mixture until fully combined. Pour into nonstick angel food cake pan. Tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake until cake springs back when depressed with finger, 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool, inverted, 1 hour before removing pan.
***
And, in case you's rather have DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE, here's a post with recipes!
I'm guessing the origin of angel food cake is Pennsylvania Dutch (probably brought from Germany), because of the overabundance of long-beaten eggs in so many of their great dessert recipes.
ReplyDelete