Have a bowl full of egg whites that need to be used? This angel food cake is slightly different from ones I've made in the past as it uses confectioner's/icing sugar for part of the sugar content. It is very light and pretty. I improvised a glaze of confectioner's sugar/water and pearl sugar which gave it a nice crunch on top. The dried fruit looks pretty as well.
Make sure your eggs have sat at room temperature for a good long while before you start whipping them and you should find this an easy enough cake to bake.
From the Betty Crocker picture Cookbook, 1950 ed.
You Will Need:
a 10 inch tube pan-ungreased. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (this recipe specifies a preheat, which is unusual for angel food cake, I think)
Sift together:
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
In a large mixing bowl:
1 1/2 cups egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/3 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Beat until foamy. Gradually add-about 2 tablespoons at a time, 1 cup of granulated sugar. Beat about ten seconds between additions.
When stiff peaks form. sift in the flour mixture 3 tablespoons at a time, folding just until absorbed. Pour into pan and with a knife, cut in widening circles to break any air bubbles. Set on a baking sheet in the oven and bake until cake springs back when lightly touched-about 40 minutes. Hand on a funnel to cool. When completely cool, loosen with a sharp knife and release. Glaze and decorate as you prefer.
I *LOOOVE* angel food cake!!
ReplyDeleteNice looking one too. And so "square!".. that is, perfectly vertical sides and flat top. That gives it a very pro "bakery" look (+ w/the fruit on top). I'm used to seeing them with sloped sides and an uneven top. But then, that's how my pans make it.
This is a newer pan-my old one has much more slope. This has some, but it is hard to tell in the photo.
ReplyDeleteI didn't want a nonstick, but it was all I could fine-that turns out to be great for cakes that need to hang until cool. I still like to use my old pan with tons of butter for breads like Sally Lunn, or poundcakes, but for ungreased pan recipes this thing rocks. It is from Wilton, and was as I recall pretty inexpensive.
Algy went nuts for the cake too-I gave him a small piece and well, you can imagine the begging that went on after that. He'll ignore meat (on the odd chance we have any) but can't resist soft, sweet cake. At 17 years old, I figure he can handle it (I didn't give him any of the dried fruit, of course).
Oh, glad to see someone else can't part with that great old cookbook - nice blog. T.
ReplyDeleteIt survived a tornado, so I feel kind of obligated to keep the cookbook.
ReplyDeleteThe cake recipes really are "no fail" if you follow the directions which is kind of rare for a cookbook.