Angel food cake is ALL about the technique! Unlike most cakes, angel cake does not include any leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder. Instead it relies on the whipped eggs to and an ungreased pan to raise the batter.
The most difficult part of this cake is getting the eggs whipped into soft peaks. Too little and it won’t hold its shape, too much and it will collapse in on itself. Don’t blink! a min could be the difference between under-whipped and over-whipped. The right consistency will be when you pull the whisk away from the batter and the batter forms soft curls on itself.
Superfine sugar is a must. Regular granulated sugar is too heavy for the cake and will not allow it to rise. If you can’t find superfine sugar in the store or don’t want to invest in this specialized ingredient. Then grind down granulated sugar in a food processor for about 5 mins or until half the size of a regular sugar granular.
When adding the flour to the whipped eggs, sift the flour into the eggs then fold it in, with a wooden spoon. Do this in 3-4 parts in order to not weigh the whipped eggs down with the flour. Unsifted and undivided flour could collapse the whipped eggs in the batter. Leading to a dense cake.
Lastly, Invest in an angel food cake pan. A bundt pan will NOT cut it. Although it looks similar will not work, the ridges at the bottom of a standard bundt pan will break the delicate angel food cake. Also ensure that the pan is ungreased so that the batter can stick to the walls. This will encourage the batter to not settle at the bottom and climb up the pan. Once the cake is baked through, let the cake cool upside down in the pan. Yes, upside down. The reason is, when the cake cools, it will naturally want to settle as hot air is released. But we don’t want it to settle to the bottom so to counteract, flip it upside down.
Strawberry Short Angel Cake
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups superfine sugar
- 1 cup + 2 TBSP cake flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Strawberry sauce
- 1 lb chopped strawberries
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 TBSP lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- If the sugar isn’t superfine already, spin the sugar in a food processor for about 2 minutes until superfine.
- Sift the cake flour, salt and ¾ cup sugar in a bowl, set aside.
- In a stand mixer, with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Then switch to high and slowly add the 1 cup of sugar. Whip until soft peaks form, about 4-5 minutes. Then add the vanilla extract, then beat just until incorporated.
- In 4 parts, sift in the flour mixture into the egg whites. Then gently fold in the flour mixture into whipped eggs.
- Pour and spread batter into an ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Shimmy the pan on the counter to smooth down the surface.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- Remove from the oven, and flip the cake upside down on a wire rack to cool, about 4 hours.
- Once cooled, run a plastic knife around the edges and gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases.
- Slice the cake with a sharp serrated knife, so the cake doesn’t squish.
- Top with Strawberry sauce and whipped cream.
- Strawberry Sauce: Combine strawberries, lemon juice, ⅓ cup sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 7-10 mins, or until the syrup gets thick.
