I used to be a pastry chef at a 5 star restaurant...
BUT, I can't make an angel food cake to save my life.
My grandma always made us an angel food cake for our birthdays if we were near her house, smothered with lemon glaze and with a candle and fresh flowers from her yard stuck in the hole in the middle.
ALWAYS perfect.
I had been given the Ratio cookbook by Michael Ruhlman for my birthday from a dear friend and found that it had an angel food cake recipe in it. He says that the secret to a good angel food cake is not overbeating your egg whites (not into a meringue like I usually do, but to a soft peak and still pourable stage.)
Okay, I did that perfectly. Bought a new angel food pan at a garage sale and used it. Fresh farm eggs. Okay, I didn't have cake flour and used regular flour (could that be the problem?)
I also was impatient as it was Valentine's day and the kids wanted dessert, so I only let it cool for an hour, when the recipe said one and a half hours. (Maybe that was it?)
ANYWAY...
It looked lovely in the pan baking, rose up and browned perfectly.
When I took it out and turned it over to cook it started shrinking...
When I turned it out it broke and then flumped over to the side. Ew.
I also made fresh lemon curd from the Ratio cookbook which was divine, but note to self,
don't mix an eggy cake like Angel Food with eggy lemon curd. Too much of a good thing.
I'm going to make a lemon tart tonight maybe.
Does anyone have suggestions on making a great Angel Food cake?
The recipe I used was:
Angel Food Cake
12 oz egg whites (9-11 egg whites)
12 oz sugar
4 oz cake flour
3 fingered pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1T fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
*If you want the directions let me know and I'll post them.
8 comments:
This recipe looks fantastic. I was looking for a good angel food cake recipe. Thanks so much for sharing. Lia
I think the trick is to beat the egg whites pretty well - but not overly so they are too stiff.
I had the egg whites just right, but still the cake fell. Do you think it was not letting it cool enough? Could just be the crazy humidity here.
Thank you for visiting me today! A 5-star chef...I am inpressed! That cake looks so yummy!
My only attempt at angel food cake turned out like shoe leather. OK maybe not that tough, but almost!
Linda, I know! What is the trick I wonder? I think I've tried everything.
You crack me up. I actually have angel food cake every year for my birthday with the betty crocker white fluffy icing... delish! I thought the boxed one was hard enough, but I am going to take the challenge and try your homemade version one of these days. Thanks for the recipe! You have more blogs? Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for visiting! I have 3 active ones. Thinking about combining them when I get a chance, but not really enough time in the day!
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