Angel Food Cake from The Joy of Cooking

Until yesterday, I had never made an angel food cake. Going through the produce section, I’ve always been drawn to the oversized donut-shaped gâteaus when they’re stacked high next to plastic containers of berries. The store-bought version is fine yes, but I’ve always wondered how much better homemade angel food would taste. Also, I try to avoid eating (when I can) foods that have weird, artificial ingredients in them. This is what essentially prompted me to go home and make my own cake: I read the ingredients label. So many strange poly-ides and tri-phates! I’m sure they’re not all bad for you, but it’s so much more comforting to read words like “eggs” and “sugar.”

So with that in mind, I picked up a carton of eggs (which I surprisingly need all of) and headed home to bake. For a classic dessert, I turned to a classic cookbook: The Joy of Cooking. I have my grandmother’s copy. It’s perfect for situations like this because it not only has the recipes you need, but it also gives you a crash course in the item you’re baking. For instance, in the tutorial on angel food cake I learned that angel cakes are really sponge cakes without yolks or butter. I also learned that instead of relying on leavening agents, angel cakes owe their light, fluffy nature to the volume of air beaten into the egg whites. Therefore, it’s really important to not overbeat the egg whites and fold in the dry ingredients very carefully.

I was nervous about getting the right texture with the egg white mixture, but the recipes times and descriptions of what the egg whites should look like was perfect. The cake turned out beautifully, even when made by a beginner! It’s perfect for summertime and I’ll definitely be making this again soon.

Basic Angel Cake
Taken from The Joy of Cooking

A high, very moist and tender angel cake that dissolves quickly on the tongue. For a less sweet cake with a slightly drier texture, decrease both sugar measures to 2/3 cup; the finished cake will be a tad shorter.

When all the sugar has been added, the foam will be creamy white and hold soft, moist, glossy peaks that bend over at the points; do not beat until stiff. If the mixer bowl is nearly full, transfer the mixture into a wide 4 to 6 quart bowl for easier folding. Sift a fine layer of the flour mixture (about one-eighth of the total) evenly over the surface of the batter and fold gently with a rubber spatula only until the the flour is almost incorporated. Do not stir or mix. Repeat seven more times, folding in the last addition until no traces of the flour are visible. Pour the batter into the pan and tilt or spread to level the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. When the cake is done, it must be inverted immediately to cool upside down, in the pan, to prevent sinking. Let cool upside down for at least 1 1/2 hours, setting the center of the tube over a bottleneck (I used a short wine bottle) or resting the pan on four glasses. When it’s cool, run a sharp serrated knife around the outside edge to loosen the cake from the pan. Angel cakes keep well for 2 to 3 days but do not freeze as well as butter cakes or other sponge cakes.

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Tags: angel food cake, egg whites, summertime cakes, The Joy of Cooking