(This post was written on Sunday, but due to technical difficulties I wasn't able to post it until today. Thanks to Jeanne for her help getting my technical goof up fixed!)
My boys had a play date today and were gone for most of the afternoon. My daughter, feeling left out, wanted to make a cake. She got out a cookbook and found a recipe for angel food cake. If you’ve never made an angel food cake before, it can be a fun cake to make if you have the right ingredients and equipment.
Luckily, I had picked up 18 eggs at the grocery store yesterday. I felt like doing some baking next week when the kids were at school. I didn’t realize that Emily would use most of the eggs today!
She mise en placed (a French term) by getting everything she would need for the cake ready. I told her I would help when she got to the part of needed 10 egg whites… This is where the “YUCK!” part comes in.
I told her to break an egg into my hand. Ewwwe! She wasn’t sure about it, but did as I asked and cracked the egg into my hand. She watched as I let the white drain between my fingers while the yoke stayed in my hand.
She thought it was cool and disgusting at the same time. Grandma was on her way over for the Packer game and got to our house as we finished with the 10th egg. Grandma is an Educator Chef – she teaches people to be chefs. Grandma was barely in the door when Emily told her what I had done with the eggs. Much to Emily’s shock – Grandma agreed that using your hand is one of the easiest and most successful ways of getting a yoke out of an egg.
After letting the yokes sit (and washing my hands very well) we started beating the egg whites. This is where the right equipment comes in. If you don’t have an electric mixer of some sort, I would not recommend making an angel food cake from scratch. I’ve tried making it with a whisk once and will NEVER do that again. Mixing yokes until the form peaks takes quite a bit of time with a whisk. Making angel food cake with an electric mixer is much more enjoyable.
After baking the cake, it looks pretty good. We still have to make the chocolate glaze she wants to put on it. The cake and chocolate glaze were YUMMY!
Here’s the recipe for Angel Food Cake that we made. It’s from the new Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book and can be found at their website www.bhg.com.
Angel Food CakeMakes: 12 servings
Prep: 50 minutes
Bake: 40 minutes
Cool: 2 hours
Stand: 2 hours
Ingredients· 1-1/2 cups egg whites (10 to 12 large) · 1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar · 1 cup sifted cake flour or sifted all-purpose flour · 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar · 1 teaspoon vanilla · 1 cup granulated sugar
Directions
1. In a very large mixing bowl allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, sift powdered sugar and flour together 3 times; set aside.
2. Add cream of tartar and vanilla to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add granulated sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight) . 3. Sift about one-fourth of the flour mixture over beaten egg whites; fold in gently. (If bowl is too full, transfer to a larger bowl.) Repeat, folding in remaining flour mixture by fourths. Pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Gently cut through batter to remove any large air pockets. 4. Bake on the lowest rack in a 350 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake (leave in pan); cool thoroughly. Loosen sides of cake from pan; remove cake. Makes 12 servings. Chocolate Angel Food Cake: Prepare as above, except sift 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder with the flour-powdered sugar mixture. Honey Angel Food Cake: Prepare as above, except after beating egg whites to soft peaks, gradually pour 1/4 cup honey in a thin stream over the egg white mixture. Continue as above, except beat only 1/2 cup sugar into the egg whites.
Nutrition Facts
· Servings Per Recipe 12 servings · Calories 161, · Total Fat (g) 0, · Saturated Fat (g) 0, · Monounsaturated Fat (g) 0, · Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 0, · Cholesterol (mg) 0, · Sodium (mg) 51, · Carbohydrate (g) 36, · Total Sugar (g) 27, · Fiber (g) 0, · Protein (g) 4, · Vitamin A (DV%) 0, · Vitamin C (DV%) 0, · Calcium (DV%) 0, · Iron (DV%) 4, · Other Carbohydrates (d.e.) 2, · Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet 
