Angel food cake

Moms love to cook for their sons and I am no exception. My own boys love some of the things I make – chicken pot pie, for one – and you’d  better believe that’s the stuff that’s in heavy rotation now.

My own dad’s mom was no exception – she made this Angel Food Cake at his request, or even when he didn’t request it, just because she knew how much he loved it. Of course, the rest of us loved it, too.

This cake was most often served with peaches or strawberries in sauce. I also remember that it was so tall and fluffy that it had to be cut with a very sharp, serrated knife. Otherwise it’ll squish down and that defeats the whole thing.

I haven’t personally tried making this, but I am reminded now that I should.  Meantime, I will reprint her recipe here for the record. If you make it, check back and leave a comment to let me know how it went.

Updated! I finally made this. I’ll add commentary in italics below.

SARA’S ANGEL FOOD CAKE

2 cups egg whites (She didn’t say how many eggs it takes to make 2 cups. I’d guess 7-10, depending on the size of the eggs) It took like 12-13 large eggs. Next time I’d buy really jumbo eggs.

1½ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  Sift together one cup of sugar with the flour.  I don’t have sifter, so I placed these in a handheld strainer and gently tapped it until most of the mixture was in the bowl. What was left, I dumped – too-big sugar crystals.
2. Beat the egg whites until they are frothy. (Much easier with an electric mixer, but knock yourself out if you have a hand-crank egg beater.) Add cream of tartar and vanilla extract and continue beating until peaks form.
3. By hand using a spoon, gradually add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and beat, then add the sugar/flour mixture and the salt!, gently folding into the eggs in 4 equal parts.
4. Pour batter into an angel food cake pan. (Unless you don’t have one, In which case, step #1 is actually, run to Target and buy an angel food cake pan)
5. Bake at 375 degrees until browned and feels “springy” to the touch.

Grandma’s card was a little skimpy on the details. (For one thing, I noticed when I made it that the recipe calls for salt, but the instructions don’t say when to add it, so I’d include with the mixed flour/sugar.) She probably made it from memory. Because I lack the direct knowledge that would be immensely helpful in posting this recipe (not that that ever stops me), I turned to the internet to fill in the blanks.

Alton Brown’s recipe from The Food Network looks good, and although the ingredients are different, I have to believe the technique is similar. His helpful details include:

• Use 12 of the freshest eggs you can find, because they are easier to separate, and they should be close to room temperature
• Food-process the sugar so that it’s super-fine
• He suggests cake flour because of its finer texture
• He also includes instructions for testing for doneness, and requires that you leave the cake upside down to cool for an hour in the pan before attempting to remove it from the pan.
• The tube pan should be UNGREASED! Grandma’s card didn’t specify. Alton (and others) say no grease, so there you have it.

LOOKS LIKE THIS:

 

Picture by musicpb on Flickr

 

December 29, 2017 – Here’s my finished product:

My first attempt, December 2017

That thing about not greasing the pan? I was able to remove it from the main part of the pan, but had to slide a knife around the edge. The middle piece comes out of my pan, and the cake is pretty stuck to it, so I left it in.

Also, this is displayed on Grandma Sara’s Stangl serving platter. It’s one of my favorites.