Citrus Angel Food Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream {Webisode #61}
What’s Going on Today: A birthday celebration!
Naptime Goals: Preparing the food for the party (see previous post), including baking the cake and whipping the cream.
More Great Birthday Baked Goods: Check out this Naptime Simple Tips column!
Yesterday you read all about the birthday dinner I prepped during naptime and today I am focusing on the delicious cake. This year my husband requested an Angel Food Cake for his party. He has fond memories of his mother making it for him when he was little and has asked me to resurrect the tradition. I love Angel Food Cake too, and I knew our daughter would, so I was all too happy to go along with his request. To start things off the first thing I had to do was buy a tube pan.
I usually substitute a Bundt Pan for a tube pan when one is called for but I really do think a footed tube pan is best when making Angel Food cake. The soft spongy crumb of this cake is so unique and the feet really do help the cake cool properly. Also, the cake can be quite sticky once it is out of the oven and the removable top of the tube pan makes it much easier to get the cake out in one piece. To give our new/old tradition a fresh twist I decided to give my Angel Food Cake recipe a tropical flair. My mother-in-law used to serve her plain white cake with a traditional topping of whipped cream and macerated strawberries. And, while I agree this is delicious, I had some wanted to experiment with a new take on flavor and presentation. We are a family of citrus nuts so I knew my husband would be excited if I boosted the cake with some lemon and orange notes and topped it with cinnamon whipped cream and a drizzle of Dulce de Leche.
You can watch my Angel Food cake making extravaganza above. Thankfully, even with all my off to the cuff adaptations this one came out really well. Topped with a the whipped cream and dulce de leche it was a whole new take on the Angel Food cake my husband remembered. We took an old birthday tradition and made it new again.
Recipe
Citrus Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
12 | large egg whites |
1 ½ | cups granulated sugar |
½ | lemon, juiced and zested |
2 | teaspoons Fiore de Sicilia OR ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon lemon extract |
½ | teaspoon cream of tartar |
½ | teaspoon kosher salt |
1 | cup cake flour, sifted |
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the ungreased tube pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
2. In a bowl or large measuring cup whisk together the egg whites, ¾ cup of sugar, lemon juice and zest, extracts, cream of tartar and salt and combine. In a double boiler placed over simmering water pour the egg white mixture and whisk constantly for about 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved the the whites have warmed up to the touch.
3. Pour the egg whites into a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip the egg white mixture until it holds stiff peaks but is not too dry. Then fold in the sugar and the cake flour very carefully without deflating the egg whites to much.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown on the bottom and a cake tester comes out clean. Invert the cake pan onto the feet and allow it to cool for at least one hour. Then use a dull knife to release the sides of the cake and remove the sides from the pan. Gently pull the cake off the top of the pan and allow it to cool completely.
Naptime Notes
Naptime Recipe Serving ideas
This tasty cake would pair well with berries, chocolate or ice creams. Have fun with it!
Naptime Stopwatch
15 minutes for batter, 35 minutes for baking
Naptime Reviews
A hit with the whole family! My husband loved the fresh spin on an old tradition.
I am taking a moment today to say hello to my Stumble friends. I don’t always leave comments, but I appreciate your shares. GREG
Thanks for the comment Greg, great to hear from you!
I like the hit of citrus in here, Kelsey. It’s perfect for spring.
Thanks Dara!
isn’t the premise behind angel food cake the absence of fat? something about the cake being able to grasp the sides of the container and climb up? and don’t zests have oils in them? Why doesnt this negatively impact the resulting cake? and if you can include zest, can you also include extracts?
A little bit of zest and extract adds a hint of flavor but no fat at all. Zests and extracts can be a great way to flavor all sorts of foods without adding any fat at all. If you add too much extract you’ll add too much liquid for it to rise, but that is next to impossible with a teaspoon or two.
What a delicious dessert. I would love it with some chocolate sauce. 🙂
Hi Kelsey,
I’m wondering why you say in the video that the mould should not be buttered! Why is this?
Hi Maria,
Angel Food Cake is unique in that it “climbs” the side of the pan as it rises. It actually clings to the pan which helps it to keep from collapsing on itself. If the pan is greased it won’t be able to climb. After it cools for a few minutes in the pan the cake retracts and comes out easily. Hope this helps! Best, Kelsey