Whipping continues while the sugar is slowly added. First the egg whites, and possibly salt, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar, are mixed at a medium speed until a soft peak forms. The most traditional method, also known as the angel food cake method, is as follows. Among the Pennsylvania Dutch, it is considered a wedding cake, and the couple is said to be blessed by angels. Among African Americans, the cake is often served at funeral receptions, with the idea that the deceased person is now living in Heaven among the angels. The name, which comes from the texture, which is "so light that angels could eat it and still fly without being weighted down", has given it a special association in some communities. The cake is often served with berries and eaten for dessert. Uses An angel food cake with various toppings and frosting Stewart's detailed recipe called for eleven egg whites, sugar, flour, vanilla extract and cream of tartar. The Home Messenger Book of Tested Recipes, 2d ed., 1878, by Isabella Stewart contained the first recipe for Angel's Food Cake. Since there is no butter in the cake, the angel food cake is not related to the butter cakes: snow-drift cake, silver cake or lady cake. The first recipe in a cookbook for a white sponge cake is in Lettice Bryan's The Kentucky Housewife of 1839. Īngel food cake is a white sponge cake made with only stiffly beaten egg whites (yolks would make it yellow and inhibit the stiffening of the whites) and no butter. Recently, many chefs ( Alton Brown in particular) have popularized the idea of adding aromatic spices such as mace and cloves to the cake. Angel food cake is sometimes frosted but more often has some sort of sauce, such as a sweet fruit sauce, drizzled over it. After baking, the cake pan is inverted while cooling to prevent the cake from falling in on itself. This allows the cake to have a surface upon which to crawl up, helping it to rise. The angel food cake pan should not be greased, unlike pans used to prepare other cakes. The center tube allows the cake batter to rise higher by 'clinging' to all sides of the pan. A bundt pan may also be used, but the fluted sides can make releasing the cake more difficult. Forks, electric serrated knives, special tined cutters, or a strong thread should be used instead.Īngel food cake is usually baked in a tube pan, a tall, round pan with a tube up the centre that leaves a hole in the middle of the cake. The softer wheat and the lack of fat cause angel food cake to have a very light texture and taste.Īngel food cake should be cut with a serrated blade, as a straight-edged blade tends to compress the cake rather than slice it. Cake flour is generally used because of its light texture. Remaining ingredients are gently folded into the egg white mixture.įor this method of leavening to work well, it is useful to have flour that has been made of softer wheat. Cream of tartar is added to the mixture to stabilize the egg whites. It gained its unique reputation along with its name due to its light and fluffy texture and white color.Īngel food cake requires egg whites whipped until they are stiff. Angel food cake originated in the United States and first became popular in the late 19th century. It’s aerated texture comes from whipped egg white. It differs from other cakes because it uses no butter. A whipping agent, such as cream of tartar, is commonly added. Angel food cake, or angel cake, is a type of sponge cake made with egg whites, flour, and sugar.
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