Cooking Up a Memory

Few desserts are as versatile as the heavenly angel food cake. It’s a light and delicious treat served plain, re-created as a shortcake of sorts with fresh fruit, or it can be combined with pudding, whipped cream and spirits to become a delicious and decadent trifle. It can be glazed with a light powdered sugar glaze with a hint of orange or lemon zest or smothered with the beautiful swirls of a seven minute frosting to become the most impressing centerpiece on any little boy or girls birthday dinner table!
The days and ways I celebrate birthdays may have changed from the huge family gatherings of aunts, uncles and dozens of cousins when I was a kid to feeling lucky to remember that it even WAS my birthday! No matter what there always seems to be a birthday cake popping up somewhere.
The angel food cake was my mother’s go-to birthday cake for us kids. Almost as high as we were tall and topped with hundreds of the creamy swirls of her seven minute frosting. Watching her create this masterpiece was as much fun as eating it. Whipping the egg whites and gently folding the ingredients together then watching it rise to the very top of the pan in the oven only to be cooled UPSIDE DOWN balanced on top of an old pop bottle! Once completely cooled the final magic happened as she created the delicate waves and curls of seven minute frosting that added another inch or two to the already towering dessert. For the final touch she added the sprinkles and those hard candy numbers, letters and flowers attached to a piece of cardboard that were strategically placed to give her creation that “professional” look.
The recipe that follows is my brothers. In my opinion it’s better than any boxed angel food cake mix by far. It’s a little more work and may take a time or two to perfect, but well worth the effort! The trick is in the folding. Slow and gentle is the key to a towering cake. Do NOT UNDERBAKE! A few extra minutes are better than not enough.
Angel Food Cake
1 1/2 cups egg whites (about 1 dozen)
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
Beat above until it becomes a little foamy. Add 1 cup sugar to this one tablespoon at a time while beating on medium high until it forms stiff peaks. Gently fold in by HAND 1/2 tsp almond extract and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla.
Combine 1 cup of flour and 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and gently fold by HAND into eggs 1/4 cup at a time until smooth and well blended.
Pour the batter into an UNGREASED angel food pan with the bottom only lined with parchment or waxed paper. Gently cut through the batter with a sharp knife to remove any air pockets. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until cake is browned and cracked on top and a toothpick when inserted comes out clean and dry.
Turn pan upside down and cool completely in the pan. Loosen cake from pan with a knife and place on serving plate. Remove paper. Mom always placed a soda cracker over the center hole so it could be frosted over. Frost, glaze, top with fresh fruit and whipped cream or decorate as desired. The most important ingredient in a recipe is the memory it conjures.
Cook up a memory!