Week 4: Heavenly Angel Food Cake with Classic Whipped Cream and Strawberries

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

-Leonardo da Vinci-



After last week's rich chocolaty indulgence I was in search of a something on the lighter side for this edition.  The Cake Book author, Tish Boyle, describes the angel food cake as "guilt free heaven". I have to roll my eyes a little bit at the "guilt free" part because there is nothing "guilt free" about The Cake Book.  I will say the Heavenly Angel Food Cake is slightly less guilt inducing than most of the recipes. There is no butter and no oil. No cholesterol.  I think of angel food cake as one of the classic desserts. It's almost always a perfect and light way to end a dinner party.

gathering and prepping...

There isn't much to angel food cake - egg whites, sugar, cake flour, vanilla and cream of tartar. Oh! and the optional little dash of almond extract which I opted for! Very, very simple. The prepping on the other hand is a little intimidating. The recipe is constantly reminding you of all ways you can screw this cake up. "It is essential that the eggs whites are at room temperature" and "...the egg whites are glossy and smooth - they should not be dry". "Gently sift the flour over the egg whites". And "VERY gently fold in the flour to deflate the batter as little as possible". Oh my goodness! All the pressure!

After a deep breath and a little pep talk I was able to get my egg whites glossy and smooth! And I gently added things and folded and tried to stay as gentle as possible in general! Phew!



finishing and frosting...

After the cake cooled and I got it out of the pan I was quite relieved to see that it turned out looking like....an angel food cake! I dusted it with a tiny bit of confectioners sugar.  So far so good....

I decided to make the Classic Whipped Cream for the frosting. When it comes to whipped cream I prefer as little sweetness as possible. I reduced the amounts of vanilla and confectioners sugar that the book suggested by one third. This was the perfect amount for me! It had just a hint of the sweetness but mostly the creaminess. I sliced some fresh strawberries and assembled.

A slice of Heavenly Angel Food cake with Classic Whipped Cream and fresh sliced Strawberries.

This cake is a treat. It's light in every way. The cake is airy and soft. When it's combined with the whipped cream and strawberries it takes it to a whole other level. Simple perfection - Yum! I can say with 100% certainty that I will never serve store bought angel food cake again! Even though it was a little bit more work, all the care and attention to details made it amazing.

-jodi