Host An Unforgettable Book Club Party

A tender and ethereally light  Angel Food Cake with a bit of chocolate in the batter.   I couldn’t find my tube pan (lost in kitchen remodel), so I baked this angel food cake in a 10-inch spring form pan.  It turned out great.  Since Angel Food Cake is so low in fat, I didn’t feel a bit guilty about covering it with my favorite fluffy white frosting.

Inspired by Angelology and We Were the Mulvaneys

Prep Time:  30 minutes      Bake Time: 1 hour     Yield:  One large cake

Ingredients

Cake

• 10 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa

Icing

• 2 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/3 cup water
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Add egg whites to large mixing bowl and beat until foamy.  Add salt and cream of tartar, and beat until thick soft peaks form. Very slowly beat in 3/4 cup sugar, then beat in vanilla.
3. Sift flour with 1/2 cup sugar and the cocoa, then, with a rubber spatula, gently fold a quarter of the flour mixture at a time into the egg mixture.  Pour cake batter into an ungreased 9 or 10-inch spring form pan*.  Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.  Bake for 50-60 minutes until the top springs back when lightly pressed.  Allow cake to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then gently run a knife around the sides of pan before releasing the cake.  Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1. Bring water to boil in bottom of double boiler.  In top of double boiler, not yet placed over boiling water, add all ingredients, except vanilla, and beat for 1 minute.  Place pan over the boiling water making sure that the boiling water does not touch bottom of the pan.
2. Beat constantly with hand-held electric mixer for about 7 minutes, until stiff peaks form.  Beat in vanilla.