Bridezilla Bakes

I’m so happy to introduce Emily of The New DeLews, who is writing my very first guest post! I can’t think of anyone more appropriate to post on Bridezilla Bakes, since Emily is the source of much inspiration and support — in the kitchen and in life!

Bethany and I discuss cooking, baking, and food about 75% of the times we are together. To be honest, while we both make awesome food, often our awesome food is based off of someone else’s recipe. Now, I tend to think that I’m a relatively good cook, (thanks to my husband’s unwavering support), and I feel very confident in my kitchen concoctions. But sometimes in those quietest moments, I hear this lurking question… could my awesome meals be credited to my mad recipe-choosing skills rather than my cooking abilities? Am I just a poser?

I don’t even want to dwell on that possibility. In order to prove that I’m not insecure about being a poser, I’m going to write about someone else’s recipe — my mom’s Angel Food Cake.

This angel food cake is my favorite dessert ever. Let me clarify, I’m not talking about store-bought angel food cake that is always too dry and spongy in a bad way. I’m not talking about angel food cake that needs to be doused in strawberries and whipped cream. I’m talking about perfectly moist, springy, crusty-topped angel food cake with a subtle taste of almond. It’s heavenly.

I will admit that this cake requires some TLC, but it’s worth it. Do not be dissuaded by the fact that it requires 13 egg whites — you can use the leftover yokes to make a double batch of lemon curd! When separating the whites from the yolks, be very careful not to get any yolk into the whites bowl. But if some yolk slips by, no worries, just dip one of the eggshells into the bowl to grab it, and the yolk will cling to the shell! It’s a surefire way to make sure your whites are yolk-free!

You’ll also need to deal with those vague phrases: ‘soft peaks’ and ‘stiff peaks.’ I tend to get antsy while the egg whites are morphing into meringue, but don’t be an eager beaver. During the whipping process, the whites should transform from foamy to soft peaks. This means that when you stop whipping and lift the mixer out of the bowl, the whites should cling to the whip at first, but then fall back into the bowl. Stiff peaks will form while you are adding the sugar. The whites will stick to the whip very well at this point. I usually poke my finger into the bowl, which causes a major indentation in the meringue — good sign!

Folding the flour-sugar mixture into the meringue-type substance can be challenging, because you don’t want to over-mix, but you don’t want big reservoirs of flour-sugar in the cake. So fold carefully and don’t worry if it doesn’t end up completely mixed. I fold for about a minute, and then I move on. It always tastes great.

This angel food cake is not as high maintenance as it seems. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare and then you have the amazing smell of heaven wafting through your home for the rest of the day. Not too shabby…

Angel Food Cake

20 minutes prep time, 35 minutes baking

• 1 ½ cups white sugar (divided)
• ¾ cup white flour
• 13 egg whites (room temperature)
• 1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ¾ cup white sugar and ¾ cup flour in a small bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip together the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, vanilla, and almond extract until the mixture forms soft peaks (you can stop the mixer for a second to determine if the mixture has ‘soft peaks’). While whipping, gradually add ¾ cups of sugar, about one spoonful at a time.

When stiff peaks have formed, remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold the flour-sugar mixture into the egg whites using a rubber spatula. Pour mixture into an ungreased tube pan (you’ll probably need to use your rubber spatula to get it into the pan). When the mixture is in the pan, run a knife through it once to get rid of any air bubbles.

Bake on 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes on the lowest or second lowest rack. Take the cake out of the oven and immediately turn it upside down to cool. When the cake has fully cooled, take it out of the pan and enjoy!

Tags: cake