Mocha Angel Food Cake

In my previous post, "Cake or Death", I wrote about the ups and downs of making an angel food cake. At the moment it's my favorite cake because, as one of my friends described, "It's like a freaking pillow". Now I have discovered a new twist on the cake that pretty much makes it irresistible.

Instead of the original vanilla, lemon juice, and almond extract combination, this time its coffee and chocolate added to the mix. Instant espresso powder and Kahlua to be more specific. Instant espresso powder is something that I find very intriguing and is showing up in more and more chocolate deserts. Next time you make brownies add some in and see how you like it. The problem is currently the inability to purchase it at most super markets. I'm pretty sure Whole Foods carries it, but other than that I'm at a loss. I bought mine off the internet here. If you cannot find espresso powder instant coffee will do in a pinch. Quick side note, check out the King Arthur Flour blog for wicked baked goods.

Mocha Angel Food Cake

12 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 C sugar, divided evenly
1 1/2 t cream of tartar
1/4 C warm water
1/4 t salt
1 C cake flour
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 T instant espresso powder
1 T Kahlua
2 oz bittersweet chocolate finely chopped or grated

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift half of the sugar with the salt the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer, add egg whites and water, beating until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt, mix on high speed. After about 3 minutes slowly add the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium-high speed. Meanwhile mix together the Kahlua and espresso powder into a paste. Once you have achieved near-medium peaks (the ones that sort of fall down from the whisk), add the espresso-Kahlua mixture and the vanilla and mix to combine. Sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture gently. Continue adding small amounts and folding until all of the flour mixture is incorporated. Incorporate the chocolate, careful not to overmix

Carefully add mixture into an ungreased tube pan (I like the one with the removable bottom). Tap the pan against the counter to even out the batter and remove any bubbles. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).

Cool on rack for about ten minutes, and then flip pan upside down. Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least two hours before removing from pan. If your pan does not have legs (like mine) invert it on a funnel and support it with shot glasses (genius idea, Em).

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Cake or Death!

Two cakes enter, only one will leave! Ironically, this is about angel food cake. I was quite conflicted on a recipe to go with. On one hand, I had a tried and true recipe from Alton Brown that my mom has made and was quite good. On the other, I had a recipe from Cook's Illustrated that seemed to go together quite well. What to do? Why make both, of course.

Angel food cake is pretty similar no matter how you make it. Beat egg whites, add flour and sugar and various other components, bake, let rest, and eat. It has two main attributes going for it, one being its pretty easy (if you have an electric stand or handheld mixer, if not, good luck beating those white to medium peaks before your arm falls off), and the other being that it is ridiculously healthy. The one aspect of this cake that might set people off is the need for a special pan. An angel food cake pan is a unitasker and that kind of stinks. However, I have started making this cake pretty often and that makes it worth it. When you do purchase one, get one with the feet on it or you will play heck trying to get it to balance upside down.

First up was the Cook's Illustrated cake. Calling for a dozen egg whites, some sugar, some cake flour, almond and vanilla extract, and cream of tarter, the cake had some pros and cons. The pros were it tasted delicious, hands down the better of the two. The cons were the texture, it was a bit rubbery, and the fact that they had me line the pan with parchment paper was a bit silly. Next through our gauntlet is the AB cake. Fantastic in texture, this recipe called for super fine sugar and less extract then the other. The results were quite different. It was much lighter and fluffier but the taste was not quite there. Hmmm, a difficult choice.

In the end, I choose both. Yep, a cop out after all of this. But my reasoning is good. For the most part, I prefer the Cook's taste but AB's texture. Therefore I decided to go with the first recipe’s flavor, but use superfine sugar and forget about fussing with parchment paper.

Angel Food Cake

12 egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar (see note below to make it superfine)
1 ½ t cream of tartar
¼ t salt
1 ½ t vanilla extract
½ t almond extract
1 ½ t lemon juice
¼ cup warm water
1 cup cake flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. To make superfine sugar, place the desired amount of sugar in your food processor and buzz for about 2 minutes. Sift half of the sugar with the salt and the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside (sifting is important; it will help avoid pockets of flour). In a large bowl or stand mixer, add egg whites, water, extracts, and cream of tartar. Beat for about 3 minutes or until eggs are foamy. Slowly sift iun the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, add the lemon juice, and then sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.

Carefully add mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).

Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least 2 hours before removing from pan. Remove the cake from the pan by slicing around the outside to loosen the cake from the pan. Serve with berries or whipped cream (or both).

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Rabbit Food Cake

Maybe the title of this post is a bit misleading. But you know what I mean. Carrot cake. The delicious, oft misunderstood and mis-made cake that graces diners and chain restaurants around the country. It is served very cold, very dense, and always has a carrot made of icing on the top. This, contrary to what the boxed restaurants of America want you believe, is NOT carrot cake. Carrot cake is super moist, covered in delicious icing, and super awesome.

I refuse to order carrot cake at a restaurant anymore because unfortunately I know what I will receive. Not in anyone's best interest. Instead, I turn to the faithful recipe that has served my family well since, well, I don't know. The background and introduction to this cake is rather short, mostly because this cake is simply put, freakin sweet.

A note to mention. To grate carrots, you have to options. First, put the grating attachment on a food processor and grate accordingly (this is truly the easiest). If you do not own a food processor (which have many good uses) you can simply peel your carrots and grate them on a normal grater. This might take a little bit longer, but you need them shredded.

Carrot Cake

2 C. sugar
1 C. vegetable oil (or Canola)
2 eggs
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 T. cinnamon
2 t. baking powder
2 C. flour
1 C. chopped walnuts
1 C. raisins
3 C. grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350.

Blend sugar and eggs in a stand mixer until fluffy. Add oil and mix. Add dry ingredients and blend them in. Make sure to wipe down the sides of the bowl if using a stand mixer, some parts tend to stick to the sides. Add the nuts and raisins next. Add the carrots last and mix slowly, being careful not to over mix. Pour into a greased bundt pan (yes, again with the bundt pan, it allows the center to be done at the same time as the edges. If you use a square pan you might burn the edges) and bake for about 40 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back and does not feel sticky. Let cool slightly, turn out on a rack and cool, then ice.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 C butter
1 8oz. package cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla (or 1 tsp each vanilla and almond extract)
1/2 package of powdered sugar.

Let butter and cream cheese come to room temperature and soften. Beat in mixer until creamy. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add milk, if too thin, add more powdered sugar. If you don't think you have enough, add some milk and powdered sugar to increase the volume slightly.

Enjoy.

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A Quick Chocolate Cake

Two years ago my girlfriend and I were playing cards at my mom's house. Between hands my mom gets up and tells us she is going to make "a quick chocolate cake". A little bit of skepticism crossed. And that is exactly what it was, because 10 minutes later there was a cake in the oven, and a short time after that we were enjoying warm, moist chocolaty goodness.

I have made this cake for years, and never once did I stop and consider that it took me less time to make this than to make, say, a batch of biscuits. It is pretty straight forward, and tastes better than most chocolate cakes that are put in front of me. Do yourself a favor though, and do not skimp on ingredients. You can use butter, margarine, or even Smart Balance, but do not use fat-free sour cream (low-fat is cool). Your cake will be slightly mushy.

This cake is great by itself, but even better with cream cheese frosting.

Quick Chocolate Cake (Red Devil's Food)

3/4 C butter
2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 C sour cream
2 1/2 C cake flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 C cocoa
1 C boiling water
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and beat until nice and fluffy. Add dry ingredients, followed by sour cream. Mix well, make sure to scrape out sides as some will stick. Add boiling water, mix slowly until incorporated, then mix well. Add vanilla last. Pour into a greased pan (I like Baker's Joy). Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Some notes.
- Beat the sugar, butter and eggs well. But once you start adding everything else, be sure not to over mix. This will affect the moistness and tenderness of the cake.
- Add the vanilla last. This is not because the vanilla will curdle, it is because if you add the hot liquid after it will evaporate the vanilla's alcohol. This does not allow the alcohol soluble flavors to come out in the taste.
-This cake works well as a bundt, which allows more even cooking.
-Baking time will vary on your oven, but leave it alone if possible. Do not use a toothpick or open the oven often, it will cause the cake to fall. So how do you tell if it's done? If the cake is barely wobbly in the center. If it is completely firm it is over done, if it is gooey it needs a bit more time.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 C butter
1 8oz. package cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla (or 1 tsp each vanilla and almond extract)
1/2 package of powdered sugar.

Let butter and cream cheese come to room temperature and soften. Beat in mixer until creamy. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add milk, if too thin, add more powdered sugar. If you don't think you have enough, add some milk and powdered sugar to increase the volume slightly.

One last thing. Great cake deserves milk. Always

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