This dessert is THE ONLY DESSERT you'll ever need in your life to be completely happy. It is our favorite cake of all time, and only comes out for birthdays so it's super special. Every time we have a birthday and I take that first bite again, I am just blown away! It's one of my oldest recipes and I found it in a magazine at my grandma's house when we were first married. It has changed our lives! If you try any one thing from my blog, I hope you'll try this. Seriously, this will blow your mind!
Chocolate Angel Cake
Serves 10
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup white rice flour (do not use a cup-for-cup flour with xanthum gum)
1/4 cup baking cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups egg whites (about 10 large eggs)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
Cream topping:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup baking cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 375°F. In a bowl, sift together the powdered sugar, flour, and cocoa powder. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, add egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1/4 at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time, being careful to not deflate the egg whites. Pour into an angel food cake pan. Run a knife through it to get out any air bubbles. Bake on the lowest rack for 35 minutes or until top is crusted and bounces back when touched. Immediately invert pan onto a can and let cool completely. Once cool, remove from pan. For cream topping, put all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Refrigerate until serving. When ready to serve, beat the cream topping mixture until desired stiffness. Frost the entire cake, or serve each slice with a dollop of topping.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. For the cake you will need 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, fine ground white rice flour (be sure to NOT use a cup-for-cup flour mix. Xanthum gum will not work in this cake), baking cocoa powder, cream of tartar, and about 10 eggs.
To start, sift the powdered sugar, flour, and cocoa powder together in a bowl. Set aside.
Add your 1 1/2 cups egg whites to a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat until soft peaks form.
Add the 1 cup sugar, a fourth at a time, while beating the eggs. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.......
......and it looks like this.
Fold in the dry ingredients with a large spatula, about 1/3 at a time, until combined.
Folding is a skill that takes some practice. This is a great recipe to practice with, and you'll see your improvement each time to make it. Be patient, and don't over stir. You don't want to deflate the egg whites.
After folding the dry ingredients in, it should be fairly combined.
Pour the batter into an angel food cake pan. (Do NOT grease the pan). If you don't have this pan, you should get one! They work so great and are fun to have on hand. And.....they are kind of a necessity for this cake, and you know you want to make this cake!
Swirl a knife through the batter to release any air bubbles. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.
The top will be dry and cracked, and the cake will bounce back when you touch the top. Immediately invert the pan onto a can and allow the cake to cool completely.
Once cooled, remove from the pan.
While the cake is baking, gather your cream topping ingredients. You'll need heavy whipping cream, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla.
In a mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups heavy cream with 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir to just mix ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.
When serving the cake, beat the cream mixture until stiff peaks form or it reaches desired thickness. At this point you can frost the whole cake with the cream, or just dollop the cream on top of each slice. If you do frost the whole cake, be sure to keep the cake in the refrigerator. Any way you do it, you will be in chocolate HEAVEN, which is why this is perfectly named a Chocolate ANGEL cake! Friends, you are welcome.
Recipe Source: Recipe from Shanna's recipe box