Light as a Cloud Angel Food Cake with Berry Topping
Jun 25, 2014 in bundt and tube cakes, angel food, blueberry, cake flour, dessert, gluten-free, grand marnier, nut-free, orange, recipe. Read the original on: Only taste matters
“Oh I’d love someone to make a gluten-free angel food cake!†my friend squealed. “Oh and you can use it for trifle,†she added. At this point I should mention she went to college in the South where apparently trifle is common. This comes as no shock to me. I have always wondered who ate trifle. It looks so good in photos but I have never been served one. Why do I see so many recipes for a dessert no one eats (though they clearly should)? So mystery solved. It is Southern. That makes sense since let’s face it, everything good seems to come from the South. Two words: Fried chicken.
Anyway, finding baked goods that are not heavy is one of the most common complaints I hear from people on a gluten-free diet. They have tried all the gluten-free bakeries but while some say they are good, others gripe, “their cake is too heavy.†Ah the beat goes on and the “good for gluten-free†perception continues. 
Well since “good for gluten-free†is not good enough for this chick, I have taken on the challenge. As you may or may not know, I have developed a gluten-free cake flour to address this very concern. And while I understand it is easier to just buy an existing flour blend, unfortunately there is not a gluten-free cake flour on the market. So if you are willing to make you own flour blend (and I promise you it really isn’t hard) you too can have light gluten-free cake.
Angel Food Cake with Berry Topping
Rating: 51
Yield: One 10-inch cake, 20 to 24 servings
Ingredients
For the Cake:
Adapted from Ina Garten’s Lemon Angel Food Cake
2 cups sifted superfine sugar, divided*
1 1/3 cups sifted flour mix D
1 1/2 cups egg whites, at room temperature (10 to 12 eggs)**
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
* If you are short on superfine sugar, you can take regular sugar and put it in the food processor for 2 minutes.
** Sorry but you are going to have to separate all these eggs. Cartons of egg whites are heated during pasteurization and therefore no good for angel food cakes or meringues.
For the Berry Topping:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup sliced strawberries
3 tablespoons orange marmalade
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Grand Marnier (optional)
Instructions
For the Cake:
1. Position the rack in the center of oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk 1/2 cup of sugar with the flour and sift the mixture 4 times. Set aside.
3. Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until the eggs make medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute. Tip: Make sure the eggs are at room temperature and not cold. See Egg Whites 101 for more information.
4. Turn the mixer down to medium speed and with the mixer running, gradually add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar to the beaten egg whites. Whisk for a few minutes until thick and shiny. Tip: Once the whites are shiny they are ready. Do not overmix. It will make the cake chewy.
5. Add the vanilla and orange zest and continue to whisk on medium speed until very thick, about 1 more minute.
6. Sift about 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it into the batter with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour by fourths by sifting and folding until it's all incorporated. Tip: Watch this video to learn How to Fold an Ingredient into your Batter
7. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan and gently smooth the top. Tip: DO NOT grease the pan. Angel food cakes are foam cakes which are based on air. Any butter or cooking spray will prevent the egg whites from rising.
8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan onto its legs (if the tube pan has no legs, hang the pan upside down over the neck of a wine bottle or other sturdy bottle). Cool completely (for at least an hour) before removing from pan.
9. To remove the cake from the pan, run a sharp metal spatula or knife all around the edge of the cake using an up and down motion. Turn it upside down and the outer part of the pan should now release. Leave the cake upside down and remove the inner tube. It should come right off, but if not, run your metal spatula or knife between the cake and the pan bottom to loosen it.
For the Berry Topping:
1. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the marmalade. Add the Grand Marnier if using and stir to combine.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the berries.
2.6
Copyright 2013 - only taste matters. All rights reserved.
Read the original on: Only taste matters
Only taste matters, Elle Kirschenbaum
Making gluten-free cake taste like...well...cake.
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