Jake’s Cake (Angel Food) (2024)

FAQs

Jake’s Cake (Angel Food)? ›

A favorite from many years ago, named after Amy's son Jake. It's a pillowy, heavenly angel food cake made with fresh egg whites, cane sugar, a little flour, and lots of vanilla extract and beans.

Egg Whites: The star of the show! They provide all of the leavening for angel food cake. Using only whites (no yolks) gives this cake a super light texture. Be sure to use only fresh eggs; liquid egg whites in a carton have been pasteurized, which can prevent them from whipping into stiff peaks.

But some desserts, such as angel food cake, are naturally less deadly on the calorie and fat scales, so a full-size portion on occasion won't wreak havoc on an otherwise healthy diet. Angel food cake gets its lift from beaten egg whites. No egg yolks and no butter mean the cake contains no fat.

Angel food cake, or angel cake, is a type of sponge cake made with egg whites, flour, and sugar. A whipping agent, such as cream of tartar, is commonly added. It differs from other cakes because it uses no butter. Its aerated texture comes from whipped egg white.

In delicate sponge-type cakes (like chiffon or angel food cake) there are two moments for concern. First, when you're whipping the egg foam, and second, when you're incorporating the flour. An overmixed egg foam will be slack, wet, loose, and unable to hold peaks.

Use freshly separated eggs because they aerate the best. Carton egg whites or egg whites that have been frozen won't expand as much during the whipping process, which will negatively affect the rise of your cake. You'll have a lot of leftover egg yolks, so make some lemon curd and serve it with the cake!

Every angel food cake has to be cooled upside down in the pan. Why? Until the cake is completely cooled, its spongy structure hasn't set. Flipping it upside down makes sure it doesn't collapse during that process.

Angel Food Cake is a great dessert for diabetics because, unlike many of its sweet counterparts, it's very low in sugar and carbs.

Can you use a 9x13 pan for angel food cake? ›

Angel cake is a light and fluffy dessert that is perfect for any occasion. Whether you are hosting a party or simply craving a sweet treat, baking an angel cake in a 9×13 pan is a great way to enjoy this classic dessert.

Some historians think that the first angel food cakes were probably baked by African American slaves from the South because making this cake required a strong beating arm and lots of labor to whip the air into the egg whites.

These specialty vessels actually help delicate cakes rise. Because egg foam–based cakes like angel food and chiffon contain very little flour, and therefore very little of the structure-building network called gluten, the batter needs something to cling to as it bakes, or it will collapse.

Eating uncooked dough or batter can make you severely sick. The primary risk comes from flour. That's right… flour. That fluffy powder may look innocent, but it should be viewed as a potentially dangerous “raw” food.

The gas and bloating you've experienced after eating your cake is because of the gastrointestinal side effects of the maltitol and lactitol. These sweeteners are slowly and only partly absorbed from the digestive tract, and this can cause a laxative effect or gas.

Give your boxed angel food cake mix a summery twist by adding a can of crushed pineapple to it. Gently fold it into the whisked batter, careful not to deflate the mixture. If you over-whisk it, the cake will turn out chewy and dense.

If you whip the whites too stiff, incorporating the dry ingredients will require extra folding, and the batter will lose volume. If the air cells collapse in the oven, the cake will be tough and chewy.

A small bit of moisture or egg yolk mixed in with the egg whites, a particularly humid day, or repeatedly opening your oven can also cause the cake to not rise. Over-mixing the batter once you've added the flour is another likely culprit, mix until just combined.