angel cake strawberry shortcake

Cake

• 1 Cup cake flour (not self rising)
• 1/4 Tsp. fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 Cups sugar
• 1 Tsp. vanilla extract
• 12 large egg whites, at room temperature

Topping

• 1 Package (16 ounces) Driscoll’s Strawberries
• Purchased Whipped Cream

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Here are a few things that is very handy when making Strawberry Shortcake Angel Food Cake:

• Tube pan – cake pan with a hole in the middle. This is fairly inexpensive and I highly recommend using this. Bundt pan does not work the same way. It is very hard to remove the light, airy cake from a bundt pan.
• Food processor – this is needed to pulse the sugar mixture so that your Strawberry Shortcake Angel Food Cake is very fine and light. Blender works too if you don’t have a food processor.

• Sifter – used to sift pulsed granulated sugar, so that the cake is light and airy!
• Stand mixer or hand mixture – electric mixers helps with beating the egg whites and making it airy and fluffy. It’s pretty hard to do this with a hand mixer.
• Cooling rack – helps with cooling off the cake.
• Egg separator – optional item but nice to have if you have trouble separating egg whites from yolks. I’ve personally never owned these and just use my two hands!

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
2. WHISK flour and salt in a small bowl.
3. SET flour mixture aside.
4. BEAT egg whites with an electric mixer in a medium bowl on low speed until egg whites are foamy.
5. ADD cream of tartar.
6. INCREASE speed of electric mixer to high.
7. BEAT egg white mixture until soft peaks form.
8. ADD sugar, several tablespoons at a time, WHILE beating.
9. BEAT egg white mixture until stiff peaks form.
10. ADD vanilla.
11. BEAT egg white mixture until evenly combined.
12. SIFT 1/3 of flour mixture over egg white mixture.
13. FOLD flour mixture gently into egg white mixture.
14. SIFT another 1/3 of flour mixture over egg white mixture.
15. FOLD flour mixture gently into egg white mixture.
16. SIFT remaining flour mixture over egg white mixture.
17. FOLD flour mixture gently into egg white mixture.
18. POUR cake batter into to an ungreased 10-inch tube pan (Bundt pan).
19. BAKE about 40 minutes or until cake springs back when gently touched.
20. INVERT pan.
21. COOL for cool 1 hour or completely.
22. INVERT pan.
23. RUN A KNIFE around edges of cake pan to loosen.
24. UNMOLD cake onto platter.
25. REMOVE STEMS from strawberries.
26. SLICE strawberries into quarters and place in a serving bowl.
27. TO SERVE, top each slice of cake with desired amount of strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR STRAWBERRY ANGEL FOOD CAKE

• You can make this recipe in virtually any size you’d like. We prefer using small cake molds or cupcake molds to make small desserts (like traditional strawberry shortcakes). However, you can also make a large beautifully decorated cake. For this recipe, we used a small 3-inch cake mold which baked for approximately 20 – 25 minutes.
• If you do choose to use cupcakes or muffin pans, do not line them with paper. Only use non-stick cooking spray or melted butter and flour. This will give you a beautifully smooth small cake.

• To perfectly beat your egg whites, you can follow this very informative article that covers bowl type of size, different techniques you can use, and much more!
• Do not rush the folding in process. You want to work slowly and very gently. The goal is to keep as much air as you can, so by rushing, your batter will deflate.
• To determine the exact baking time, follow our general times given above. However, always test the cake before removing it from the oven. Also, never open the oven until at least 80% of the baking time has elapsed, or you run the risk of the cake falling flat.

• You can also use this strawberry glaze to intensify the flavor and add some texture to your strawberry angel food cake.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Angel food cake originated in the US in the late 19th century; in essence, it is a butterless cake that uses whipped egg whites to provide its form. Moreover, angel food cake got its name when individuals started to refer to it as the angels’ food. The main reason is that it has an incredibly light texture. 

In most cases, you bake your angel food cake in a tube pan; it is usually a tall and round pan with a tube up the middle. Because of that, it leaves a hole in the cake’s center. 

At the same time, it is okay to utilize a Bundt pan. However, remember that the fluted sides can make the cake removal from the pan even more challenging. 

So please note that the center tube enables your cake batter to rise higher by clinging to all the pan’s sides. 

Moreover, it is best not to grease your angel food cake pan. In most cases, it is unusual considering that it is common to grease the baking pans to prepare cakes. But do not worry since not greasing will allow your cake to have a surface upon which to crawl up. As a result, it will help your cake to rise correctly. 

Furthermore, it is essential to invert your cake pan while cooling it. Doing so will prevent your cake from falling in on itself. Also, at times, you may want to consider frosting your angel food cake. However, you should drizzle it with a sweet fruit sauce. Nevertheless, a simple glaze usually does the job. 

Also, what kind of hat does Angel cake wear? Well, if you are familiar with “Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures,” you would know that Angel Cake wears a pastel purple hat. In addition to that, it has white ruffles along the brim. Besides that, it has different flower decorations on one particular side.  

SPONGE CAKE VS ANGEL FOOD CAKE

What’s the difference between shortcake and angel food cake? In general, both of them use eggs. However, what distinguishes the two is the preparation and usage of the eggs. 

Regarding sponge cakes, one must whip the egg whites and yolks separately. After that, make sure to mix them; do so together with your cream of tartar and salt. Plus, it is crucial that you do this before adding it to the rest of your ingredients. 

Moreover, sponge cake recipes do not typically require whipped egg whites. However, it is still crucial that you separate them and never beat them as whole eggs; bear in mind that the addition of egg yolks provides your sponge cakes a richer taste compared to angel food cakes. 

On the other hand, angel food cake only needs egg whites. Because of this, it is essential to whip the egg whites into soft peaks. Not only that, but also you must utilize a significant amount of sugar. After that, you can fold in the remaining ingredients to create a fluffy cake batter. 

Also, what is good with angel food cake? Well, the obvious one is strawberries and cream. Talk about a fluffy and light cake topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Aside from this, you may want to consider the following that would be good with your angel food cake; these include Nutella and mascarpone, Greek yogurt and coconut, mocha ganache, chocolate ganache, bananas, and fresh berries.