Angel Food Cake with 7-Minute Icing

My Mom loves angel food cake. But not just regular angel food, or even angel food with lemon glaze… she likes it with white fluffy icing. So, when Hubby and I had Mom & Dad over for a little impromptu post-birthday cookout, I had to make one for her. When I say impromptu I mean that I didn’t really think about making a cake until I was on my way home from work… about an hour and a half before Mom & Dad were due to come over. Let it be said now that angel food cake cannot be rushed. Nor can 7-minute icing.

That being made clear, this cake actually turned out okay. Despite the fact that I used a silicone bundt pan rather than a 10-in tube pan. Despite the fact that I left it in the oven too long and burned it a little. Despite the fact that I did not let it cool upside down for the directed “about 2 hours or until completely cool.” Despite the fact that the pretty pink & green watermelon flavored sprinkles I used were really strongly flavored. I will be skipping the flavored sprinkles from here on out.

The important thing is that Mom liked it… or at least pretended to. Either way, she appreciated the gesture. I love making my Mommy happy.

Here’s what you need:

For the cake: (Adapted from the good ole Betty Crocker & BH&G books)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and move the rack to the lowest position
• 1 1/2 cups egg whites (10 to 12 large)… they are pictured here in a bowl of warm water to get them down to room temp. A little tip: always bake with room temperature eggs.
• 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 cup sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup granulated sugar

For the 7-minute icing (Courtesy of my brain… good one to have memorized):

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Please excuse the awful lighting in these photos – the lighting in my kitchen after 5:00 sucks. Sift together the powdered sugar and cake flour. Side note #1: definitely use cake flour. If a recipe calls for, use it. It makes things fluffier and lighter and just makes the universe a better place. Side note #2: I loved how sifted flour looks like freshly fallen snow… like if there was a big pile of it your yard you would definitely go jump in it.

In a large bowl, put together the egg whites, cream of tartar and both extracts. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Then, slowly add in the granulated sugar a couple of tablespoons at a time. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. The last picture above is somewhere in between soft & stiff… the tips should stand up straight once they are stiff enough.

Next, sift in the flour/powdered sugar mixture 3/4 cup at a time, folding gently each time until completely mixed.

Pour cake batter into an un-greased 10-inch cake pan (or a bundt pan like I did). Gently take a butter knife through the batter to get rid of any air pockets.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until top is springy & just beginning to crack. Do not overcook… or this is what it will look like. Invert the pan either on the neck of a bottle or on a raised wire rack… basically as long as air can get under it… and let it cool thoroughly. I did not let mine cool but for 15 minutes or so before I took it out of the pan, and it kind of deflated.

I don’t have photos of the icing… I was in too much of a hurry to worry about it, but here is how you make it:

Make simple syrup by boiling the sugar, the corn syrup &  1/4 cup water. Cook for a few minutes, until the sugar is good & dissolved. If it isn’t dissolving, add more water. Remove from heat. While the syrup is cooking, beat egg whites on medium until soft peaks form. Then, reduce speed a bit and continue to beat while slowly pouring syrup into egg whites. Add vanilla. Beat for about 7 minutes (obviously where the name comes from) until the icing is shiny and thick. If it isn’t thick enough, feel free to add a little more sugar.

When the angel food is cool, and hopefully not deflated, remove from the pan and spread with icing. Hubby thought the hole in the middle needed to be filled with icing. He was right. I thought the cake needed pretty pink & green watermelon flavored sprinkles. I was wrong. All in all though, it was a yummy treat!

For a printable version of this recipe, click here!