This summertime treat is so light and fluffy, it’s the perfect substitute for cake on a hot summer day. Not only does it taste awesome, but your home will smell like a pancake house. (True story: while this was in the oven on Saturday, our Fresh Direct delivery showed up and the two guys would not stop talking about how great our hallway and apartment smelled.)
This cake is one of my more prouder Mom It Down recipes especially when one considers the time to taste ratio. It also looks professional (in my not so humble opinion) especially considering how easy it is.
What you will need
- Spring-loaded cake pan OR angel food cake pan (tubed)
- Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- chopped almonds (just to coat the top)
Mom it Down!
Preheat oven to 375.
Add flour and powdered sugar to a bowl and set aside.
Add the egg whites to your mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip them up until they start bubble.
Once they start to bubble up, add the salt, cream of tartar, and extracts. Whip that on high speed until the mixture forms hard peaks.
Using a wooden spoon, fold in the flour mixture being careful not to deflate your eggs. (Don’t worry! It’s not that delicate.) Once that’s mixed up, pour it into the spring-loaded (or angel food) cake pan.
Coat the top with almond slices.
Bake for 30 – 40 minutes. (Mine was done at 30.)
When the cake is finished, remove it from the oven and place it upside down on top of a cookie sheet or plate. Let it cool. Once it’s cool, flip it over and remove from the pan.
Overcoming Obstacles
I did not have a tubed angel food cake pan so I used a regular old spring-loaded cake pan. It worked perfectly.
If you use a tubed angel food cake pan, it’s supposed to slide right out after you let it cool upside down. I haven’t used one of those because (to be honest) I didn’t have one. The spring-loaded didn’t give me any trouble during removal. The cake came away from the sides and we used a knife to free it from the base.
Also, I did not sift my cake flour and powdered sugar together. Again, everything worked fine. If you have time, feel free to do so. If you don’t, no need.
Lastly, I purchased organic egg whites from the grocery store. CHEATER! But if you’re feeling really crazy, I might suggest making several batches of Mom It Down Lava Chocolate Cakes one day, saving the egg whites from that and then baking this the following day. You may go into a diabetic coma, but it’ll be a happy one!
Variations
I have a fall version of this already in my head: pumpkin seeds! I can’t wait to do a Halloween version of this. (That said, this may reappear.)
I think a sprinkle of orange zest would be nice on top as well. I don’t think I’d add it to the batter, however. I am not sure how well the mixture will stand up to the weight. But next time I go for this, I will add some zest to the top for sure.
My mind is racing when it comes to variations and this recipe. I think that’s why I like it so much. It’s tasty and I think can be pushed in all different directions. I’m also curious about switching out the almond extract for another flavor and coming up with a topping that suits it. And I think that as long as the topping isn’t too heavy, anything goes!
If you have suggestions and/or comments please let me know!
Recipe taken from All Recipes and modified ever so slightly.
This looks amazing. We get such fresh eggs from the farmers’ market, with amazing whites, I might just have to try this.
Ha! I made a lemon angel food cake last week.
I used regular eggs, and just froze the yolks. I don’t think i’ll ever use that tub of egg yolks, but i like it staring me down in the freezer.
The tips I can offer are this:
– if you have a decent enough blender, just blend your sugar a bit. it doesn’t need to be as fine as icing sugar for this. ( i learned that tip from alton brown )
– some recipes suggest using a tbsp or two of warm water with the egg whites.
– i made a very lemony one. i zested an organic lemon and then blended the zest with the sugar (i really wanted to draw out the oils). i also used the lemon juice with the egg whites. i did not use vanilla extract as well – just lemon. it was one of the best cakes i’ve ever made.
Thank you!
I was just scrolling down after reading this last post and saw Murray. It occurred to me that if you ever make a hardcopy cookbook for publishing, I would hope to see many photos of Murray in it!
The cake looks so good I am going to make it today! But how large is the pan? 10 inch?
Oops! Yes, 10 inch. I forget to add things sometimes. Thanks for letting me know. Will amend the post.
my hubby takes stawberry slices and adds a little water and sugar puts it in the refridgerator then the next day adds it to angelfood cake with a dab of whipped cream and it is awesome!
“I’m also curious about switching out the almond extract for another flavor and coming up with a topping that suits it.”
I’m wondering about that, too! Adeline is allergic to nuts and I was going to ask if you have recommendations for other toppings/ flavors that might work.
PS
I never noticed your comment after mine on the Amish Friendship bread post, or I would have sent you my address. How did it turn out?