Angel food cake, with its light and fluffy texture, is a classic dessert that everyone loves. The perfect dessert for a summer picnic or a holiday gathering, it’s easy to customize this cake to meet your dietary needs and preferences. In this post, we’ll be sharing how to make a maple angel food cake, perfect for those who love the rich and buttery taste of maple syrup.
What is an Angel Food Cake?
An angel food cake is a cake that’s made by whipping egg whites to create a light, fluffy texture. It’s a classic dessert, often served with fresh fruit or a fruit sauce. The cake is made with simple ingredients, including egg whites, sugar, flour, and cream of tartar. Vanilla extract is sometimes added for flavor, but the egg whites are the star of the show, providing the light and fluffy texture.
Is Angel Cake and Angel Food Cake the Same?
No, they’re not the same. Angel cake is a sponge cake that’s made with eggs, sugar, and flour. The cake is often flavored with almond extract and is typically served with a layer of whipped cream and/or fresh fruit. While it’s also light and airy, it’s not made with whipped egg whites like an angel food cake.
What’s the Difference Between Angel Food Cake and Devil’s Food Cake?
The difference between angel food cake and devil’s food cake is in their ingredients. While angel food cake is made with egg whites, devil’s food cake is made with whole eggs. Devil’s food cake is also richer, denser, and darker in color, thanks to the addition of ingredients like cocoa powder, chocolate, and coffee. While they may seem like two opposite ends of the cake spectrum, both cakes are delicious.
How Does Angel Food Cake Get So Fluffy?
Angel food cake gets its fluffy texture from whipped egg whites. When the egg whites are whipped, they trap air bubbles and expand in volume. This creates a light and airy batter that makes a perfect cake. Additionally, cream of tartar is added to the egg whites to stabilize them and help them hold their shape while baking.
Making the perfect maple angel food cake is easy with these tips. Be sure to use room temperature egg whites, a clean mixing bowl, and don’t overmix the batter. And don’t forget the maple syrup! This delicious twist on a classic dessert is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
1PintFresh strawberrieswashed, hulled and cut into chunks or slices
½PintFresh blueberrieswashed
Instructionsnull
In a large glass bowl, blend1 pint of heavy whipping cream with a hand or immersion blender until it doubles in size and changes texture. Then, drizzle maple syrup into the bowl and continue blending until the mixture is light and fluffy. Set aside.
Place your oven’s top rack onthe highest setting and turn the broiler on high.
Due to its round shape, angelfood cake is normally cut into a series of wedges. However, the pieces will notbrown evenly under the broiler if cut like this. Instead, carefully slice theangel food cake with a sharp knife into equally thick sections by making aseries of parallel 2” wide cuts, starting on one side of the cake and workingtoward the opposite side. Trim the pieces so they are all approximately thesame size. The result should be uniformly sized pieces that will brown evenly.
Place the angel food cake slices on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and brush the top with melted butter. Turn over each piece and repeat on the other side.
Place baking sheet under the broiler until a golden-brown crust starts to form. (You may need to rotate the baking sheet to get uniform results). Keep a close eye on the cake during this time because it can burn very quickly. Once toasted, remove baking sheet from oven and turn over each piece of angel food cake. Place back under the broiler and toast the remaining side until golden brown.
To serve, arrange toasted slices on individual serving plates and top with maple whipped cream and fresh berries.
