Many
of us adore the gossamer texture of angel food cake but find its taste too
sweet. The perfect solution to tempering the sweetness is to spangle the batter
with grated bitter (unsweetened) chocolate. Chocolate-spangled whipped cream
has the perfect harmony of color, texture, and flavor to fill and frost this
cake. You can also fill the cake layers and leave the sides bare. For the
fluffiest texture, serve using two forks back to back to cut through the cake
without deflating it.
Alternatively,
use a serrated knife, but hold the cake gently without compressing it as you
cut. Do not serve this cake with sauce as it would fall apart. If you prefer a
pure white cake, simply omit the chocolate and try the vanilla bean variation.
The very lightest and most tender texture comes from using Wondra flour; it
blends easily into the batter without deflating it significantly. My recipe
uses one egg white per cup capacity of the pan. (To get the volume of your pan,
line it with a clean plastic bag and pour in water up to the top, counting the
cups as you go.) If your pan is smaller, simply decrease the recipe or bake any
extra batter as cupcakes. Be sure to cool the cupcakes upside down on a wire
rack to ensure maximum volume. Sixteen beaten whites will rise to the very top
of a 5 quart mixer.
BATTER
superfine
sugar 1 1/2 cups, divided (10.6 oz - 300 g)
Wondra
flour (or cake flour) 3/4 cup, lightly spooned and leveled off (or 1 cup,
sifted into the cup and leveled off) (3.5 oz-100 g)
salt
1/4 teaspoon
16
large egg whites, at room temperature
cream
of tartar 2 teaspoons
pure
vanilla extract 4 teaspoons
fine
quality unsweetened or 99% cacao chocolate, chilled, finely grated,
refrigerated (2 oz- 56 g)
SPECIAL
EQUIPMENT: One ungreased 10 inch (16 cups) two piece metal tube pan |
Longnecked glass wine or soda bottle, or a large inverted metal funnel that
will fit into the opening at the top of the pan. Have this ready before baking
and weight it by filling it with sugar or marbles to keep it from tipping.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat
the oven: twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower
third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F-175C.
Prepare
the sugar, flour, and salt: In a small bowl, whisk together half the sugar, the
flour, and salt until evenly combined. Sift the remaining sugar onto a piece of
wax paper.
Beat
the egg whites into a stiff meringue: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with
the whisk beater, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. With the
mixer off, add the cream of tartar. Raise the speed to medium high and beat
until soft peaks form when the beater is raised. Gradually beat in the sifted
sugar and continue beating on medium-high speed until very stiff peaks form
when the beater is raised slowly. Beat in the vanilla until combined.
Make
the batter: dust (lightly sprinkle) the flour mixture over the beaten whites, ¼
cup at a time (if using cake flour, sift it over the whites). With a large
balloon whisk, slotted skimmer, or large silicone spatula, fold in the flour
mixture quickly but gently. It is not necessary to incorporate every speck
until the last addition. Fold in the grated chocolate until evenly
incorporated. Using a long narrow spatula or silicone spatula, spread a thin
layer of batter onto the sides of the prepared pan to ensure smooth sides.
Empty the rest of the batter into the pan. In a 16 cup pan, it will be ½ inch
from the top of the rim. Run a small metal spatula or knife through the batter
to prevent air pockets and smooth the surface evenly.
Bake
the cake: bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown, a wire cake tester
inserted between the tube and the side comes out clean, and the cake springs
back when lightly pressed in the center. (A wooden toothpick will still have a
few moist crumbs clinging to it.) During baking, the center will rise about 2
inches above the pan, but it will sink to almost level with the pan when done.
The surface will have deep cracks, like a souffle.
Cool
and unmold the cake: Invert the pan immediately, placing the tube opening over
the neck of the bottle to suspend it well above the countertop. Cool completely
in the pan, about 1 1/2 hours. Loosen the sides of the pan with a long narrow
spatula and remove the center core of the pan. Dislodge the cake from the bottom
and center core with a metal spatula or thin sharp knife. A wire cake tester or
wooden skewer works well around the core. To keep the sides attractive, press
the spatula firmly against the sides of the pan, moving the spatula up and down
as you go around it. Invert the cake onto a flat plate covered with plastic
wrap that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray and reinvert it
onto a serving plate. Allow the cake to sit for 1 hour, or until the top is no
longer tacky. Then cover it with a cake dome or wrap it airtight. It keeps for
3 days at room temperature and for 10 days refrigerated. Freezing toughens the
texture. The cake is also lovely decorated simply with a light sprinkling of
cocoa or lacy drizzles of melted chocolate.
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