Angel Food Cake with Balsamic Strawberries
Angel Food Cake with Balsamic Strawberries – One look at this cake and you can see why it’s called an Angel Food Cake.
Some people are cookie people, pie people, or even ice cream people. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of those things.
But I, my friends, am a CAKE person.
If it’s soft and tender with layers of frosting, I’m all in.
Although there is no frosting on today’s cake, Angel Food Cake with Balsamic Strawberries is most definitely a favorite.
So light and pillowy, you might be tempted to cuddle up with it, just as well as eat it. The soft delicate taste and texture lend itself as the perfect platform for sauces and toppings.
But in this Angel Food Cake I wanted the cake flavor itself to shine through, not just the toppings. So I doctored it up with raspberry liqueur and almond flavoring.
Because the texture is so delicate, people often think that means Angel Food Cakes are tricky to make, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The secret to a perfect Angel Food Cake is to whip the egg whites into firm peaks. Remember talking about that Monday with macaroons? Once you have firm meringue, you simply fold in the cake flour and put the batter in a angel food cake pan.
It’s important to use a flat bottomed pan (not a bundt pan) because angel food cakes go into an ungreased pan to offer stability. If you have a decorative pan with ridges, you may never get it out.
But with a tube pan or loaf pan, you simply run a knife around the edges and gently dump it out.
See?
I topped this angel food cake with tangy-sweet balsamic strawberries. The combination of the perky berries and rich balsamic vinegar is a winner.
The balsamic strawberry glaze seeps into the spongy cake, saturating the heavenly pillow, for a treat that is hard to resist.
Not to mention, as far as cakes go… Angel Food Cake with Balsamic Strawberries is a very low-cal treat.
Just the thing to follow a rich decadent homemade meal on Valentines Night!
Angel Food Cake with Balsamic Strawberries
Ingredients
For the Angel Food Cake:
- 12 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 1/3 cups superfine sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Chambord raspberry liqueur or 1 teaspoon raspberry extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup Gold Medal Cake Flour
For the Balsamic Strawberries:
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries
- 1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup Chambord raspberry liqueur
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 pinches salt
Instructions
- Crack the eggs and separate the whites. Set aside to warm to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of your electric mixer and whip on medium speed.
- Once the mixture is soft and foamy, turn the mixer on high and slowly add the sugar, salt, chambord, almond extract and vanilla. Continue whipping until firm peaks form. Turn the mixer off and fold in the flour. Scoop the mixture into an ungreased angel food pan (looks like a flat bottomed bundt pan) and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden.
- Meanwhile, slice the strawberries and place in a medium bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar, chambord, honey and salt. Mix and set aside.
- When the cake comes out of the oven, flip it over to cool. (The pan usually has little feet to keep it off the counter. If not place on a wire rack.) Cool completely in the pan, then run a boning knife around the edges and flip again to release the cake from the pan. Slice and serve with balsamic strawberries.
Hi Can I substitute cake flour with all purpose flour as it is not easily available in India
Hi Hansa,
Yes! However, you might need to add a couple extra tablespoons of flour.