Angel food cake with cacao nibs and orange freckles + two new addictions

As happens with “Top Chef”, I can’t keep up with all the great TV shows out there – that is why I’m in love with Netflix right now: I’m able to watch entire seasons, beginning with the first episode, without missing anything. \0/ That is how I got completely hooked on “Mad Men”, a show I’d wanted to watch forever, and now I cannot wait for the 5th season to be available on Netflix – while that doesn’t happen, I’ve started watching “Breaking Bad”, which is absolutely fantastic, too. There you go, another TV show addiction. :)

And speaking of another addiction – ice cream making – all the egg whites I had in my freezer were used in this über tender cake; the original recipe called for finely shaved dark chocolate, but I had the idea of using cacao nibs instead – it turned out good in terms of flavor but I believe the texture of the nibs was too coarse for the delicate cake.

Angel food cake with cacao nibs and orange freckles
slightly adapted from the absolutely gorgeous Vintage Cakes: Timeless Recipes for Cupcakes, Flips, Rolls, Layer, Angel, Bundt, Chiffon, and Icebox Cakes for Today's Sweet Tooth

Cake:
1 cup (120g) cake flour (homemade: 100g all purpose flour + 20g corn starch)
120g confectioners’ sugar
12 egg whites (336g), room temperature
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
85g (3oz) cacao nibs, mixed with ½ tablespoon all purpose flour

Icing:
¾ cup (105g) confectioners’ sugar
juice of 1 orange
water, if necessary

Adjust a rack to the bottom third of the oven; preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Have ready a 25cm (10in) straight-sided metal tube pan, ungreased*.
Whisk together the cake flour and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl, then sift the mixture three times.
In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and salt on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and whip on high speed. Gradually add the granulated sugar in a steady stream. On high, whip until firm (not stiff) peaks form. Reduce the mixer to low speed, add the vanilla and orange zest and mix until incorporated.
Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the whites and gently fold. Do the same with the remaining mixture in 2 additions, adding the cacao nibs with the last one. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, place it on a baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Invert the pan onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To remove the cake from the pan, loosen the sides of the cake with a thin, long knife or spatula. Invert onto a plate.
Glaze: sift the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually add the orange juice, mixing until desired consistency. Add the water if necessary. Pour over the cooled cake.

* I used a nonstick pan because that’s the one I have; the cake tasted delicious and had a very light, feathery texture

Serves 8-10

Lemon angel food cake with lemon glaze and pistachios

This recipe should come with a warning: besides being delicious - no surprise here since we're talking about a lemon cake - its texture is so light, so feathery, that without noticing you'll be going back to the kitchen for seconds, thirds... (yes, I am writing from experience). :)

If you don't have pistachios on hand I am sure that almonds would work wonderfully here, too.

Lemon angel food cake with lemon glaze and pistachios
slightly adapted from Bon Appétit

Cake:
1 cup (120g) cake flour (homemade: 100g all purpose flour + 20g corn starch)
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 large egg whites (280g), room temperature
finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Lemon syrup and glaze:
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
½ cup (65g) unsalted pistachios, lightly toasted and cooled, finely chopped
½ cup (70g) powdered sugar

For cake: position rack in center of oven and preheat to 180°C/350°F. Have ready a 25cm (10in) diameter angel food cake pan with 10cm (4in) high sides and removable bottom (do not use a nonstick pan)*.
Sift flour, ½ cup (100g) sugar and salt into medium bowl; repeat sifting 3 times. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites, lemon zest, and vanilla on medium speed in large bowl until frothy (mixture may turn bright yellow but color will change when remaining ingredients are added). Add cream of tartar; increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1 cup (100g) sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle 1/3 of flour mixture over whites and gently fold in until incorporated. Fold in remaining flour mixture in 2 more additions just until incorporated. Transfer to cake pan and smooth the top.
Bake cake until pale golden and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 38 minutes. Immediately invert cake onto work surface if pan has feet, or invert center tube of pan onto neck of bottle or metal funnel and cool cake completely.
Using long thin knife, cut around cake sides and center tube to loosen. Lift out center tube with cake still attached; run knife between cake and bottom of pan to loosen. Invert cake onto rack, then turn cake over, rounded side up, onto serving plate.

Lemon syrup and glaze: combine the granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons lemon juice in small saucepan; stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Brush syrup all over top and sides of cake. Immediately press pistachios onto top and sides of cake, pressing to adhere.
Stir powdered sugar with remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Let stand until glaze sets, about 10 minutes.
Cake can be made up to 1 day ahead – cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.

* I used a nonstick pan because it’s the one I have; the cake did not raise as much as the one on the photo of the original recipe but it tasted delicious and had a very light, feathery texture

Serves 10-12