a little slice of heaven

I finally used my KitchenAid stand mixer! It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to make first. Since I already had dinner planned out, I decided to go with a dessert… but not just any dessert, “food of the angels.” The recipe for this cloud-like cake is pretty basic. However, there are a few guidelines you want to follow to get a perfect cake every time.

1. First and foremast, get yourself an angel food cake pan. Preferably one with a removable bottom and cooling legs.
2. Make sure that your pan is clean and dry. Any amount of oil or residue could deflate the egg whites.
3. Use room temperature egg whites, and watch out for any amount of egg yolks! Again, any amount of fat could ruin your cake.
4. Cream of tartar- this will help stabilize and give more volume to your egg whites. You will find this in the spice section of your grocery store.
5. Cool the cake upside down for about 2 hours. If your pan doesn’t have cooling legs, balance it on a bottle like I did. This will help prevent decompression while cooling.

If you’re watching your weight this year, but still want to treat yourself, give this recipe a go. It’s a fat-free dessert that you won’t feel guilty about eating!

Angel Food Cake from All Recipes

Ingredients

1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
12 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, and 3/4 cup of the sugar, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt on high speed until the eggs make medium-firm peaks. Gradually add the remaining sugar while continuing to whip to stiff peaks. When the egg white mixture has reached its maximum volume, fold in the sifted ingredients gradually, one third at a time. Do not overmix. Put the batter into the tube pan.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack until cool. Top with your favorite fresh or frozen fruit for extra treat.