Snowy Angel Cake
Angel cake is made with egg whites alone – no yolk or butter – and is magically light so it's perfect for summer and its pure, white snowiness is an ingenious nod to Christmas.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups egg whites (9-12 egg whites), at room temperature
- 1½ cups castor sugar
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup cake flour
For The Filling
- 1 cup frozen (defrosted) or fresh raspberries
For the icing “snow”
- 1 cup castor sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 3 egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Sift the flour, salt and three-quarters of a cup of castor sugar into a bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy.
- Whisk in the cream of tartar and, when the whites have increased in volume, look soft but still hold their shape, gradually whisk in three-quarters of a cup of castor sugar until the mixture forms soft, glossy peaks.
- Sift over a layer of dry ingredients and fold in gently but swiftly. Keep sifting and folding until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour into an unbuttered ring-shaped cake tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
- Run a knife around the inside of the cake tin and release the cake, gently pulling it away from the tin.
Ice The Cake
- To make the icing, add the sugar, water and cream of tartar to a pot; bring to the boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and cook for three minutes. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and, still whisking, gradually add the sugar syrup until thick and glossy. Split the cake using a bread knife. Crush the berries with a fork and sandwich the cake with the raspberries in the middle. Ice with the egg-white icing and serve.
Notes
Cook’s Tips: To cool, place the neck of a wine bottle through the ring of the cake tin, with the cake facing down – this helps the cake shrink away from the sides of the tin. Omit the filling and icing and simply serve slices as a base for strawberries and cream.