Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

This month it was my turn to host What's Baking. Since summer is coming to an end soon (I am so not ready!), I picked the theme Celebrate Summer. In the summer, I always like lighter desserts. As a child, I always remember my grandmother having angel good cake around in the summer, so angel food cake brings back memories. I paired it with strawberries, which is a must in the summer, and topped it off with homemade whipped cream.

This is the first time I have made homemade whipped cream. It was so easy to make and tasted fabulous. For the strawberries, I hulled and sliced a pint of strawberries and sprinkled a few tablespoons of sugar on them. It depends on how sweet your strawberries as to how much sugar to add. I let them sit for a few hours for the juices to get going.

Check back in a few days for the What's Baking roundup of Celebrate Summer. Enjoy!!

Angel Food Cake
Printer friendly recipe
Source: Alton Brown, The Food Network

*Note: I put a metal bowl, whisk and beater in the freezer for a few minutes to get really cold before combining the egg whites.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cake flour, sifted
12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
1/3 cup warm water
1 teaspoon orange extract, or extract of your choice
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Sift half of the sugar with the salt the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside.

In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, orange extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.

Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).

Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least an hour before removing from pan.

Whipped Cream
Source: Allrecipes

*Notes: I put a metal bowl and beater in the freezer for a few minutes to get really cold before whipping the heavy cream. Also, the heavy cream should be really cold before beating.

Ingredients

1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a chilled small mixing bowl and with chilled beaters, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form. Store in the refrigerator.