Angel food cake is known for its dreamy cloud-like texture that is traditionally baked in a tube pan. Even the appearance is unique and those familiar with the different types of cakes will be able to tell it apart from the rest. For this article, we added orange to the angel food cake and for those of you who are looking for a citrusy cake, this one’s perfect. To make things a little extra, we also added a frosting complete with an eye-catching passionfruit glaze on top.
What makes Angel Food Cake unique is it shares the stage with meringue-based cakes, containing a high amount of eggs that give it a foamy structure. While it is an American invention, it is different from a sponge cake because it doesn’t use whole eggs, and chiffon cakes use oil in their batter. This orange angel food cake is sans oil and butter which is typical in the other two cakes, while still not healthy, it's definitely a cake worth baking.
Orange Angel Food Cake with Passionfruit Glaze
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 375 gm granulated sugar
- 180 gm cake flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 12 egg whites
- 1 tsp cream of tartar (buttermilk, lemon juice, or vinegar as substitute)
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp orange zest (from 1 orange)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the passion fruit glaze:
- 6 passion fruits
- 60 gm caster sugar
- 200 gm low-fat plain yogurt
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 20 gm icing sugar
Instructions
- Let’s start with the cake, first, adjust the oven rack to place it in the middle and preheat oven to 160°C.
- Grind down the granulated sugar in a blender until fine and powdery. Keep aside ¾ cup of the powdered sugar.
- Add flour and salt to the remaining sugar in the blender and run it until light and airy.
- Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or to a big mixing bowl if you’re using a handheld mixer. Whisk on medium-low speed until it’s light and frothy.
- Increase to medium and beat the mixture until it turns opaque and fluffy, and reaches a consistency close to soft peaks. Slowly add the sugar, you had set aside, 1 tablespoon at a time. Then keep beating at medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and sprinkle the orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla over the egg whites. Using a whisk, fold them in to incorporate the flavors until just combined.
- Sift in ¼ cup of the flour mixture, using a rubber spatula to fold, just until a few flour streaks remain. Continue in ¼ cup batches until all of the flour mixture has been added.
- Transfer the batter to a 16-cup tube pan; for angel food cakes don’t use a bundt pan. Use the spatula to smoothen the top and wipe any drips on the sides. Tap the sides of the pan to get rid of any air bubbles and the batter to fill any gaps.
- Place the pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes and rotate halfway. When fully baked, the cake will be springy to the touch and be a lovely shade of golden brown.
- With the pan intact, invert the cake to a cooling wire rack. Let it cool in that position for two to three hours.
- After this time, use a thin knife or anything similar to run it along the side of the cake. Gently tap the top of the cake to loosen it from the pan and lift, you might need to shake it a little to release the cake from the tube pan.
- Make the passionfruit glaze for the cake next. To a pan add the caster sugar with the passion fruit pulp. Dissolve the sugar over low heat, then bring to a simmer; cook for two minutes until it thickens slightly. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes until thick and pourable.
- Take a separate bowl, and add yogurt, heavy cream, and icing sugar to it. Whisk using an electric whisk, for two to three minutes, until it’s thick enough to hold its shape.
- Test your cake to see if it’s completely cool. Then spoon the frosting in swirling motions over the cake.
- Finally, take the passion fruit syrup and drizzle it over the top of the frosted cake, to serve.