Angel Food Churro Bites with Caramel Kahlua Sauce
1 angel food cake baked in a loaf pan. (purchased is fine)
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup caramel sauce
¼ cup Kahlua liqueur
Slice angel food cake into 2-inch pieces and set aside. Pour oil into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. In a small bowl, toss sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until thoroughly mixed. Line a plate with paper towels and check temperature of the oil. When it reaches 350 degrees, begin dropping cubes of cake into the oil, 5 or 6 pieces at a time, turning quickly with tongs or a slotted spoon to brown on all sides. Remove and place on paper towels to drain. Working in batches, fry all cake pieces, and while still warm, toss all in sugar-cinnamon mixture. In a bowl, whisk together caramel sauce and Kahlua. Serve with warm churro Bites.
Yield: approximately 36 pieces
Savannah Cream Cake with Blackberry Sauce
This is a recipe I learned from Elizabeth Terry in Savannah, Georgia, and it is still one of my favorite decadent desserts!
Angel Food Cake
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cake flour
¾ cup sugar, divided use
6 egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For cake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, sift together flour and ¼ cup sugar and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. With mixer running, slowly add remaining sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. Fold in vanilla and cake flour mixture with a spatula, careful not to deflate the egg white mixture. Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan and bake for 30 minutes, until golden on top. Invert cake on top of a bottle until cake has completely cooled, then remove from pan. Tear cooled cake into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl.
Sherry Custard
1½ teaspoons plain gelatin
¼ cup warm water plus 2 tablespoons
2 egg yolks
¼ cup dry sherry
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
In a bowl, sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup warm water and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until pale, then stir in sherry, ¼ cup sugar, and the 2 tablespoons water, and pour into a medium saucepan Stir constantly over medium heat until bubbles appear on surface and custard is thick, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in gelatin mixture and continue to whisk vigorously until gelatin is completely dissolved. Place pan over an ice-filled bowl and stir until mixture is cool but gelatin has not set. Gently fold sherry custard into torn pieces of cake with a spatula. Line an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with plastic wrap, draping wrap over sides of pan. Spoon cake mixture into pan and cover with sides of plastic. Refrigerate at least 2 hours to set.
Frosting and berries
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
1 pint fresh blackberries
In a mixing bowl, whip cream with sugar until soft peaks form. Remove cake from pan and plastic wrap to a serving platter or cake stand. Frost entire cake with whipped cream and garnish with fresh blackberries. Serve with blackberry sauce.
Fresh Blackberry sauce:
1 pint fresh blackberries
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
In a saucepan over medium heat, place blackberries, sugar, and water. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until blackberries are very soft and sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Allow mixture to cool slightly. Place a mesh sieve over a bowl and pour mixture in the sieve. Using back of a wooden spoon, gently press until all the liquid has been released and only seeds remain. Discard seeds and serve sauce with cake.
Yield 10 servings
Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Cream and Toasted Coconut
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cake flour
½ cup good quality cocoa
½ cup sugar
6 egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
1 cup toasted coconut.
4 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, and ¼ cup sugar, and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. With mixer running slowly add remaining sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. Fold in vanilla and flour-cocoa mixture with a spatula. Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and invert cake on top of a bottle and cool completely. Place cake on a cake plate and frost completely with whipped cream. Cover cake, top, and sides with toasted coconut. Place cake in refrigerator while making chocolate sauce. To make sauce, place chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally until chocolate has melted completely. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Cover until ready to serve with chocolate angel food cake.
Yield: 8-10 servings
Angel Food Cupcakes with Lemon Curd, Whipped Cream, and Fresh Berries
1 box angel food cake mix
2 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
½ cup sugar
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 8 pieces
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups fresh berries
Follow instructions to make angel food cake batter and spoon into 24 baking cups in a cupcake pan filling each ¾ full. Remove cupcakes from oven and let cool while making lemon curd and whipped cream. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, whole eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a heavy-bottom saucepan over low heat. Continue to whisk until mixture begins to thicken, switching to a wooden spoon, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and smooth. Add butter 1 piece at a time until completely incorporated. Remove from heat. Let mixture cool completely. In a mixing bowl, whip cream until soft peaks begin to form. Add sugar and vanilla and whip until tall peaks form. When ready to assemble, transfer lemon curd to a piping bag fitted with a small star or plain tip. Insert tip into cupcake, and using gentle pressure, pipe a teaspoon or so of lemon curd into center. Continue with remaining cupcakes. Spoon remaining lemon curd into a bowl and serve on side with cupcakes if desired. Frost each cupcake with whipped cream and top with assorted berries.
Yield: 24 cupcakes
Strawberries and Cream Filled Angel Food Cake
1 (9-inch) angel food cake cut in half
1 pint fresh strawberries, tops removed and roughly chopped
1 (16-ounce) container Cool Whip whipped cream, 1 cup removed and refrigerated
2 to 3 tablespoons strawberry-flavored gelatin
Whole strawberries for garnish
On a serving platter, place bottom half of cake. In a bowl, gently fold chopped strawberries, Cool Whip, and gelatin together with a spatula until mixture is light pink and gelatin is dissolved. Spread over top of bottom layer. Place top of cake on strawberry mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for several hours. When ready to serve, fill a piping bag with 1 cup of reserved Cool Whip and decorate cake as desired. Garnish with whole strawberries and serve chilled.
Yield: 10-12 servings
Sugar-Cream Glazed Angel Food Cake with Wedding Cookie Crumble
1 (9-inch) angel food cake (homemade or purchased is fine)
1½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon clear vanilla
1 cup cream, whipped
1 (12-ounce) box wedding cookies
Place angel food cake on a rimmed serving platter or cake plate. In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla until smooth. Using a ladle or spoon, drizzle glaze over cake, letting it puddle around cake. Chop half of cookies and sprinkle on top of cake. Press remaining cookies into sides of cake. Spoon whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Using gentle pressure, pipe cream around cake and on top as desired. Serve immediately or cover with foil or plastic wrap.
Yield: 10-12 servings