Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Grandma's Angel Food Cake

My grandma was born in 1912, grandpa in 1910, they got married in 1928, had six kids, several grandchildren and even greatgrandchildren. They would be almost 100 years old if they were alive. I think about them almost every day. I still remember my grandma calling my name and coming towards our home, with trembling hands, holding a plate to share something she had cooked for lunch. One of Grandma's specialties was this cake, that was beaten every Saturday using her hands, without a mixer. Grandma served it plain with coffee only and me too, until my oldest son's birthday, when I decided to add a milk caramel as filling and a whipped topping and he said it was his favorite cake ever. Needless to say that besides love as the main ingredient, this recipe carries sweet memories and it has been in the family for over half a century!

Grandma's angel food cake
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 cup water

This cake does not take baking powder.

1) Preheat the oven 350º F/180o C. Grease a 12 inch/30 cm deep round pan.

2) With an electric mixer at high speed, beat egg whites with one dash cream of tartar or salt until they form soft peaks. Gradually beat in sugar, egg yolks, water and flour until just combined.

3) Pour batter into greased round pan. Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven immediately, cool on a rack. Garnish as desired.

More ideas:
- For filling, use milk caramel and whipped cream as a topping. Add strawberries and blueberries.
- Add fresh orange juice to the batter instead of water.
- Drizzle cake in pan while still hot with a sweet orange glaze.

14 comments:

Abby said...

What a sweet story and a beautiful cake, too!

Patricia Scarpin said...

One just can't go wrong with a cake filled with dulce de leche, Cris - fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Oh my god!! THIS is what I need to do with the rest of my dulce de leche! What a gorgeous cake, and I am utterly jealous of your perfect little strawberries!

Thistlemoon said...

Taht is such a sweet post, Cris. I think about my grandparents everyday too, and cooking my grandmother's recipes really feels special! I am sure she would have been proud of this beautiful cake and what a fabulous cook you have become!

Anonymous said...

I have never seen an angel food cake look so beautiful! Love the story and the cake.

Julie said...

I love angel food cake, my mother would sometimes make it for my birthday and layer it with lemon pudding and whipped cream.

Minik Kus said...

You are very lucky to have such a great grandma. I didn't have a chance to see my grandparents :( Cake looks so delicious!

Unknown said...

Angel food cake is in my top 5 favorite desserts! I've never seen one in a round pan, all the ones I've seen are in a tube pan. This is beautiful! And I bet that hte caramel with it is delicious.

Unknown said...

Cake looks yummo yumm :)

Nicole said...

Wow! This looks so good. Im not much of a baker, but I've bookmarked this as Must try! Great blog!

Αρχοντία said...

I love this recipe - I'll try it tomorrow!!

Anonymous said...

Hi! I know it's an old post post but I hope you'll see my comment. I'd like to know when you add the water to the batter. Thank you a lot! Claudia

Cris said...

Hi Claudia! My fault, forgot to mention, after you add the egg yolks, continue beating, and add the water. Thanks for the heads up, will update the post.

Anonymous said...

Hi Cris! Thank you very much for the answer! I'll try this cake soon...I'm from Italy and I've never tasted it!