tasty tuesday: angel food cake {from scratch} + 7-minute frosting + a happy new year!

Angel food cake is definitely a favorite around our house, especially for birthdays.  It's such a nice, light cake...and the little pops of colour you get once you cut it open just make me ridiculously happy.

We decided to pair this made-from-scratch angel food cake with 7-minute frosting.  If you've never had it before, then we highly recommend that you do!  This frosting is made mostly of egg whites, and a bit of sugar, and is wonderfully fluffy!

Angel Food Cake
from: Fayrene De Koker (allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of Egg Whites (approx. 10-12 eggs) - *it's important that your eggs are at room temperature before you start!
1 1/4 cups of Icing Sugar
1 cup of Flour
1 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Sugar

optional (but not really optional): 1 TBSP nonpareils (sprinkles) - to make your cake colourful!

Directions:
1)  First, separate the egg whites from the yolks, being careful that no yolk contaminates each egg white.  Make sure that you have 1 1/2 cups of egg whites, and place in a mixing bowl.
2)  Next, in a separate bowl, sift your icing sugar and flour together three times, and set aside.
3)  Add cream of tartar, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt to the egg whites.  Beat on high speed, and gradually add in sugar.  Mix until all of the sugar is dissolved, and stiff peaks have formed.
4)  Very gently, fold in flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time.  Then fold in nonpareils!
5)  Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
6)  Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
7)  Immediately invert pan onto a cooling rack, and let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan.

When adding in the sprinkles, be sure not to stir your batter TOO much....otherwise their colour will start to run!

Our cake browned extremely quickly, so we placed a square of tin foil over the top to keep it from overbrowning!

7-minute Frosting
from: Company's Coming: Cakes - Jean Pare

Ingredients:
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1/3 cup Cold Water
1 1/2 tsp Light Corn Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:
1)  Set up a double boiler (ie. one pot sits on the burner with a bit of boiling water, and another pot/metal bowl sits on top of it.) and bring water to a rapid boil.
2)  In your top pot/bowl mix together egg whites, sugar, water, and corn syrup until well mixed.
3)  Place it over boiling water, and beat constantly on high for 7 minutes, or until the frosting will stand in peaks when the beaters are raised.
4)  Remove from heat, and beat in vanilla.
5)  Immediately frost your cake, as this frosting will set very quickly.

We used an offset spatula, and a plain butter knife to ice our cake....and used swoopy motions to give it a bit of texture!

We also chose to decorate it with the sweetest edible gold stars, which I'm totally in love with.

Today has been a wonderful beginning to the new year, as Jordyn and I got to bake together, and then had some dear friends over for supper and games!  The cake was a hit, and we hope you will give it a go yourself!

p.s.  ♥ kelsey & jordyn