Baking and Decorating An Angel Food Cake

For my mom’s birthday we baked an Angel Food cake out of the Baking book.

We had family the Sunday morning before my mom’s birthday (her birthday was on the Monday) and we had friends for supper so my mom suggested we bake the Angel Food cake

Angel Food cake, which is sponge cake made only with egg whites (no yolks), must be baked in an ungreased tube pan.

It can be made with a handheld mixer, but a stand mixer makes it easier.

Here is the recipe:

Makes one 9-inch tube cake

15 egg whites (2 cups)

Pinch of cream of tartar, unless using a copper bowl

1 cup sugar (we used Xylitol)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 3/4 cups spelt flour (or 1 1/4 cup cake flour)

Preheat the oven to180 C or 350 F.

TIP:
Separate the eggs like this:

Hit with a metal spatula or knife, quick not to soft or to hard

Like this

Carefully open the egg

Let the egg white fall in a small plate, do NOT let the egg yolk fall in too.
When egg yolk mixed with egg white, the fat in the egg yolk, will prevent the egg white to stiffen when beaten.

Beat the egg white and cream of tartar (if using) with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, with a handheld mixer for about 8 minutes, or until medium peaks form.

Add the sugar (or Xylitol) in a steady stream and beat for about 2 minutes more in a stand mixer, or 5 minutes more with a handheld mixer, or until medium to stiff peaks form. Don’t over beat it-its better to under beat the egg whites slightly than to over beat them.

Sprinkle the lemon juice over the egg white mixture

And sift over the flour.

Alternate between adding flour-about one-forth at a time-and folding until the flour is no longer visible.

Carefully transfer the batter to the ungreased tube pan.

We had too much batter for our tube pan, so we put the excess batter in another cake pan.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a paring knife or skewer comes out clean and the top of the cake feels firm and spring back to the touch.

Turn the tube pan upside down and set over the neck of a bottle to cool, for 45 minutes. Our tube pan has three little pieces of metal which extend above the top of the pan, so that you do not have to set it over the neck of a bottle.

To remove the cake from the tube pan, roll it on its side and slide a knife or small spatula around the inside of the tube pan against the outside wall and around the tube in the middle. Invert the cake onto a cake rake and lift off the cake pan.
We had quite a challenge getting the cake out of the normal round cake pan, but we managed!

For decorating, we made a Butter Cream Filling and Dark Chocolate Ganache.

First spread a thin layer of butter cream over the Angel Food cake, and put it in the fridge to harden, for at least 4 hours.
Make sure you put on a very thin layer Butter Cream, because this is what can happen with a thick layer:

The butter cream melted and the slightly warm chocolate ganache kept falling off. (See the middle)

Chocolate Ganache

When it’s hot, Ganache has a consistency of rich chocolate sauce; when cold, it sets into a firm glaze. For this reason, Ganache can be used both as a sauce and as a glaze for cakes.

When Ganache is whipped, it becomes fluffy and pale and makes a perfect frosting.

Recipe:

Makes 1 ¾ cups or 2 cups when whipped, enough for 2 layers

225g (8 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.

Bring the cream to a simmer.

And pour it over the chocolate.
Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, or long enough to melt the chocolate.

Stir the ganache with a rubber spatula for 1 minute and then switch to a whisk and stir until smooth and the consistency of sour cream. If you are using the ganache to ice a cake, let it cool for 4 or 5 minutes before you use it (or set it over an ice water bath to cool quickly), so it thickens and adheres better to the cake. If you are using it as sauce, use it right away.

Put it on a cake rake under a site pan and start decorating the cake.

Here is the cake we baked in the normal cake pan with the excessive batter and it was just as pretty.

Bon Appetite!

Friday Sketchers Challenges

Hello every one, I can’t belief it’s Thursday again and time for another Friday Sketchers Challenges.

Here is the lovely lay out by Claudia

And my card

This card is a Happy Birthday card.
I like having a birthday card for when I don’t have time to make a card (I only have Monday nights and some time in afternoons for making cards)

The ribbon is clear. I just glued a strip of blue paper underneath so it looks like a blue and white ribbon, and the flowers are the same ones I’ve used in my previous card.

The handmade photo-corners was my dad’s idea (my dad always take the photos of my card) and he was right, the corners gave the card a finishing touch!

I glittered the magnolia girl’s hair bow, the eyelet of the tag and the bottom of the dress with red glitter.

I like adding cards to my ‘card collection’ in my scrapbook bag, for when I’ll need a card.

Crafty Greetings

LLATL Lapbook Part 2

 Hello every one, I hope you are all well!

As I said before my siblings and I are home schooled by our lovely mother.

We are doing Lapbooking. Lapbooking is like a file with lots of folds with information in, and I have just finished my second part of LLATL Red book.(click here for the first part)

 The front page

 When you open, these are the first 2 pages

 

 The top of page 1

Top of page 1, but all the folds are opened.

Page 2

Page 2 with all the folds opened.

When you turn page 2 over, you’ll find pages 3 and 4.

 Page 3 with all the folds closed

Page 3 with all the folds opened

Page 4 with all the folds closed

Page 4 with all the folds opened

And here are some of my favourite folds:

I’ve cut out the letters with my Silhouette machine.

This is a very interesting way to show our school work and a good way for me to refresh the work I’ve done. You can do it at any age.

Danika (6 years), Andrew (4 years) and David (3 years) are also doing Lapbooking. They have just finished their weather lapbooks.

Josua and I have also finished our weather lapbooks, our’s are just more advanced.

Crafty Greetings

Friday Sketchers Challenges

Here is another Friday Sketchers Challenges that I did. The sketch host for this week is Carole.

There is no title on this card, so I can use it for anyone or anything.

The 8th card I made was also non-specific. Last week my ballet teacher called, to inform us there will be no ballet for Danika and me that day, because she was sick!

So my mom suggested we give her the card and flowers (my mom would buy and deliver it while she did the weekly shopping that afternoon)

My teacher was so glad that we drove especially and drop it of for her!

It is so nice to have a card at hand that you can give to anyone anytime.

This is the lay out for this week’s sketch.

I bought the paper in a Scrapbook shop in Durban, when my dad and I when to Durban last week.

My dentist in Durban does braces differently than the usual braces, so when I go for a check-up (every 2-3 months) my dad and I have a look in the lovely Scrapbook shop there.

The flowers I once bought at a Scrapbook shop near Tygervalley Centre. I absolutely loved them and when I wanted to go buy more, they didn’t have!

This week my mom went to a stationary shop to buy craft paper for the little ones, and there she found all the different colours of that same flowers.

So my mom bought a lot.
I think its lovely.

I decided to use one of my Sugar Nelly stamps, and this one just fit perfect!

My card needed a finishing touch, so I made a bow with the ribbon.

Crafty Greetings

Making a fruit juice with breakfast

Every morning I make a fruit juice for our family with our Oscar machine.

You can put in any fruit.

We used only organic fruit and vegetables.
I always use carrot as the main ingredient and to “clean the machine.” And it gives the juice a nice colour and taste.

Our most popular juice is a basic juice with apple and carrot.

Currently we have a wide variety of organic fruit and vegetables.
Here is a special variety I’ve made (600 ml):

Half a pineapple

1 mango

2 big plums

A few carrots

2 peaches

Cut every thing to fit in the machine.

Make sure your using the blade with the silver.

NOT this one.

Start putting the fruit through the Oscar machine, last the carrot.

You could use another juice machine, but the Oscar works best for us.
First clean up your mess and then serve

Bon appetite!