Chocolate Angel Cake

This was our special family cake. My mother baked it only for our birthdays. She persuaded a friend to teach me how to drive by promising him one of these. It’s trouble, but worth it.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees

11 egg whites (room temperature
--out of refrigerator for at least one hour)

1 1/4 cups sugar - sifted 5 times

3/4 cup cake flour - sifted 5 times

1/4 cup cocoa- added to flour and sifted five times

1/4 teaspoon salt - sifted with flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip egg whites until they are frothy. Add cream of tartar.

Beat at medium speed until whites form soft peaks. Add sugar gradually while beating until whites are thickened and soft droopy peaks form. Beat in vanilla.

Fold in flour, cocoa, salt mixture with a rubber spatula 1/4 at a time. Fold gently, just enough to blend, or the cake will be tough. Pour into an un-greased angel cake pan.* Shake pan gently to remove air and level batter.

Bake at 325 degrees. Done when cake retracts a bit from pan and springs back when touched lightly--45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely, upside down in pan.

To remove, run tip of knife around outer edge of pan and middle and invert over cake plate.

ICING

Chill bowl you will whip cream in and keep it in larger bowl of ice and water while icing cake.

3 half-pints of whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa, dissolved in a little hot water

Add sugar and cocoa and whip until cream holds shape.

ASSEMBLY

Cool cake in refrigerator. Cut across twice, making three layers. Brush away loose crumbs. Place pieces of waxed paper under edge of cake to keep plate clean while icing.

Ice between layers, on top and sides with whipped cream

Refrigerate in covered cake holder. Serves 12

The best cake I ever remember eating

*Don’t use an angel food cake pan that has ever been greased, no matter how thoroughly washed. The cake will not rise (or that’s what I was told)