Taste Test #1: Chocolate Angel Food Cake

I’m not a fan of baking with Splenda.  I bought the “measurable” Splenda and was somewhat grossed out (as was Grace) by the fact that it bubbles when you spoon it into any liquid– kinda creeped me out about using it for baking.  Nevertheless, one of my goals for a healthier diet is to find a few tasty recipes for “lightened” bake goods that do a decent job of mimicking the real thing.  I know the applesauce substitution does not go over well with the boys; their palate picks it up right away, so I’m sticking with sugar and butter, but will hopefully find recipes that use less of both, particularly butter.

When I mentioned this to my HealthBuddies on MFP (MyFitnessPal), Jacki suggested angel food cake.  That’s a cake with absolutely no fat, and, despite the sugar, it’s a good alternative to ANY of my cakes (the chocolate snacking cake), which are prime candidates for Paula Deen’s show.  I responded that I would google to see if there was a chocolate version; in the past the mention of “angel food cake?” elicited absolutely no response from the guys– the suggestion was so bad, they weren’t going to validate it with a response!

With cocoa, there’s a bit of fat, but I’m OK with that; compared to the chocolate snacking cake with its two cups of sour cream, almost a cup of butter, and two eggs, the angel food cake is way better!  Thankfully, there were several hits for “chocolate angel food cake,” so I’m testing this one, from Joy of Baking, today.

Here’s how I made it:

I had leftover egg whites which measured just under 1 1/2 cups.  I whisked the cake flour, half the sugar, the cocoa and salt in one bowl,

and placed the eggs in the bowl of my trusty KA stand mixer.

I think it’s best to use a stand mixer for whipping the egg whites because of the volume.  Beat whites until frothy,

then add the cream of tartar.

Continue whipping the egg whites til you have soft peaks, like this:

Then add the sugar a little at a time; if you add it all at once, it won’t incorporate well into the whites.

Beat til you have stiff peaks, like this:

Then add the cocoa/flour mixture in four parts; the recipe says to sift it over the egg whites, but I just sprinkled it.  I also used the whisk attachment to mix; it deflates the whites less than a rubber spatula.

Well, I forgot something– the vanilla!

Pour the batter into the tube pan (two piece) and use a metal icing spatula to cut through any air pockets.

Use a spoon or rubber spatula to smooth out the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.  I baked mine for 38 minutes and it looked like this:

Invert the pan over a wine bottle (my pan has prongs along the rim, so I can just invert mine right on the counter) and let the cake cool, undisturbed, for 1 1/2 hours.

After the cake has cooled, run a thin sharp knife around the edge and core,

then push the bottom of the pan to remove the cake.

Run the knife around the bottom to loosen the cake from the bottom piece of the pan, and place it on a cake plate.

I can’t wait to see what the guys think.  Although you can serve it like regular angel food cake (with whipped cream and berries), I think I’ll just have them try it “as is.”

Afterthoughts:

Well, Ken came home and he convinced me not to wait for Kurt (he really had to twist my arm- not).  Ken LOVES it.  He said “It has sweetness, but it’s not over-sweet.  And it’s chocolatey.”  YEAH!  Up next:  Low-Fat Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies