Coconut Angel Food Cake
Submitted by tuthfary1
Coconut angel food cake folds shredded coconut into a fat-free egg-white batter, then frosts the cooled tube cake in seven-minute orange frosting and toasted coconut.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
3½READY
5 hrsAngel food cake is the cake that proves egg whites alone can do impressive things. No butter, no oil, no yolks. Just whipped whites, sugar, cake flour, and air, structured into a tall, snow-white cake with a crumb so light it almost squeaks under the knife. This version folds shredded coconut into the batter and finishes with a glossy orange frosting buried under toasted coconut.
Three habits separate a triumphant angel food cake from a deflated brick. First, sift the cake flour three times. Aerated flour folds in without crushing the meringue. Second, whip the whites to soft peaks before adding sugar, then build to stiff peaks. Adding sugar too early stops the foam from gaining volume. Third, cool the cake upside down hanging on a bottle neck. Gravity stretches the structure as it cools, preventing collapse.
The orange-juice meringue frosting (a seven-minute frosting) is the kind you cook over simmering water to 140F (60C) so the whites are safe and stable. It whips into glossy peaks that hold their shape on top of the toasted coconut shower.
Pro Tips
- Use superfine sugar, not regular granulated. It dissolves faster into the meringue and gives a smoother crumb.
- Don’t grease the tube pan. Angel food needs to cling to the sides as it rises and cools. Grease causes it to slide and shrink.
- Toast the coconut in a 350F (175C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once. It burns fast. Pull it the moment the edges turn golden.
Variations
- Add the zest of a whole lemon to the batter for a citrus-coconut combination.
- Substitute lemon juice for orange juice in the frosting for a sharper, more tart finish.
- Sandwich a layer of lemon curd between split halves of the cooled cake for a more complex dessert.
Ingredients
Directions
Onto a sheet of wax paper, sift the flour 3 times.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt until they are frothy.
Add the cream of tartar and beat to soft peaks. Beat in ½ cup sugar, a little at a time.
Add the vanilla and almond extract, and beat the whites to stiff peaks. Fold in the remaining ½ cup sugar, a little at a time.
Sift the flour over the whites in 4 batches, folding it in gently after each sifting. Fold in the coconut. Spoon batter into a 9-inch tube pan, 3½-inches deep.
Bake in the middle of a preheated 275℉ (140℃) oven for 3½ hours.
Hang the cake in the pan, upside down, on the neck of a bottle and let it cool for 90 to 120 minutes or until cooled completely.
Release the cake with a sharp knife, turn it out on a rack and invert it onto a cake plate.
In a metal bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg whites, zest, juice, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt.
Set the bowl over simmering water, and cook, whisking, until it registers 140 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
Remove pan from heat and whisk the mixture over the hot water for 3 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the water and, with an electric mixer, beat the frosting at high speed for 7 to 10 minutes or until it is cool and holds stiff peaks.
Spread top and sides of the cake with the frosting and coat the outside with the toasted coconut.
Comments
