Orange Drip Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is a classic dessert often served with berries and whipped cream. It is light and spongy and not so hard on the calorie intake. Varieties abound for the basic angel food cake. This is an orange flavored version that was inspired from a cooks country version. It is a great cake to serve for a brunch with a mimosas on the side to compliment the meal. We like the fact that some of the many egg yolks that remain from a traditional recipe get incorporated into the batter. It is always a challenge of what to do with 13 egg yolks. A great recipe for an spring brunch.

Recipe

1-2/3 cups (about 13) cold egg whites
6 egg yolks (slightly beaten)
3-1/2 oz. (1 cup) sifted cake flour
5 oz. (1-1/3 cups) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
3 tbps cream cheese (room temperature)
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Put six of the egg yolks in a small bowl. Set aside both bowls until the whites are slightly below room temperature, 60°F, about 1 hour.

Sift the cake flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Stir together and set aside for later use.

Once the egg whites have reached near room temperature whip the whites on medium-low speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar increasing the speed to medium and continue whipping until soft peaks form. In a slow, continuous stream, add the granulated sugar, whipping until the whites thicken and form soft, droopy peaks. Add the extracts and lemon zest near the end of the process. The mixture should be fluffy but not stiff.

Sprinkle one-quarter of the flour mixture over the whites and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the whites. Continue folding in the flour mixture, at a rate of about one-quarter at a time. Set aside 1/3 of the batter in a medium bowl and set aside.

Carefully pour the remaining batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.

Add the egg yolks and orange extract to the remaining batter gently folding into them mixture until you have a uniform yellowish orange color. Pour the batter into the tube pan. At this point you can leave the cake layered or take a spatula and gently pull it through the layers to incorporate a swirled blending.

Bake in the bottom third of the oven until the top is light golden and the cake feels spongy, about 45 to 50 min. Invert the pan onto the neck of a bottle or a funnel and let cool completely before removing from the pan. This is about 3 hours.

As the cake cools prepare the rich orange glaze. Whisk the cream cheese and orange juice concentrate in a medium bowl until well blended. Add the 1 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar slowly to the mix while whisking until no lumps remain.

To remove the cake from the pan, run a knife along the interior of the pan. Tilt the pan on its side and gently tap the bottom against the counter to loosen the cake further. Rotate the pan, tapping a few more times as you turn it, until the cake comes free from the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving plate.

Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake allowing it to form drips down the sided of the cake. To serve, use a serrated knife and cut with a gentle sawing motion. Top with sugared fruit, if you like but do that just before serving to avoid having the juices disturb the orange glaze finish. Oh and don’t forget the mimosa!