Angel Cake with Mocha Butter Cream

Angel food cake is one of those old-school baking feats that looks fancy but runs on a short ingredient list. Ten egg whites whipped to stiff peaks, cake flour sifted with powdered sugar, and careful folding produce a tall, cloud-light cake with zero butter or oil in the batter itself.

The mocha buttercream is the counterpoint. Softened butter beaten with instant coffee, sifted cocoa powder, and powdered sugar creates a frosting that’s rich, bittersweet, and intensely flavored. Spread between layers and around the outside, it gives the airy cake the weight and depth it needs.

Folding is where angel food cake lives or dies. Sift the flour mixture over the whites in three batches and fold gently with a spatula, cutting down through the center and sweeping up the sides. Rush it or stir too hard and you’ll knock out all the air you just whipped in.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a completely dry, grease-free bowl for the egg whites. Even a trace of fat prevents stiff peaks.
• Do not grease the tube pan. The batter needs to cling to the sides as it rises, or it’ll collapse.
• Cool the cake upside down in the pan (most tube pans have feet for this). Gravity keeps it from deflating.
• Sift all dry ingredients twice. Angel food cake is unforgiving with lumps.

Variations

• Skip the mocha frosting and dust with powdered sugar for a simpler, lighter presentation.
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract to the batter for more flavor in the cake itself.
• Use espresso powder instead of instant coffee in the buttercream for a stronger, more refined coffee flavor.