Brown Sugar Angel Food Cake
Submitted by ProlificPuncher
This brown sugar angel food cake swaps plain white sugar for molasses-rich brown sugar, giving each cloud-soft slice a deep caramel flavor. Light, fat-free, and whipped to tall, airy perfection from a dozen egg whites.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
120 minForget everything you know about plain angel food cake.
This version trades ordinary white sugar for two full cups of firmly packed brown sugar, and the result is a tall, impossibly light cake with a warm caramel undertone that’ll have you slicing seconds before the first piece hits the plate.
The technique is classic: whip egg whites to stiff peaks, fold in sifted cake flour, and let the oven do the rest.
What’s not classic is that gorgeous toffee-colored crumb and the way it perfumes your whole kitchen.
Pro Tips
- Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature before whipping. Cold whites won’t reach their full volume.
- Fold the flour mixture in four separate additions and stop the moment you can’t see dry streaks. Over-folding deflates the batter.
- Invert the pan immediately after baking and let it cool completely (at least an hour) before removing. This prevents the cake from collapsing under its own weight.
- A dusting of powdered sugar is all you need, but a salted caramel drizzle takes this over the top.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Have an ungreased 10-inch tube pan at hand.
Combine cake flour and 1 cup brown sugar.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until foamy.
Gradually add second cup of brown sugar.
Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Add vanilla; blend well.
Divide flour-brown sugar mixture into 4 portions.
Use a large rubber spatula to fold each portion in separately; gently lift meringue up and roll it over onto itself.
Fold JUST until no traces of dry ingredients can be seen.
Gently push batter into pan.
With a long, sharp knife, make 5 or 6 vertical cuts through batter to get rid of large air pockets.
Bake 45 minutes, or until top of cake springs back after it is lightly touched with a finger.
As soon as cake is removed from the oven, IMMEDIATELY invert pan.
If pan does not have legs, place the center tube over the neck of a large, heavy bottle.
Do not remove from pan until cake is COMPLETELY cool.
Takes at least an hour.
Dust with sifted powdered sugar, or frost with a favorite icing.
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