Tie Dyed Angel Food Cake Recipes

THE TIE DYE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans or line them with wax paper or parchment paper and butter the paper.
• Divide the Classic Vanilla Cake batter evenly among 5 small bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl--1 drop at a time--until the desired intensity of each color is reached. Scoop each color into a disposable pastry bag and snip the tip of the bag. I tie the ends of the pastry bags with plastic wrap or rubber bands to keep the batter in. Pipe the batter into the first pan, one color at a time, one over the next. (You could also use a spoon, but the pastry bags make this much easier.) Repeat with the remaining 2 pans.
• To make the tie dye effect, carefully drag a skewer completely through the batter from the center out to create a pattern with the colors. Don't overmix the colors.
• Bake until the middle of the cake feels springy when you gently press your finger against it, 35 to 40 minutes. Set the cakes aside to cool completely before icing.
• Level the cakes with a serrated knife. Place one layer on a cake turntable and frost the top with the Vanilla Icing. Add the second cake layer and frost the top. Place the third layer on top and cover the entire cake with a "crumb" coat of vanilla icing. I do a crumb coat--a thin layer of icing spread around the cake to seal in all the crumbs and ensure a neat finish. Unless it's a chocolate cake, the crumb coat is done with vanilla icing. It looks so clean and creates a nice blank canvas for decorating.
• Divide the Vanilla Glaze between 2 mixing bowls. Add pink food coloring to one bowl and blue food coloring to the other bowl--1 drop at a time--until the desired intensity of each color is reached. The food coloring will thin out the glaze a bit. You can always add more liquid, but you can't take it away. Working with an offset spatula, spread pink glaze over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides. Spread the blue glaze over the pink, but do not let it completely cover the pink. Finally, spoon more pink glaze onto the center of the cake top. Alternate the glazes just like you did with the batter. Use a skewer to pull the glaze from the center out to the edge and make the tie dye design. Work quickly before the glaze starts to dry.
• With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 1 minute on high speed, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the vanilla extract. While mixing at medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the edges of the bowl midway through.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture. When it's mostly incorporated, add half the milk. Add the remainder of the dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Stop mixing as soon as you have a smooth batter.
• With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the butter on high speed for 1 minute. Add the vanilla and whip just to incorporate.
• In a separate bowl, mix the confectioners' sugar and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the sugar mixture 1 cup at a time until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions. Whip on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it to the desired consistency.
• If not using within 10 minutes of mixing, cover the bowl with plastic wrap to keep the glaze from drying out. Store at room temperature.

THE BEST ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Have ready an ungreased 9 3/4-inch angelfood cake pan, preferably with a removable bottom, or use parchment or wax paper to line bottom of pan with nonremovable bottom.
• In a small bowl, combine flour with 3/4 cup sugar.
• Place remaining 3/4 cup sugar next to the mixer.
• Use a whisk to completely combine and aerate flour/sugar mixture.
• In a large, grease-free mixing bowl, beat egg whites at low speed until just broken up and beginning to froth.
• Add cream of tartar and salt and beat at medium speed until whites form very soft, billowy mounds.
• With the mixer still at medium speed, beat in 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all sugar is added and whites are shiny and form soft peaks.
• Add vanilla, lemon juice, and almond extract and beat until just blended.
• Place flour/sugar mixture in a sifter set over waxed paper.
• Sift flour mixture over egg whites about 3 tablespoons at a time, and gently fold it in, using a large rubber spatula, a large flat whisk, or your hand.
• Gently scrape batter into pan, smooth the top, and give pan a couple of raps on the counter to release any large air bubbles.
• Bake in lower third of oven for 50 to 60 minutes until cake is golden brown and the top springs back when pressed firmly.
• If cake pan has feet, invert pan onto them.
• If not, invert pan over the neck of a bottle so that air can circulate all around it.
• Allow to cool completely for 2 to 3 hours before removing from pan.
• To unmold, run a knife or thin spatula around edges, being careful not to dislodge the golden crust.
• Pull cake out of pan and cut the same way around removable bottom under the cake to release, or peel off parchment or wax paper, if used.
• Cool cake completely, bottom side up.
• When completely cold, cut slices by sawing gently with a serrated knife or pulling with a taut thread through the cake.
• Serve cake the same day or freeze overnight if serving the next day.
• (Cake may be frozen for up to 2 weeks, but will compress slightly.).

FIVE-SPICE ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH ORANGE CREME ANGLAISE-HOMEMADE

Steps:

• For cake: In bowl, sift together flour, five-spice powder and salt.
• Sift mixture a second time.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and extracts together at medium speed.
• Increase speed to high and continue to beat mixture until soft peaks form.
• Gradually add the sugar, beating until just before peaks are stiff.
• Egg white mixture should be glossy and smooth.
• Be careful not to over beat, or the cake will not be as tall.
• Fold half of the flour mixture into the egg white mixture with a rubber spatula.
• Then fold in the remaining flour mixture, being careful not to overwork the batter and knock the air out.
• Pour batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan and place on the middle oven rack.
• Bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
• For Creme Anglaise: Meanwhile, in a 2-quart pan over medium-high heat, combine the half-and-half, sugar and orange peel.
• Bring the mixture to a scald (just below the boiling point), then remove from heat and set aside for the flavors to steep for 30 minutes.
• Return the pan to heat and reheat to scalding.
• Back to Cake: Remove cake from oven and let stand for a few minutes before inverting onto a rack to cool; do not remove cake from pan yet.
• Back to Sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks.
• Add a ladle full of the scalded cream mixture to the yolks to temper them, whisking immediately.
• This is important or you will end up with scrambled eggs instead of a nice sauce.
• With heat at medium, add warmed yolks to pan, whisking constantly until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
• (Do not allow mixture to come to a boil.) Immediately pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
• Set the bowl into a larger bowl of ice water and allow it to cool.
• When cold, stir in the orange-flavored liqueur.
• Back to cake: When cake is completely cool, turn pan over and gently run a knife around the edges to loosen cake.
• Turn cake out onto a serving plate.
• Cut cake using a serrated knife and serve each piece atop a pool of creme anglaise.