Cupid Cake
This is my take on an American Angel Food Cake, an extremely light and delicate sponge (due to the lack of fat). One of my earliest cake memories (so Proustian...) is eating an aerated, angel-white sponge in a shopping mall in the US. I was mesmerised - it was so different to the heavier, yellower sponge I was used to. I've had a thing for shop-bought, mass-produced, sickly sweet cakes ever since!
It's said that angel food cake sponge is "so light that angels could eat it and still fly without being weighted down." Cupid won't get weighted down either, even with my addition of freeze-dried raspberries which help to put a Valentine spin on this recipe. I've adapted and tweaked this cake for a UK audience. Note that I use much less sugar than Mary Berry recommends in her own recipe: this is consistent with the original US recipe. My passion fruit frosting is a celebration not only of Valentine's Day but also of the fruit itself, which is in season at this time of year. Choose the wrinkliest passion fruit you can find: they have the best flavour.
You will need an angel food cake tin for this recipe, which you should (counter-intuitively) leave UNgreased. A bundt tin may work, as long as the tin design isn't too intricate (which would make it difficult to release the cake from the pan).
I really can't recommend this cake enough; it's one of my all-time favourites. I was so pleased when it all came together in the testing stages, and I couldn't wait to share it with you. I hope you enjoy it with your loved ones.
Ingredients
For the cake
For the frosting
For the decoration
Equipment
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan), 180°C non fan. Sift the flour and half of the sugar (100g) together and put to one side.
This is my take on an American Angel Food Cake, an extremely light and delicate sponge (due to the lack of fat). One of my earliest cake memories (so Proustian...) is eating an aerated, angel-white sponge in a shopping mall in the US. I was mesmerised - it was so different to the heavier, yellower sponge I was used to. I've had a thing for shop-bought, mass-produced, sickly sweet cakes ever since!
It's said that angel food cake sponge is "so light that angels could eat it and still fly without being weighted down." Cupid won't get weighted down either, even with my addition of freeze-dried raspberries which help to put a Valentine spin on this recipe. I've adapted and tweaked this cake for a UK audience. Note that I use much less sugar than Mary Berry recommends in her own recipe: this is consistent with the original US recipe. My passion fruit frosting is a celebration not only of Valentine's Day but also of the fruit itself, which is in season at this time of year. Choose the wrinkliest passion fruit you can find: they have the best flavour.
You will need an angel food cake tin for this recipe, which you should (counter-intuitively) leave UNgreased. A bundt tin may work, as long as the tin design isn't too intricate (which would make it difficult to release the cake from the pan).
I really can't recommend this cake enough; it's one of my all-time favourites. I was so pleased when it all came together in the testing stages, and I couldn't wait to share it with you. I hope you enjoy it with your loved ones.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 10 egg whites
- 200g caster sugar
- 130g plain flour
- 1¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 6g freeze-dried raspberries (chopped into small pieces)
For the frosting
- 250g mascarpone
- 200g crème fraiche
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- Juice of 3 large passion fruit (use a sieve to extract the juice; keep the seeds for decoration)
For the decoration
- Seeds of 3 large passion fruit (left over from the juice)
- 1 extra passion fruit (seeds and juice)
- 4g dried raspberries
- Bronze crunch (Waitrose) or other sugar sprinkles
Equipment
- 25cm angel food cake tin (ungreased)
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan), 180°C non fan. Sift the flour and half of the sugar (100g) together and put to one side.
2. Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl for 1 minute until frothy.
3. Add the cream of tartar and salt to the eggs, and whisk again until soft peaks have formed.
4. Add the vanilla extract. Take the other half of the sugar (100g) and add it to the eggs: add a spoonful at a time, whisking between additions. Whisk the mixture until firm (not stiff) peaks form.
5. Sprinkle a tablespoonful of the flour-sugar mixture over the egg mixture and fold it in using a large metal spoon. Fold very carefully, trying not to knock the air out. Repeat until you’ve used up all the flour-sugar mixture. Then sprinkle in the raspberries and stir briefly. Run a sharp knife through the mixture to check no pockets of flour remain.
6. Pour the mixture carefully into the tin. Very important: do not grease the tin.
7. Bake for about 45 minutes at 160°C (fan), 180°C non fan, until golden brown.
8. Remove it from the oven and immediately invert the tin, so that the tin stands on its ‘feet’. Leave it to cool for about 1 hour.
9. Run a knife carefully around the edge of the tin and the core, to loosen and remove the cake from the tin. Once you’ve released the cake from the sides, run the knife under the loose bottom of the tin.
10. To make the frosting, whisk the mascarpone, crème fraiche, sugar and passion fruit juice together. Place the cake onto the serving plate and crumb coat it (cover it with a thin base layer of frosting to trap the crumbs). Then, cover the cake liberally with the rest of the frosting.
11. To decorate, spoon over passion fruit seeds, the extra passion fruit (seeds and juice), raspberries, and sugar sprinkles. Keep refrigerated until you're ready to serve.