mocha chip angel food cake

 

I like angel food cake a lot.  I love the light, squishy, sweet cake with the slightly crusty top.  As much as I like it I have never made it from scratch.  The recipe does not look overly difficult although inverting the pan right out of the oven seemed out of the box for me.  The issue was the 12 egg whites.  That is a whole lot of left over yokes.  I surely could make ice cream but, with 12 yolks that is still a whole lot of ice cream.  I am not phased by recipes with 4 sticks of butter but, the 12 whites really deterred me.  In need of a lighter dessert coming off the fourth of July food fest I got over my fear and dove right in.  The result was delicious.  The addition of the mocha flavoring and the chips made this slightly denser then your standard angel food cake.  Now that I think of it I am not the best folder and I could have lost some air during my scoop, incorporate, scoop, incorporate portion of the recipe.  The recipe had a mocha ganache to drizzle over the top but, we did not feel like this cake needed it.  The mocha flavor and the chips really bring a new twist on a classic.  The mocha ganache and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream would make this simple cake something special.

mocha chip angel food cake

source: everyday food

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
12 large egg whites, room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup cake flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a small bowl, stir together espresso powder, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water until powder dissolves.

Using the whisk attachment beat egg whites on medium-high until foamy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form, 4 minutes. Continue to beat, gradually adding sugar, until stiff glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes.

Place cake flour and salt in a fine-mesh sieve and sift over egg-white mixture in three additions, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition. Gently fold in espresso mixture and chocolate chips. 

Gently spoon batter into an ungreased angel-food cake pan with a removable bottom. With a knife, cut through batter to release air bubbles, then smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed, 30 to 35 minutes.

Invert pan on a baking sheet; let cake cool in pan, 1 hour. Run a thin knife around pan and tube, then unmold cake.