Recipes

[Beebee2]

I was going through a very old handwritten recipe book of my grandmother's and ran across a reference to peppermint angel food cake, so I googled and voila! I copied it for my files, and thought someone here might like it, too. It really would be a perfect refreshing light summer dessert.

The fluffy icing is virtually fat free, too, as is the cake. We often do the angel food cake/strawberries for summer, but this would be nice. Just the icing-free cake would be nice with a scoop of peppermint ice cream. When I couldn't find peppermint ice cream, I softened 1/2 gallon of finest quality vanilla and mixed in 1 cup of crushed peppermint candy, the 'starlight' discs, not candy canes which are too soft for adding to ice cream. Just a little spot of chocolate sauce wouldn't be too much, would it?

Peppermint Angel Food Cake

1 c sifted cake flour
1 c sifted confectioners' sugar
1 2/3 c egg whites, about 12
1 1/2 t cream of tartar
1/4 t salt
1 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 t peppermint extract
red food coloring, about 10 to 12 drops

Sift together the cake flour and confectioners' sugar 4 times.

Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry. Beat in sugar, no more than 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 4 parts, folding about 12 to 16 strokes with each addition.

Divide batter in half. Fold vanilla into half of the batter. Fold peppermint into other half, along with enough red food coloring to make it a nice deep pink.

Drop batter by alternate spoonfuls into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bull a narrow metal spatula or butter knife through the batter and swirl gently. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cake should bounce back when lightly touched with finger. Cool cake inverted then frost with Pink Peppermint Frosting.

For Pink Peppermint Frosting:
Prepare Seven Minute Frosting or Fluffy White Frosting, adding 2 drops of peppermint extract, then tint with red food coloring to desired color. To give the frosting a marbled look, tint about 1/2 cup of the pink frosting with more red food coloring to make it darker pink, then swirl over first layer of frosting on the cake.

Diana Rattray
About.com Guide

Fluffy White Frosting

Use this frosting for just about any cake. This recipe will make enough to frost 2 layers.
Ingredients:

2 egg whites
1 1/2 c sugar
1/8 t salt
1/3 c water
2 t light corn syrup
1 t vanilla extract
*2 drops peppermint extract for peppermint angel food cake, and
red food coloring; tint as desired

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in the top of a double boiler over boiling water. Beat with electric mixer for about 7 minutes, or until mixture will stand in stiff peaks. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.