For everything a mother does year after year, it can be very difficult to decide on the perfect gift to show our love and appreciation. Flowers, chocolate, champagne and pamper days are all great ways of making our mothers feel special, but nothing quite says 'Thank you' like a home baked Angel Food Cake.
With its cloudlike, white and fluffy texture, the Angel Food Cake is said to be fit for an angel - perfect for this special day! The soft, fine texture of this delightful cake is created by using egg whites to lift and bind the ingredients, instead of butters or oils, making it virtually fat-free.
The Angel Food Cake also has an interesting background, worthy of recognition. research suggests the Angel Food Cake was originally baked by African slaves back in the 1800's and some of the early recipes for the Angel Food Cake can be traced back to Southern Pennsylvania. It is here that culinary archaeologists have discovered an abundance of Bundt cake styled pans, typically used for baking Angel food cake, indicating that the cake originated in this area.
Pennsylvania was also known to be a slaveholding colony, and although not as deeply invested as its Southern American and Caribbean counterparts , its slave population increased shortly after independence to more than 6,800. Throughout America and the Caribbean, slaves were typically laboured in construction and agriculture. Those enslaved to work as part of an agricultural unit, were often grouped again into experiences of field and house slaves, with women and young children being used as cooks, servants and housemaids. Abby Fisher was one such woman, who, born in 1832 in South Carolina, spent most of her life as a slave in plantation kitchens, where she honed in on her culinary skills and became a phenomenal cook. At the end of the civil war Abby and her family gained their freedom and settled in San Francisco, where Abby's talents were in high demand amongst the city's upper class. Her love for her African background, combined with her adopted American culture meant that she created the perfect blend of flavours and spices in her dishes. Eventually with the help of friends and family, Abby succeeded in recording her recipes and went on to publish 'What Mrs Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking' in 1881.
As well as traditional southern dishes (Oyster Gumbo Soup, Okra Gumbo and Corn Fritters), Abby's cookbook also included great sweet recipes. The Angel Food Cake made one of its early appearances in Abby Fishers very own cookbook, where it is referred to as 'Silver Cake'.
Sources suggest the link between The Angel Food Cake and African American Slaves was especially down to the sheer manpower needed to transform egg whites from a liquid form into a dense foam. To achieve this desired consistency by hand, the egg whites needed to be whipped for at least 15 to 20 crippling minutes, before the other ingredients could be added.
Having a cake such as this when hosting dinner parties became a show of status and wealth amongst slave owners. Presenting this cake meant that one was able to not only pay for a team of cooks, but also for surplus labour dedicated solely for the purpose of whipping the egg whites.
Whilst a lot has changed since then, we can now appreciate exactly how much work went into creating the beautiful flavours , light textures and heavenly appearance of this cake. Thanks to Abby Fisher and others like her , there are now many different recipes available for this cake. Why not try our favourite one below:
Ingredients:
10 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
250g (9oz) caster sugar
125g (4 1/2 oz) plain white flour sifted
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 180c (350f, gas mark 4). Whist the egg whites in a large bowl until foamy. sprinkle the cream of tartar and the vanilla and almond extracts over them and continue whisking until the mixture is stiff but not dry.
2. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously: the mixture should be shiny and form soft peaks.
3. Fold the flour in with a metal spoon, blending it thoroughly without breaking down the egg whites.
4. Spoon the mixture into an ungreased 23cm (9 in) ring-shaped cake tin; If you do not have one, use a round cake tine and put an empty can upside-down in the centre to make the hole. Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and feels dry.
5. To cool the cake, leave in the tin and turn upside-down, supporting the centre column of the cake tin, or the empty tin on a jar so that the cake is not resting on anything and can 'stretch' downwards. Leave it to cool for at least 1 hour 30 minutes.
6. To take the cake out of the tin, run a knife around its outside and turn it upside-down onto a plate.
7. decorate as desired
Image sourced from:
http://www.bhg.com/recipes/desserts/cakes/elegant-easy-cakes/?sssdmh=dm17.684851&esrc=nw100d13_3_d15_093013#page=14
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/403072235369646080/
Recipe sourced from:
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/3847/angel-food-cake.aspx
Blog content sourced from:
http://www.cakespy.com/blog/2012/2/29/heaven-sent-a-history-of-angel-food-cake.html
http://www.culinaryschools.com/history-of-angel-food-cake
http://pacivilwar150.com/understand/slaveryandfreedom
http://www.historyonthenet.com/Slave_Trade/how_slaves_lived.htm
With its cloudlike, white and fluffy texture, the Angel Food Cake is said to be fit for an angel - perfect for this special day! The soft, fine texture of this delightful cake is created by using egg whites to lift and bind the ingredients, instead of butters or oils, making it virtually fat-free.
The Angel Food Cake also has an interesting background, worthy of recognition. research suggests the Angel Food Cake was originally baked by African slaves back in the 1800's and some of the early recipes for the Angel Food Cake can be traced back to Southern Pennsylvania. It is here that culinary archaeologists have discovered an abundance of Bundt cake styled pans, typically used for baking Angel food cake, indicating that the cake originated in this area.
Pennsylvania was also known to be a slaveholding colony, and although not as deeply invested as its Southern American and Caribbean counterparts , its slave population increased shortly after independence to more than 6,800. Throughout America and the Caribbean, slaves were typically laboured in construction and agriculture. Those enslaved to work as part of an agricultural unit, were often grouped again into experiences of field and house slaves, with women and young children being used as cooks, servants and housemaids. Abby Fisher was one such woman, who, born in 1832 in South Carolina, spent most of her life as a slave in plantation kitchens, where she honed in on her culinary skills and became a phenomenal cook. At the end of the civil war Abby and her family gained their freedom and settled in San Francisco, where Abby's talents were in high demand amongst the city's upper class. Her love for her African background, combined with her adopted American culture meant that she created the perfect blend of flavours and spices in her dishes. Eventually with the help of friends and family, Abby succeeded in recording her recipes and went on to publish 'What Mrs Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking' in 1881.
As well as traditional southern dishes (Oyster Gumbo Soup, Okra Gumbo and Corn Fritters), Abby's cookbook also included great sweet recipes. The Angel Food Cake made one of its early appearances in Abby Fishers very own cookbook, where it is referred to as 'Silver Cake'.
Sources suggest the link between The Angel Food Cake and African American Slaves was especially down to the sheer manpower needed to transform egg whites from a liquid form into a dense foam. To achieve this desired consistency by hand, the egg whites needed to be whipped for at least 15 to 20 crippling minutes, before the other ingredients could be added.
Having a cake such as this when hosting dinner parties became a show of status and wealth amongst slave owners. Presenting this cake meant that one was able to not only pay for a team of cooks, but also for surplus labour dedicated solely for the purpose of whipping the egg whites.
Whilst a lot has changed since then, we can now appreciate exactly how much work went into creating the beautiful flavours , light textures and heavenly appearance of this cake. Thanks to Abby Fisher and others like her , there are now many different recipes available for this cake. Why not try our favourite one below:
Ingredients:
10 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
250g (9oz) caster sugar
125g (4 1/2 oz) plain white flour sifted
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 180c (350f, gas mark 4). Whist the egg whites in a large bowl until foamy. sprinkle the cream of tartar and the vanilla and almond extracts over them and continue whisking until the mixture is stiff but not dry.
2. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously: the mixture should be shiny and form soft peaks.
3. Fold the flour in with a metal spoon, blending it thoroughly without breaking down the egg whites.
4. Spoon the mixture into an ungreased 23cm (9 in) ring-shaped cake tin; If you do not have one, use a round cake tine and put an empty can upside-down in the centre to make the hole. Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and feels dry.
5. To cool the cake, leave in the tin and turn upside-down, supporting the centre column of the cake tin, or the empty tin on a jar so that the cake is not resting on anything and can 'stretch' downwards. Leave it to cool for at least 1 hour 30 minutes.
6. To take the cake out of the tin, run a knife around its outside and turn it upside-down onto a plate.
7. decorate as desired
Image sourced from:
http://www.bhg.com/recipes/desserts/cakes/elegant-easy-cakes/?sssdmh=dm17.684851&esrc=nw100d13_3_d15_093013#page=14
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/403072235369646080/
Recipe sourced from:
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/3847/angel-food-cake.aspx
Blog content sourced from:
http://www.cakespy.com/blog/2012/2/29/heaven-sent-a-history-of-angel-food-cake.html
http://www.culinaryschools.com/history-of-angel-food-cake
http://pacivilwar150.com/understand/slaveryandfreedom
http://www.historyonthenet.com/Slave_Trade/how_slaves_lived.htm