Cooking

Classic Angel Food Cake

Filed Under: Cooking

Classic Angel Food Cake

  • 1 cup sifted cake flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar — divided
  • 12 large egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  1. Preheat oven to 325°.
  2. To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and 3/4 cup sugar, stirring with a whisk.
  3. Place egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form. Add 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla, juice, and almond extract.
  4. Place egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form. Add 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla, juice, and almond extract. Sift 1/4 cup flour mixture over egg white mixture; fold in. Repeat with remaining flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time.
  5. Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, spreading evenly. Break air pockets by cutting through the batter with a knife. Bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan; cool completely. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula. Invert the cake onto a plate.
  6. Nutty: For nut lovers; fold 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted nuts–such as almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts–into the batter with the flour.
  7. Chocolate glazed: Whisk together 3 tablespoons unsweeetened cocoa, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and about 3 tablespoons water or cold coffee. Drizzle over cooled cake.
  8. Chocolate malt: Add 2 tablespoons malted milk powder and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to the flour mixture.
  9. Citrus-glazed: Whisk together 2 tablespoons lime, lemon, orange juice and 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake.
  10. Ice cream: Cut the cake horizontally into 3 layers, then spread each layer with cup of softened ice cream or sorbet. Reassemble the cake, then freeze it until ready to serve.
  11. Orange: Fold 2 tablespoons grated orange peel and 1 teaspoon orange extract into the batter.
  12. Pink Peppermint: Add 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring to the batter and fold in 1/4 cup finely crushed hard peppermint candies.
  13. Spiced: Add 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice to the flour mixture.

Chocolate Pudding

Filed Under: Cooking

Chocolate Pudding

  • 2 1/2 cups fat-free milk (divided)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 Tbs cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 tsp butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5 oz semisweet chocolate (chopped)
  1. Place 2 cups milk in a medium, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine remaining 1/2 cup milk and egg yolks, stirring well with a whisk. Add egg yolk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring well. Gradually add half of hot milk to egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate, stirring until melted.
  2. Spoon pudding into a bowl. Place bowl in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until pudding is cool, stirring occasionally. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap; chill.

Chocolate Sabayon Pie

Filed Under: Cooking

Chocolate Sabayon Pie

  • 10 Ozs Chocolate (Unsweetened, melted)
  • 6 Tbs Water
  • 2 Egg Yolk
  • 1 Tbs Sugar
  • 3 Tbs Creme De Cacao
  • 2 Tbs Dark Rum
  • 1 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 10- inch Baked Tart Shell
  • Whipped Cream (0ptional)
  1. Combine the chocolate and water in a saucepan. Place in a skillet of barely simmering water and heat, stirring as necessary, until chocolate melts.
  2. Meanwhile, put the egg yokes and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer (or another heatproof bowl). Add the creme de cacao and set bowl in another skillet of barely simmering water. Beat vigorously with a wire whisk until the sauce becomes thick, like a stiff custard. Remove from the hot water and let cool briefly.
  3. Let the melted chocolate cool slightly (if it is too hot when added to the sauce, it will tend to overcook the eggs). Add the chocolate to the sauce and fold it in with a rubber spatula. Beat in the rum.
  4. Whip the cream until stiff. Fold in the chocolate mixture.
  5. Spoon the chocolate filing into the bake tart shell. Cool briefly, then chill in the refrigerator or freezer, depending on the time available.
  6. Garnish with additional whipped cream, if desired.

Chocolate Spiderweb Cookies

Filed Under: Cooking

Chocolate Spiderweb Cookies

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg white
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
  • 3 Tbs 2% reduced-fat milk
  1. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Place shortening in a large mixing bowl; beat with a heavy-duty mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until well blended. Add vanilla and egg white; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat until well blended.
  2. Turn dough out onto wax paper; shape into a 6-inch log. Wrap log in wax paper. Freeze 2 hours or until very firm.
  3. Cut log into 24 (1/4-inch) slices, and place slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350º for 10 minutes or until set. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
  4. Combine powdered sugar and milk in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk until smooth. Spoon into a small zip-top plastic bag; seal. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag. Working with 1 cookie at a time, pipe 3 concentric circles onto each cookie. Starting at center circle, pull a wooden pick through other circles at regular intervals to create a “web.”