| Angel Food Cake with Chocolate-Mascarpone-Rum Frosting |
Author: Nicole
Ingredients
Cake
- 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar (see Notes)
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour (see Notes)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 12 large egg whites (see Notes)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 9 ounces mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup dark rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Garnish with shaved dark chocolate (see Notes)
Instructions
Make Cake:
- Adjust oven rack to the lower middle position. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a large food processor or blender, pulse the sugar until fine and powdery. Remove 1 cup and set aside. Leave the remaining sugar in the food processor or blender. Add the cake flour and salt to the food processor. Pulse 5-10 times until mixture is aerated and light.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer), whip egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Switch to medium-high speed and slowly add the 1 cup of sugar you set aside. Whip until soft peaks form, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add vanilla extract and beat just until combined.
- In three additions, slowly sift the flour mixture into the egg white mixture using a fine mesh strainer, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition. (To avoid deflating or a dense cake, don’t add the flour mixture all at once.)
- Pour and spread batter into an ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan (see Notes). Shimmy the pan on the counter to smooth down the surface.
- Place the pan in the oven. Rotate the pan about halfway through baking. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. The cake will rise up very tall while baking. Remove from the oven, then cool the cake completely upside-down set on a wire rack, about 3 hours.
- Once cooled, run a thin knife around the edges and gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases.
Make Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer), combine the heavy cream, mascarpone cheese, sugar, cocoa powder, rum and vanilla. Mix on low speed to combine and slowly raise to high speed to form firm peaks. You can prepare the frosting an hour prior to using – store in the refrigerator.
- Assemble Cake:
- After the cake has cooled completely, using a long bread knife or serrated knife, cut the cake in half so you have a top layer and bottom layer. Set the top layer aside. Do not worry if it’s not even, as the frosting will cover up any flaws.
- Using a rubber spatula or off-set spatula generously frost the bottom layer, including in the center hole. Carefully place the second layer atop the frosted layer and continue frosting the cake.
- Using a vegetable peeler or microplane, shred dark chocolate over top of cake.
- Refrigerate, loosely covered, until ready to serve. Can be made a day in advance.
Notes
* This recipe uses granulated sugar that you are turning into superfine sugar (also called caster sugar). If you have superfine sugar, you can skip the initial step of pulsing the sugar in a food processor or blender. Add ¾ cup to the cake flour and salt mixture. Set aside the additional 1 cup for use later in the recipe.
* Cake flour is recommended over all-purpose flour as it will create a softer and fluffier texture which is key for a good angel food cake. Cake flour has less protein and therefore less gluten. The preferred way to measure flour for this recipe is to ‘spoon and level.’ Use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup. Do not pack it down and do not tap the measuring cup. Once the measuring cup is full, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.
* Fresh eggs are recommended for this recipe. Do not use egg white substitutes. Separate the eggs when they are cold and let the egg whites sit for 30 minutes to come to room temperature. This helps to create the fluffiest volume.
* A tube pan is also known as an angel food cake pan. Do not use a bundt pan for this recipe. If your pan has little ‘legs’ on the top, you do not need a rack to cool it. You can simply turn it upside down.
* I used Hu’s Simple Dark Chocolate for the shavings on top of the cake. Any good dark chocolate will work. We love Hu chocolate bars especially Hu Salty Dark Chocolate.
* Cake flour is recommended over all-purpose flour as it will create a softer and fluffier texture which is key for a good angel food cake. Cake flour has less protein and therefore less gluten. The preferred way to measure flour for this recipe is to ‘spoon and level.’ Use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup. Do not pack it down and do not tap the measuring cup. Once the measuring cup is full, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.
* Fresh eggs are recommended for this recipe. Do not use egg white substitutes. Separate the eggs when they are cold and let the egg whites sit for 30 minutes to come to room temperature. This helps to create the fluffiest volume.
* A tube pan is also known as an angel food cake pan. Do not use a bundt pan for this recipe. If your pan has little ‘legs’ on the top, you do not need a rack to cool it. You can simply turn it upside down.
* I used Hu’s Simple Dark Chocolate for the shavings on top of the cake. Any good dark chocolate will work. We love Hu chocolate bars especially Hu Salty Dark Chocolate.
Recipe by Riegl Palate at https://www.rieglpalate.com/angel-food-cake-with-chocolate-mascarpone-rum-frosting/