National Angel Food Cake Day
A cake so light and fluffy that “an angel could eat it and still fly without being weighed down”, Angel Food Cake is a delightful and delicious treat to enjoy.
National Angel Food Cake Day brings the perfect reason to celebrate this tasty cake boasting a recipe that was likely created by angels themselves!
History of National Angel Food Cake Day
Angel Food Cake is classified as a sponge cake. While most cakes use all of the parts of the egg in their recipes, Angel Food Cake only uses the whites of the egg, and it also excludes butter or oil that most cake recipes would typically have.
To make an Angel Food Cake, the egg whites are whipped and beaten extensively to get them to form soft peaks. The sugar is then added, forming something like a meringue. Finally, the flour is gently folded into the mixture and baked in a pan with a ring in the middle.
Often served with fruit on the top or on the side, Angel Food Cake can also be drizzled with sugary icing or topped with homemade whipped cream.
Originating in the United States, the first recipe for Angel Food Cake appears in an 1878 recipe book called The Home Messenger Book of Tested Recipes, written by Isabella Stewart. This original recipe called for the basics of flour, sugar, vanilla extract, cream of tartar and eleven eggs.
Angel Food Cakes have been served traditionally in a number of different ways in certain cultures. For instance, in the African American community, these types of cakes are often made to be served at funeral dinners, taking comfort in the association that the deceased person is now in heaven, dining with the angels.
National Angel Food Cake Day was founded with the idea of celebrating and appreciating everything related to this simple and deliciously fluffy cake!
How to Celebrate National Angel Food Cake Day
Have fun celebrating National Angel Food Cake Day with some of these tasty ideas:
Enjoy Eating Angel Food Cake
The obvious choice for celebrating Angel Food Cake Day is to enjoy eating some! Pop over to a bakery that features this delightful cake and pick up one to share with coworkers or for the family to enjoy. Don’t forget the fruit and whipped cream to go on top!
Learn How to Make Angel Food Cake
One fun way to celebrate National Angel Food Cake Day might be to get creative in the kitchen with a new recipe for this cake. Tons can be found in cookbooks or online. The biggest hack for making this cake is to be sure to have a strong mixer that can whip the eggs extensively!
Pro Tip: Using a pan with a hole in the middle might seem optional but it is an important part of the recipe for Angel Food Cake, allowing the batter to rise higher as it clings to the sides of the pan–on the outside edge and the inside edge.
