Yesterday was Kenny's birthday. Last week in California he mentioned that he wanted Angel Food cake. Sure! No problem... right? Now, anyone who knows me knows I don't cook much, but I've googled recipes and made them successfully before so I didn't think twice before saying I'd do it for him. I found a recipe and happened to mention it to Randon when we spoke.
"Uh oh" he said, "Maybe you should start with something easier than Angel Food cake." I asked why and he told me that I would need to beat the eggs just so, and then I would not be able to open the oven door until it was done and then I'd need to wait for it to cool entirely before I took it out of the pan. That would be ok. It's seems to be just as finicky as a cheesecake, which I've made a few times without any trouble.I found that I would have to go buy every single ingredient it called for, and a pan. So I went to the store and as I was looking for "cake flour" (is that a real thing?) I happened along the isle that has all the boxes of cake mixes and lo and behold there was one for Angel Food cake! Hooray!! That is just my luck, because really when was I ever going to use Tartar something-or-other, or Almond Extract ever again?
So, I got it and went home convinced that what wasn't going to be thaaat hard, was now going to be super easy! So, I mixed the batter with water and whipped it for 30 seconds and then for a minute, then poured it in the pan and put it in the oven. It was the easiest thing ever! Well... that part was. About 5 minutes later I happened to look in the oven and Aaaaaaack!!!! It had a gooey bubble that was about 3 inches tall!!! Oh No!!! It was spilling onto the bottom of the oven and onto the heating irons! It just kept spilling and spilling like it was a scene in a movie! I could just see it, the oven bottom filled with cake.... and then bursting into flames and burning down the 12 condos in my building! So, I grabbed a cookie sheet and put it under, but if I just left it to cook,
the cake would not get the correct amount of heat for the time it called for so I scraped of the bubble and let it continue cooking. A few minutes later, I checked it again and there was about an inch tall bubble, but it wasn't falling as quickly, so I left it and just watched to see what it would do. Just about ten minutes before the time was up it started to do something weird. It fell not only flat, but caved in!!! Well, what could I do about it then? When the time was up I took it out and turned it upside down on some cups so it wouldn't flatten more... and let it cool. I came back a few hours and it didn't seem to look much different. But it was cool. So I took it out, and cut it in half and then took a slice of it to put under the part that sunk in. It looked ok then, so I decorated it! I covered it in some cream I whipped up and then put some strawberries and blackberries on it!
I put it in the refrigerator and then tasted what was left of the other one. Yum!!! I gotta say... for having really no clue what I was doing... sometimes I surprise myself! Now the fun part... bleh... cleaning the oven. :o)
"Uh oh" he said, "Maybe you should start with something easier than Angel Food cake." I asked why and he told me that I would need to beat the eggs just so, and then I would not be able to open the oven door until it was done and then I'd need to wait for it to cool entirely before I took it out of the pan. That would be ok. It's seems to be just as finicky as a cheesecake, which I've made a few times without any trouble.I found that I would have to go buy every single ingredient it called for, and a pan. So I went to the store and as I was looking for "cake flour" (is that a real thing?) I happened along the isle that has all the boxes of cake mixes and lo and behold there was one for Angel Food cake! Hooray!! That is just my luck, because really when was I ever going to use Tartar something-or-other, or Almond Extract ever again? 
So, I got it and went home convinced that what wasn't going to be thaaat hard, was now going to be super easy! So, I mixed the batter with water and whipped it for 30 seconds and then for a minute, then poured it in the pan and put it in the oven. It was the easiest thing ever! Well... that part was. About 5 minutes later I happened to look in the oven and Aaaaaaack!!!! It had a gooey bubble that was about 3 inches tall!!! Oh No!!! It was spilling onto the bottom of the oven and onto the heating irons! It just kept spilling and spilling like it was a scene in a movie! I could just see it, the oven bottom filled with cake.... and then bursting into flames and burning down the 12 condos in my building! So, I grabbed a cookie sheet and put it under, but if I just left it to cook, 
the cake would not get the correct amount of heat for the time it called for so I scraped of the bubble and let it continue cooking. A few minutes later, I checked it again and there was about an inch tall bubble, but it wasn't falling as quickly, so I left it and just watched to see what it would do. Just about ten minutes before the time was up it started to do something weird. It fell not only flat, but caved in!!! Well, what could I do about it then? When the time was up I took it out and turned it upside down on some cups so it wouldn't flatten more... and let it cool. I came back a few hours and it didn't seem to look much different. But it was cool. So I took it out, and cut it in half and then took a slice of it to put under the part that sunk in. It looked ok then, so I decorated it! I covered it in some cream I whipped up and then put some strawberries and blackberries on it! 
I put it in the refrigerator and then tasted what was left of the other one. Yum!!! I gotta say... for having really no clue what I was doing... sometimes I surprise myself! Now the fun part... bleh... cleaning the oven. :o)
Hi...so, you don't know me, but you know how sometimes you're looking at a friend's page and end up going from one link to another and etc.? Anyway, I ended up here and think you're adorable and just wanted to say so.
ReplyDeleteAnd that "Marc" guy! Holy crap what kind of sick person actually does that?!
And for your cake - it probably would have turned our perfectly if you had used an angel food cake pan, which is about twice as tall as a normal pan.