Angel Cake With Lemon-Almond Cream And Fresh Berries

Angel Cake With Lemon-Almond Cream And Fresh Berries

Independence Day
is two days away, everyone! By now you guys have seen your share of red, white,
and blue all around: in the grocery store, on the streets, and in the recipes
floating around online. I want to throw my own recipe into the mix, which is
absolutelydelectable and irresistible. I was looking at recipes
and just didn’t find something that I thought would fit my mission of
tasty-yet-healthy. Until, well, I thought of this.

Seriously, I had
to walk out of the room to stop myself from eating more. I licked my plate
clean. I thought about it for days on end.

So what is this
amazing, sweet, and bright treat I speak of?

Introducing: 4th
of July Cake.

Light angel food
cake is adorned with ambrosial lemon-almond whipped cream and fresh, ripe,
bursting-with-flavor berries. This is seriously the best dessert I have had in
along time, and that includes the
ice cream I had the other day (gasp! I know!!) The cake itself is sweet and
moist, and so gorgeous. Then the cream adds a slight floral nuttiness and
depth, and the fruit brightens it up. Blueberries are so delicate and have a
juicy, refreshing quality that I adore. Raspberries contribute a slightly tart,
but still sweet element that rounds out the entire dish.

It looks gorgeous,
tastes divine, and is a complete show-stopper. If you bring this anywhere or
serve it to your guests, they will be stunned! As my dad said, “This is one of
those desserts where I have to force myself not to get a second serving”
(little did he know, however, that he could easily have had another and not
broken his calorie bank!)

Angel Cake with Lemon-Almond Cream and Fresh
Berries

Serves 8           Serving Size: 2 slices cake, 1/4c.
cream, 1/2c. berries              Calories/Serving: 148

Ingredients:

  • 12 large egg
    whites
  • 2 and 1/4c.
    splenda (or other no-cal sweetener), divided
  • 1c. cake flour
    (or all purpose, but cake flour does make it lighter!)
  • 1 and 1/2
    tsp cream of tartar
  • 1tbl water
  • 1/2tsp
    vanilla extract
  • 1/4tsp salt
  • 2c.
    light/free whipped topping (such as cool whip), thawed
  • 1/4tsp
    almond extract
  • The zest of
    one large lemon
  • 2c. fresh raspberries
  • 2c. fresh
    blueberries

Instructions:

  1. Allow the egg whites to come to room
    temperature in a large, clean bowl (takes at least 30 minutes).
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
    Fahrenheit. 
  3. Add 1 and 1/4c. of the sweetener into
    a food processor. Now, I know this sounds strange, but you are going to pulse
    the sugar a few times. This makes it finer, and gives the cake a lighter
    texture. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. It really does make a difference!
  4. Either add the flour to the food
    processor and pulse a few times to combine, or sift the flour and the sugar
    twice so it is nice and fine.
  5. Add the cream of tartar, water,
    vanilla extract, and salt to the egg whites. Beat on high with an electric
    mixer (hand-held or other) until it becomes very foamy. Slowly add in the
    remaining 1c of sweetener (that you didn’t blend in the food processor).
  6. Continue to beat the eggs until medium
    (between soft and stiff) peaks form. At this point, switch to a spatula and
    gently, gently fold in the flour mixture, 1/4c. at a time. Take this
    nice and slow, and incorporate the entire mixture.
  7. Gently spoon the batter into two 8×8
    square UNGREASED baking pans. Lightly run a knife through the batter to
    get rid of bubbles (I just did three lines each way) and place in the oven for
    20-30 minutes. You will know they are done when the cake springs back when
    lightly touched or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (but
    I personally like the touch method more).
  8. As soon as they are out of the oven,
    turn them upside-down on a heat-safe surface. Don’t try to take the cakes out:
    let them cool for 30 minutes (trust me, I know this is hard– but walk away!)
  9. After 30 minutes have passed, the cake
    will have receded slightly from the edges of the pan. My first cake separated
    from the pan by itself; the second one needed to be convinced to leave. Just
    run a thin spatula on the bottom, very gently, and turn the pan upside-down.

    Very Important Note: Angel food cake is often
    said to taste “eggy,” and that is because many bakers do not let it
    cool for long enough. Wait at least 3 hours before you frost or slice into this
    cake.
     

  10. To make the cream, combine the whipped
    topping, almond extract, and lemon zest in a medium bowl until thoroughly
    combined.
  11. To assemble the cake, cut each “loaf”
    into 8 slices. Put two slices on each plate, and top with 1/4c. of whipped
    cream, 1/4c. blueberries, and 1/4c. raspberries. Serve, and watch people drool
    from the moment they see it!

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Eva Rosenberg

Eva Rosenberg

Welcome to Eva's Kitchen where I share my adventures in cooking. My creations may not always turn out Pinterest perfect, but I usually end up with a funny picture or an interesting meal. Thanks for stopping by!

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