Perhaps the lightest cake in the world, angel's food became vastly popular in the US during the 1880s. It was made with only egg whites so that 'angels could eat as much as they liked and still be able to fly'. The earliest version of angel's food cake appeared in the 1878 edition of The Home Messenger Book of Tested Receipts by Isabella Stewart. The same cake was featured eight years later in Mrs Rorer's Philadelphia Cookbook with the additional instruction to bake in a Turk's head, which -according to experts nowadays- is a must for the cake to rise properly. The recipe hasn't changed since then but these were not the first meringue-based cakes, either.
The Kentucky Housewife, published in 1839, featured a recipe for 'white sponge cake' that excluded yolks and was definitely meant for special occasions: besides white icing, the cake also required white sugar & flour that were generally not used in everyday bakes. (Until well into the 1880s, molasses was the basic sweetener and the majority of Southern kitchens favored cornmeal.) Though angel's food did not exist in name when Lettice Bryan wrote, her recipe is probably its earliest recorded version because it yields a cake of exactly the same texture.
"WHITE SPONGE CAKE. Beat the whites of twenty eggs to a stiff froth, and stir very hard into it a pound of powdered loaf sugar, the juice and grated rind of a lemon, and the juice of two fine oranges. Beat them together till smoothly mixed, and then stir in very lightly and gradually three quarters of a pound of the finest flour. Do not beat it hard after the flour is stirred in, as it will make it tough and ruin the cake. Put it into a large square pan, that is well buttered, and put it immediately into a brisk oven, lessening the heat after the cake is well risen, that it may have time to soak thoroughly. Ice it very white and smooth, and if it is for a fine supper, place round the edge some very small gilded leaves, which is a common decorament on such occasions with some of the most fashionable people in America."
ANGEL'S FOOD
This is half of Lettice Bryan's recipe. A square/oblong pan will do but choose a large one. You can dust the finished cake with powedered sugar if you like. I divided mine in half, spread the first with plum marmalade, covered with the second half and topped with almond biscuit crumbs.
I n g r e d i e n t s
10 egg whites
225g powdered sugar
170g plain flour
1tbsp lemon zest
2tbsp lemon juice
60ml orange juice
M e t h o d
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. 2. Line a 30x20cm (or 25x25cm) baking pan with greased parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan. 3. Beat the egg whites stiff, gradually adding the sugar, zest, and juice. 4. Stir the flour carefully into the meringue. 5. Transfer to the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. 6. Let cool on a wire rack.
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| Louisville, Kentucky - in 1846 |
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| Front page of The Kentucky Housewife |
The Kentucky Housewife, published in 1839, featured a recipe for 'white sponge cake' that excluded yolks and was definitely meant for special occasions: besides white icing, the cake also required white sugar & flour that were generally not used in everyday bakes. (Until well into the 1880s, molasses was the basic sweetener and the majority of Southern kitchens favored cornmeal.) Though angel's food did not exist in name when Lettice Bryan wrote, her recipe is probably its earliest recorded version because it yields a cake of exactly the same texture.
"WHITE SPONGE CAKE. Beat the whites of twenty eggs to a stiff froth, and stir very hard into it a pound of powdered loaf sugar, the juice and grated rind of a lemon, and the juice of two fine oranges. Beat them together till smoothly mixed, and then stir in very lightly and gradually three quarters of a pound of the finest flour. Do not beat it hard after the flour is stirred in, as it will make it tough and ruin the cake. Put it into a large square pan, that is well buttered, and put it immediately into a brisk oven, lessening the heat after the cake is well risen, that it may have time to soak thoroughly. Ice it very white and smooth, and if it is for a fine supper, place round the edge some very small gilded leaves, which is a common decorament on such occasions with some of the most fashionable people in America."
ANGEL'S FOOD
This is half of Lettice Bryan's recipe. A square/oblong pan will do but choose a large one. You can dust the finished cake with powedered sugar if you like. I divided mine in half, spread the first with plum marmalade, covered with the second half and topped with almond biscuit crumbs.
I n g r e d i e n t s
10 egg whites
225g powdered sugar
170g plain flour
1tbsp lemon zest
2tbsp lemon juice
60ml orange juice
M e t h o d
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. 2. Line a 30x20cm (or 25x25cm) baking pan with greased parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan. 3. Beat the egg whites stiff, gradually adding the sugar, zest, and juice. 4. Stir the flour carefully into the meringue. 5. Transfer to the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. 6. Let cool on a wire rack.
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