Chocolate Angel Food Cake

I know I've been a bad blogger; I do apologize for those who might actually enjoy reading of my kitchen adventures. The holidays are stressing me out and I haven't even starting baking! Spending so much money on ingredients for loving home-baked gifts is wonderful but it's dwindling my small budget. Well, enough complaining, In attempts to enjoy dessert every night, I sought to create a longtime light favorite.
When I first starting a life-long (most of the time) healthy eating, active lifestyle, I enjoyed this cake for one of my birthdays layered with cocoa laced fat free cool whip (quite the culinary sin... I know) and topped with fresh fruit. With the addition of my fat free coolwhip, this dessert might be looked down upon; however, it is truly delicious, light, satisfying, guilt free dessert. Sense my guilt?

This wonderful dessert is angel food cake! Before I became slightly baking savvy, we cooked our angel food in a regular cake pan (yikes!). Everyone in the know knows the cake needs the tube pan so it may ever so angelically crawl up the sides to create its wonderful volume.

I decided to chose a simple recipe from Recipezaar after searching since it required minimal ingredients.

I really did follow the recipe exactly, as I usually do the first time around. I figured most of the "playing" with the recipe would be given to the infinite options for fillings, glazes, and frosting. I highly recommend this recipe - it is incredibly moist although the light brown color doesn't scream "chocolate!", is has a prominent chocolate flavor which doesn't overwhelm the cakes lightness.

Calling all faithful dieters (or at least trying)! this recipe might save you.

Chocolate Angel Food Cake
adapted from Recipezaar

2/3 cup sifted cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
12 large egg whites, at room temp.
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa, sugar together 3 times and set aside.

In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites at low speed until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt. Gradually increase speed to medium while beating in remaining 3/4 cup of sugar - 1 tbsp at a time for 5 minutes. When sugar is incorporated continue to beat until stiff peaks form about 2 minutes.

Sift 1/3 of dry ingredients over egg whites; gently fold in with rubber spatula. Repeat this process 2 more times until all dry ingredients are incorporated.

Pour batter into ungreased 10 inch tube pan. Cut through batter to remove air pockets. Bake 40-45 minutes, until top springs back when lightly pressed.

Invert and hang pan on neck of object to cool. To unmold run knife around edge of pan; invert pan. Turn cake upright and serve how you please!

The basic nutritionals are as follows for 12 servings - 150 calories, 0.5g fat, 0.9g fiber, 25.3g sugar, 4.7g protein.

I promise I have been reading everyones blogs faithfully but haven't had the time to comment. There is some good stuff going on in the kitchen. I have to start baking my holiday cookies today; let the games begin!

Here is a preview of what I'll be blogging about on my next entry - this was obviously pre-bake . I promise I'll be sooner than later. Happy Baking!

Reeses Pieces Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

These brownies were last nights project. I had leftover Reeses Pieces from a movie that were just begging to be apart of a baking creation. I hope this information doesn't offend but I've never been a huge fan of peanut butter; being that I never ate it when I was growing up, not even the coveted kid sandwich, PB & J. As I get older, my palette is becoming more and more diverse; The more I try, the more I like! I think my like for nut butters began when I was vegan and I used to go to my favorite natural food store, Lifethyme, complete with an amazing vegan bakery. They had the dreamiest cakes, combinations I would have never thought of; my favorite was the blueberry lemon cake with the creamiest, not too sweet, cashew butter frosting. Those cakes are still some of the best I've ever had, vegan or not.

Back to the brownies. I was originally going to go for an uninspired butter cookie mixed with the Reese Pieces but my boyfriend expressed interest in the combination chocolate and peanut butter. I was re-browsing my holiday baking magazines and found a brownie article in Better Homes and Gardens: Holiday Baking featuring different brownie combinations. This one called for just plain PB chips in the brownie batter portion so I substituted my Reeses pieces.

The reviews concluded that they were overall too sweet for my household members taste; I have to agree. The brownie portion was like fudge and peanut butter frosting did them in. I liked them but I definitely agree there could have been a better balance. I'm not sure how others would feel about them; I probably won't make them again but it was an easy recipe to prepare and came out very nice.


Reese Pieces Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens: Holiday Baking Magazine

1 1/4 cups crushed graham crackers (approx. 8 full cracker sheets)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped lightly salted peanuts
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut up
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Reeses' Pieces

Peanut Butter Frosting
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. For crust: combine graham crackers, 1/4 cup of the sugar and chopped peanuts. Stir in half cup melted butter. Press mixture evenly into an ungreased 9X6X 1 1/4- inch pan (I had to buy a weird sized foil pan because I didn't have the specified 11X7X1 1/2-inch pan so something around these measurements would be fine). Bake for 5 minutes; cool.

For filling: In heavy saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup butter and the chocolate; heat and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from heat. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar, eggs, and vanilla; stir just until combined. Stir in flour and Reeses' Pieces. Spread evenly over crust. Bake for 20 minutes.

Cool in pan on a wire rack - do not cut brownies will they are warm, moisture will escape as steam and they may be dry when cooled. Spread with PB Frosting. Cut into bars - Makes 20 brownies.

For frosting: In bowl combine butter and peanut butter and beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in milk and the vanilla. As you beat in the powdered sugar if it's too thick add enough milk to make a frosting that spreads easily.

You can cover and chill these for up to two days. They cut more evenly after being chilled. If your preparing ahead do not cut the bars until serving.

I ordered 2 new cookbooks from amazon that are on the way: The Bread Bakers Apprentice and Macrina Bakery Cookbook... they shipped today, yay! I am hopefully going to make some soup today and bread to follow. We'll see how the day goes.