The first attempt to bake this month's Avid Baker's Challenge "My mom's mile-high vanilla sponge cake" was not a big success. The baking all went very well, and even when I placed it upside down, it seems to stay in place.. until I came back 30 minutes later and the cake had fallen out of the angel food pan. Several months back I had been searching to find an angel food pan, because they were not easily available in the Netherlands before. I wanted to bake some angel food cakes and finally found a large, non-stick angel food pan, available from a dutch internet seller. It didn't have a removable bottom, but I solved that with a bit of parchment paper on the bottom.
I had good results ánd bad results. Cakes falling out, sometimes immediately when carefully turned over and some stayed in. And this cake (so only "half a mile high" now) fell out. It still tasted good, but not really presentable anymore and a bit sticky and a little humid on the outside. I wasn't familiar with angel food cake before I bought the pan a while back and non-stick sounded like a good thing then. But trying out different recipes, it seemed unlogical to have a non-stick surface, while the cake had to stay in the pan when turned over. This was just the WRONG pan!
After baking the first cake for this challenge I decided to search again. I like to bake these angel food cakes to use up the egg whites from the freezer. Maybe in the meantime there was an aluminium one on legs with a removable bottom to be found somewhere.... and yes it was!! (for Dutch readers this is the seller: Oldenhof)
So I baked the same cake again (this time the orange flavoured version) and YAY!!! it stayed in the pan until cooled completely. Lovely brown outside and it just looked a lot better than the first time. This is the RIGHT pan! It was fluffy and light... also a bit dry. It really needs a (berry) sauce or cream. I didn't bother to make a sauce and just served it with a little strawberry jam and some clotted cream, delicious. This cake is not a real angel food cake, even if it's baked in a angel food cake pan, because the yolks are used as well. Personally I like the real angel food cakes better, they're not as dry and even lighter.
Oh boy, what a difference! I've had a "half mile" angel cake fall out of my proper aluminum angel pan even, it's so depressing. How fortuitous that you were able to find the right pan, your cake looks beautiful. I love both angels and sponges, but you're right, sponges do tend to need a simple syrup or something to moisten them.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a difference the right pan makes. Your cake turned out beautiful. Sponge cakes tend to be a little dryer and highly benefit from a sauce. I haven't baked mine yet but was also thinking of going the orange route :-)
ReplyDeleteOh geweldig (sorry!) Dit gebeurde mij vorige keer ook, je had me moeten zien:-D ik kwam 2 paar handen te kort om zowel fles als cake als cakevorm te redden.
ReplyDeleteZiet er echt prachtig uit lien!
Lien, I think the non stick surface was the problem. The idea is not to butter the sides so the cake batter is able to cling to the sides and raise up. The non stick doesn't allow the cake to stick to the sides.
ReplyDeleteI have two angel food cake mold and never made the cake. Why? I am not sure...
Lovely job.
I used a non-stick pan, too, and the cake stayed put.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad when these accidents happen, but fortunately there's always a bread pudding to turn all baking failures in a nice dessert...
I think "mile-high" sponge cakes are more an American thing, Europeans usually don't bake such thick sponge cakes, but use sponge bottoms, cut into layers, for tortes.
Wow! I also don't understand why they would make an angel food cake pan non-stick when it needs to be inverted afterwards....good thing you persevered and got perfect results the second time!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you finally got the right pan! I know how frustating it is to spend time preparing and baking, and being disappointed all because of a baking pan. You did well, your cake has beautifully risen to a soft and fluffy texture!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
The second cake looks so yummy! I can't wait to see what October's challenge is so I can bake along!
ReplyDeleteI admire your persistence!! Your second cake looks perfect! Great job!
ReplyDeleteI'm very envious of your angel food pan with the removable bottom. I still haven't gotten around to purchasing one. I nearly had a cake disaster because I forgot to put the parchment paper on the bottom of my pan so when I went to remove the cake it wouldn't come out. It took a little extra prodding to get it out though I still would have eaten it even if it wasn't pretty.
ReplyDelete