Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all….
Three failed cakes and 2 kgs of butter later, and an hour to go before my flight, and there I was frantically snapping photos of my finally complete cake.
The cake was inspired by the costumes in the recently released movie, Mirror Mirror, in particular the queen's wedding dress and the collar of her red dress. It seemed fitting to make an angel food cake with a fluffy frosting to reflect the lightness of the dress.
My mom, usually the non baker in the family, came to my rescue and whipped together the final angel food cake. Want to know where I went wrong? I forgot to flip the cake over once it was out of the oven… Three cakes later and I finally learnt. Sometimes? It's important to follow instructions. *rolls eyes*
The final recipe we used was found on
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free-angel-food-cake-recipe
Preheat oven to 175oC (350oF) and adjust the oven rack so it's low in the oven
Whisk together in one bowl
3/4 cup gf plain flour
1/4 cup gf cornstarch
3/4 cup superfine sugar
In a mixer, beat together
11 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄ teaspoons cream of tartar
until the mixture is foamy
Add in
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Increase the speed until the egg whites have thickened and puffed up
Gradually beat in, bit by bit,
3/4 cup and 2 tbsp of superfine sugar
until it 'peaks' and softly holds its form
Fold in the flour mixer (gently!) until it's all mixed together
The mirrors were created by making a food safe mold of a wooden Kaiser craft frame for scrapbooking. Once set, several chocolate molds were created by tempering chocolate, filling the molds and letting them sit to set. The 'mirror' was flooded with royal icing, and when it was all dry (a day later, so make ahead), silver pearl dust was brushed onto the mirror and the frame.
In an 10' angel food cake pan, pour in the cake batter, and tap the pan on the counter so the batter settles.
Bake the cake on the low rack in the oven for about 45 minutes.
Once cooked (the top will spring back back when lightly pressed), turn the cake upside down (important!) onto the neck of a bottle (we wrap a bottle with al-foil) for 2 hours while the cake sets and cools (If you don't, it sinks into itself and goes all warpy)
The frosting comes from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, which I found thanks to a photo of the recipe via the blog
http://awakeatthewhisk.com/angel-food-cake-with-7-minute-frosting-recipe-from-grandmas-cookbook/
Place a metal bowl over a small saucepan filled with 2cm of water. Add into the metal bowl,
2 room temperature egg whites
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup cold water
and a dash of salt.
Mix all well together. Turn heat to medium until brought to a simmer. Using an electric beater, beat constantly for 7 minutes until peaks form. The mixture will be thick and fluffy. Turn heat off and mix in 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
