This is the best cake for the 4th of July! It has lots of summer flavors and is red, white, and blue! Angel food cake is now my favorite cake ever. I had a blast making this cake. The process is a little time-consuming, but all worth it. My angel food cake is light and fluffy. It has an amazing texture, and taste. Almost like eating a cloud... with tons of yummy stuff! The whipped cream frosting is the best frosting I have ever made, and trust me, I've made a lot. The recipe is easy to follow, and you probably already have most of the ingredients for it! The berries paired perfectly with the frosting and cake. This cake is great for breakfast, dinner, dessert, or just a midday snack. Plus, it is a gorgeous cake! love it!
Angel Food Cake
I loved making this cake so much because of the satisfaction I got at the end. The fact that I could make something this beautiful, and delicious. Starting off with placing parchment paper into the pans is important. This way you can get them out without needing grease. I don't use grease because the cake won't fully rise around the edges if you do, this is a delicate cake. One of the main repetitive parts of making this is the whisking. You have to use the whisking attachment on your mixer for both the cake and the frosting. It is essential that the egg whites form peaks because we want this cake to be light and airy. If they don't grow and form the peaks, unfortunately, the cake won't rise as well, or have the right texture.
I used 4 separate cake pans for this to create a cute design on the layers. I was worried they wouldn't all cook the same, and that one may undercook or overcook. So, I turned on the convection on the oven to bake these. This way, the hot air is circulating more, meaning it will cook whatever is in the oven more thoroughly. You have to keep a close eye on them to make sure they do not burn. Look for a light brown color on the tops. Remember, you can always cook it longer, but once it has overcooked and burned, you can't go back. Use a toothpick to make sure it is done by poking the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it's done. It is doesn't, put it back in for a few minutes, and check again.
Whipped Cream Frosting
This whipped cream frosting is super addictive. I wanted to use something for the angel food cake that was light and not too sweet to match the cake. It was very easy to make this, just by tossing a few ingredients into the stand mixer and letting it do the work. This recipe makes a lot, so I used what was left for fruit dip. It stays good really well in the fridge. It does not get hard nor get runny. The cream cheese makes it have this unique taste that is very good with the cake and added fruit. It is important to let the mixture mix long enough to form peaks. If it doesn't form peaks, then the frosting will be runny, and won't work well being put onto a cake, or anything else. You can test this the same way you tested the egg white mix for the cake batter.
Assembling this cake is very simple. First, you want to take the cake layers out of the pans. To do this, gently start cutting the edges off the pan. They shouldn't stick to it too much, but just be careful not to break the cake. Now slowly place the knife under one small edge of the cake to be able to catch the parchment paper and pick it up and out of the pan. Place the layers onto cooking racks as you get the rest and get organized to assemble the cake. Gather your berries of choice, I chose strawberries and blueberries. Cut the strawberries into slices to be placed within the layers, then cut some for decoration. The main goal with decorating my cake was to make it a red, white, and blue themed cake for the 4th of July! You can also get mint leaves from the store, or pick some fresh ones from a peppermint plant like I did.
To begin layering, make sure you have the cake on a sturdy surface, I chose a basic cake stand. Peel off the parchment paper on the bottom of the cake slowly. Place the first layer down. Scoop some frosting onto it, and work it around until it has coated the top of the first cake layer. Now, place down strawberry slices and blueberries. Make sure there are enough so when you eat it, you get them in every bite. Repeat this step until you get to the top layer. On the top layer, smooth out your frosting. Decorate the cake on top however you like. I decided to make mine more rustic and messy for a unique look. Take the mint leaves and place them around the cake randomly. Now you have a gorgeous cake and something tasty to eat!