Alexander -- my friend Dorothy's son -- had a very specific request for a birthday cake this year. He wanted the Ottolenghi stripe cake that he had enjoyed with his cousins earlier this summer. I was happy to oblige and made him an extra large stripe cake comprised of two half-sheets of sponge, resulting in wider slices of cake with extra stripes. The extra large stripe cake was extra impressive, and Alexander and all of his friends loved it. In particular, I was touched that his friend Samson -- whose name I could not forget given his luxurious mane of long wavy blond hair -- earnestly told me that it was the best cake he had ever eaten.
But I also brought a second cake to ensure that there would be enough for everyone. I wanted to try a new recipe and cracked open a cookbook I recently purchased, The Vintage Baker by Jessie Sheehan. Alexander still abhors chocolate but likes fruit flavors, so I decided to make the "Blueberry Angel Food Dream" cake.
The "Dream" is a vanilla angel food cake covered in blueberry whipped cream frosting. I chose this recipe because it was relatively simple and also because I wanted to offer a lighter option to go along with the Ottolenghi stripe cake (which is quite rich because of its high ratio of French buttercream to sponge cake). The cake was straightforward. You whisk egg whites with water, cream of tartar, and vanilla until they form soft peaks; gradually add sugar and whisk until the whites form almost-stiff glossy peaks; and fold in a sifted mixture of cake flour, sugar, and salt. I used a large balloon whisk to incorporate the dry ingredients, poured the batter into an angel food cake, and baked the cake until the top was browned and the cake tested clean.
The whipped cream frosting is a mixture of heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla beaten to medium peaks, with blueberry compote (blueberries, sugar, and water cooked until the mixture is jammy) added in. There is a photo of the frosted cake in the cookbook and the whipped cream is a light lavender color with large pieces of blueberries visible. While I appreciate the rustic look of the blueberry skins in the whipped cream, I decided to puree my blueberry compote to make it completely smooth. So my whipped cream was a uniform and cheery bright pinkish-purplish shade.
I split the cooled cake into two layers and filled and frosted it with the whipped cream. I put the cake in the fridge to set up for a few hours and crossed my fingers that it would survive the ride over to Dorothy's apartment in the trunk of my car on a very hot and humid day. I opened the cake box after we arrived to see that the whipped cream was drooping a bit along the sides. I asked Dorothy for an offset spatula to do some repair work but she didn't have one, so I simply used a teaspoon to smooth out the sides of the cake. I put it back in the fridge while everyone ate pizza and when it was time to serve the cake it looked perfect.
I loved this cake. The cake was not too sweet and it had a wonderful texture that was springy but not sticky. The blueberry whipped cream was so dang good and it was the absolute perfect accompaniment to the vanilla cake. I skipped the stripe cake altogether to eat two slices of angel food cake at the birthday party. And while the blueberry whipped cream might not have the holding power of Rose Levy Beranbaum's gelatin-stabilized fruit whipped creams (which I have combined with chocolate or vanilla génoise), it is significantly easier to make. Angel food cake sometimes gets a bad rap, but this version is amazing.
Recipe: "Blueberry Angel Food Dream" from The Vintage Baker by Jessie Sheehan.
Previous Alexander Birthday Baked Goods: Alexander Turns Eleven (White Butter Cake with Lemon Curd and Lemon Mousseline); Ten (Strawberry Supreme Cake and Burnt-Butter Brown-Sugar Cupcakes); Nine (Antique Caramel Cake and Classic Carrot Cake Cupcakes); Eight (Carrot Cupcakes and Strawberry Cupcakes); Seven (Fraisier); Six (Rose Levy Beranbuam's Carrot Cake): Five (Riva's Carrot Cake): Four (Red Velvet Cupcakes and Brownies): Three (Red Velvet Cake and Salted Fudge Brownies); and Two (Restaurant Eve Cake).
But I also brought a second cake to ensure that there would be enough for everyone. I wanted to try a new recipe and cracked open a cookbook I recently purchased, The Vintage Baker by Jessie Sheehan. Alexander still abhors chocolate but likes fruit flavors, so I decided to make the "Blueberry Angel Food Dream" cake.
The "Dream" is a vanilla angel food cake covered in blueberry whipped cream frosting. I chose this recipe because it was relatively simple and also because I wanted to offer a lighter option to go along with the Ottolenghi stripe cake (which is quite rich because of its high ratio of French buttercream to sponge cake). The cake was straightforward. You whisk egg whites with water, cream of tartar, and vanilla until they form soft peaks; gradually add sugar and whisk until the whites form almost-stiff glossy peaks; and fold in a sifted mixture of cake flour, sugar, and salt. I used a large balloon whisk to incorporate the dry ingredients, poured the batter into an angel food cake, and baked the cake until the top was browned and the cake tested clean.
The whipped cream frosting is a mixture of heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla beaten to medium peaks, with blueberry compote (blueberries, sugar, and water cooked until the mixture is jammy) added in. There is a photo of the frosted cake in the cookbook and the whipped cream is a light lavender color with large pieces of blueberries visible. While I appreciate the rustic look of the blueberry skins in the whipped cream, I decided to puree my blueberry compote to make it completely smooth. So my whipped cream was a uniform and cheery bright pinkish-purplish shade.
Recipe: "Blueberry Angel Food Dream" from The Vintage Baker by Jessie Sheehan.
Previous Alexander Birthday Baked Goods: Alexander Turns Eleven (White Butter Cake with Lemon Curd and Lemon Mousseline); Ten (Strawberry Supreme Cake and Burnt-Butter Brown-Sugar Cupcakes); Nine (Antique Caramel Cake and Classic Carrot Cake Cupcakes); Eight (Carrot Cupcakes and Strawberry Cupcakes); Seven (Fraisier); Six (Rose Levy Beranbuam's Carrot Cake): Five (Riva's Carrot Cake): Four (Red Velvet Cupcakes and Brownies): Three (Red Velvet Cake and Salted Fudge Brownies); and Two (Restaurant Eve Cake).
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