A Little Bit of Heaven

            I learned almost everything I know about baking from my Grandma Gibson. She was a dazzling paradox of a woman; she was the iconic image of a perfect 1950’s housewife. Except she wasn’t a housewife. She was dedicated career woman who devoted her working hours to being a nurse, and a darn good from what I understand. She was so good that she even went on to teach nursing.

            But she was retired from nursing by the time I came along, so the side I saw most often was the domestic side. I knew the woman who showed her love by feeding people (a trait that I happily inherited). I was lucky enough be allowed (in fact, encouraged) to push up a chair to my rightful place beside her at the kitchen counter and stand on it on tippy toes so I could peer into the mixing bowl as she worked her magic. In this way, she taught me the practical rules to baking; how to use a measuring cup properly, how to gracefully crack an egg and whether to use a rubber spatula, wooden spoon or wire whisk. She also taught me the tricks of the trade, things you usually only learn after decades of practice; how to suspend orange slices in Jell-o (a feat that literally defies gravity) how to keep brown sugar from clumping and turning hard as rock (putting a piece of fresh bread in the sugar jar) and how to spray Pam into the measuring cup so that your molasses slips out instantly and easily.

            Oh yes, and she also taught me how to make an Angel Food Cake. Aside from my Auntie Barb’s brownies, Angel Food Cake is probably the most utilized recipe of all my cookbooks. The fluffy pure white cake with my Vanilla Bean Cream is the unsurpassed favourite among my friends and family. I make it for at least half the dinner parties I host, because it is always requested. And I always believe in giving your guests what they want. The beauty of an Angel Food Cake for dessert is that it’s so light and airy your guests always have room for it!

            My Grandma passed away a few years ago now, but lately I find myself missing her more than I ever have. It seems every time I pull out the Betty Crocker cookbook she gave me or my KitchenAid mixer she is there with me, ready to boss me around my own kitchen.

            The following recipe is the one my Grandmother used when she made the cake from scratch. It can be found in The Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook. I like to ice it with whipping cream, and pass around a bowl of warm raspberry sauce so my friends can douse their piece with it. The spongy cake soaks up the vivid, mouth-puckering raspberry juice and the cream is really the only truly decadent part of the whole deal. If you can find edible flowers such as pansies or nasturtiums, set them into the cream for a charming effect.

Angel Food Cake is admittedly a little harder to make than say, a chocolate cake, but as long as you use fresh eggs and get your timing just right, you’ll end up with a little bit heaven every time.

 Angel Food Cake

Turn the oven on; set it to 375 degrees F

12 large eggs (room temperature)

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 cup cake flour or All-Purpose flour

1 ½ tsp cream of tartar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp almond extract

¼ tsp salt

1. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks, and then add cream of tartar, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
2. Sift together flour, sugar, and salt. Repeat five times.
3. Gently fold the egg whites into the dry ingredients, and then pour into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan.
4. Place cake pan in pre-heated oven. Cook for about 30-35 minutes, or until cake is golden brown.
5. Invert cake, and allow it to cool in the pan. When thoroughly cooled, remove from pan.

Vanilla Bean Cream Icing

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup icing sugar

3 tsp real vanilla extract, or the seeds of one vanilla bean

Beat ingredients on high until medium peaks form. Do not over beat.

Vivid Warm Raspberry Sauce

1 ½ cups frozen raspberries

3 Tbsp sugar

Warm the raspberries and sugar in the microwave just until the juice begins to bubble