Author Notes
I am in love with Thai food, the flavors are amazingly complex and delicious. I took some of my favorite Thai flavors and added them to an angel food cake. The cake is adapted from James McNair's recipe for angel food cake. I used Thai Basil that I have in my garden and some lemongrass infused sugar. It's a wonderful combination, the cake is light and airy and the Thai basil shines adding a wonderfully subtle herbaceous flavor to the cake. I finished with a coconut lime whipped cream. —sdebrango
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Ingredients
- The cake
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1 cup
cake flour
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1/4 teaspoon
salt
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1 1/2 cups
sugar
-
2
stalks lemongrass, use only the tender inner parts of the stalk, chopped into small pieces
-
2 cups
egg whites (from approximately 16 large eggs)at room temperature
-
2 teaspoons
cream of tartar
-
1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
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4
stalks thai basil, leaves removed, cleaned and finely chopped. Worked out to about 2 heaping tbs chopped basil
- Coconut Lime Whipped Cream
-
1/2 cup
cold coconut cream (place can of full fat coconut milk in refrigerator, the fat will separate when cold)
-
1/2 cup
cold heavy cream
-
zest of 1 small lime
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1/4 cup
superfine sugar (add a tbs at a time, you judge how sweet you like it)
Directions
- The cake
-
To food processor add sugar and lemongrass and pulse until the sugar is incorporated with the lemongrass. Sift the sugar to remove any pieces of lemongrass. Set aside. Pre heat oven to 325 degrees. Have a 10 inch tube pan with removable bottom ready, no need to oil or flour it, you do not do that for an angel food cake.
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Sift the flour, 3/4 cup of the lemongrass sugar and salt into a bowl. Repeat 2 more times and set aside.
-
Add egg whites to stand mixer with whisk attachment and beat on low speed until frothy, add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to med/high, while the mixer is running add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar a tablespoon at a time. Beat until the egg whites form soft peaks, avoid over beating. Add vanilla and beat just to combine.
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Sift 1/3 of the flour/sugar mixture into the egg whites and combine using a balloon whisk or rubber spatula and gently fold until combined, sift the remaining flour and fold until completely combined, add the chopped basil fold in. Spoon the batter into the tube pan, smooth the surface and bake about 50 minutes, test by inserting a cake tester (I used a bamboo skewer) into the cake, it should come out clean and cake should spring back when gently touched with the finger. Let cake cool completely before removing from pan, to cool an angel food cake you have to invert (it cools upside down) I use an empty wine bottle or if your pan has the legs just invert and let cool on the counter cake should cool at least 1 1/2 hours. To remove cake run a thin knife or small flexible offset spatula around the sides of cake as well as the middle tube. LIft the bottom of the pan, run the knife or spatula along the bottom to loosen the cake, gently lift it off and place on serving dish.
- Coconut Lime Whipped Cream
-
Chill bowl and beaters. Add coconut cream, heavy cream to chilled bowl, beat until it thickens add the sugar a tbs at a time (sweeten to taste) and lime zest. Beat just until it is soft and billowy. Serve immediately with the cake.
I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember, am self taught learning as I go. I come from a large Italian family and food was at the center of almost every gathering. My grandfather made his own wine and I remember the barrels of wine in the cellar of my grandfathers home, I watched my mother and aunts making homemade pasta and remember how wonderful it was to sit down to a truly amazing dinner. Cooking for me is a way to express myself its my creative outlet. I enjoy making all types of food but especially enjoy baking,
I live in Brooklyn, NY, and I share my home with my two dogs Izzy and Nando.
I like to collect cookbooks and scour magazines and newspapers for recipes. I hope one day to organize them.
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