Black and White Angel Food Cake

Black and white speckley goodness.

After wandering through Central Market the other day and sampling their angel food cake, I was starting to crave the stuff. When I came home that day, Ina Garten was making a black and white angel food cake, which was obviously a sign that I needed to make it.

I had a birthday coming up, but was told that I was not allowed to make my own birthday cake. Fortunately, we celebrated my birthday with some family friends, one of whom also happened to turn 29 again on the same day, so I made this cake for him. :) This cake might very well be my new favorite. In fact, I might run out to the store tomorrow to get more chocolate to make another. The ganache topping was a bit much for me, it was very in-your-face chocolately. However, the cake itself is incredibly light and just subtly chocolately. I found myself wandering back to the cake to nibble throughout the day.




Black and White Angel Food Cake
Source: Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
* 2 cups sifted superfine sugar (about 1 pound)
* 1 1/3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
* 1 1/2 cups egg whites at room temperature (10 to 12 eggs)
* 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup coarsely grated semisweet chocolate

For the glaze:
* 1/2 pound semisweet chocolate chips
* 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with the flour and sift them together 4 times. Set aside.

Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the eggs form medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute. With the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar by sprinkling it over the beaten egg whites. Beat on high speed for a few minutes until thick and shiny. Add the vanilla and continue to whisk until very thick, about 1 more minute. Scrape the beaten egg whites into a large bowl. Sift 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it very carefully into the batter with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour in 3 equal additions, sifting and folding until it's all incorporated. Fold in the grated chocolate.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, smooth the top, and bake it for 35 to 45 minutes, until it springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack. When cool, run a thin, flexible knife around the cake to remove it from the pan.

For the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate chips and the heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate melts. Pour the chocolate over the top of the cooled cake to cover the top completely and allow it to drizzle down the sides. If you have chocolate glaze left over, you can serve it on the side with the cake.