angel food cake trifle

this is a really fresh dessert, perfect for a summer night! if you don't like chocolate, you can even leave the ganache out, but it is delicious when included!

angel food cake:

i got this recipe from a great baking book: "The Ultimate Book of Baking" by Martha Day


1 cup sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
1 1/4 cups egg whites (about 10-11 eggs)
1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

preheat oven to 325 degrees.

sift the flour before measuring, then sift it 4 times with 1/2 cup of sugar. transfer to a bowl.

with electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. sift over the cream of tartar and salt and continue to beat until they hold soft peaks when the beaters are lifted.



add the remaining sugar in 3 batches, beating well after each addition; stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.

add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, and fold in with a large metal spoon after each addition.

transfer to an ungreased 10-inch tube pan and bake until delicately browned on top, about 1 hour.


let the cake cool, and then tear it up into big chunks and set those aside in a bowl.

now, make the chocolate ganache:

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream

put the chocolate in a double boiler pot, and stir it until it is mostly melted. then, slowly add the cream until the mixture is a smooth chocolate sauce.

also, make the whipped cream:

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

with a beater, beat the cream until thick. add the sugar and vanilla, and beat until the mixture forms soft peaks.

in a trifle pot, put one layer of the angel food cake chunks on the bottom. on top, put a layer of whipped cream. then put a layer of whatever fruit you want. i like to put strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. then drizzle a layer of the ganache. repeat with as many layers as you like, ending with the whipped cream, fruit, and ganache layer on top.
cool, so that the ganache hardens, and enjoy!


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