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Angel Food Cake with Tea-Soaked Berries

Source of Recipe

From "Besh Big Easy" by John Besh


Recipe Introduction

"I forever associate angel food cake with enforced quiet: my mother would always tell us kids that if we made noise while it was baking, the cake would not rise. And I'll admit to using that same line with my own boys. The great thing about this cake is that it seems to last for days. As it becomes a touch stale, it's perfect for absorbing the juices from the jasmine tea-soaked berries."

List of Ingredients

Cake:
â—¦ 1 cup cake flour
â—¦ 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups egg whites, from about 10 large eggs, at room temperature
â—¦ 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ½ cup finely chopped white chocolate

Berries:
â—¦ ¾ cup granulated sugar
â—¦ Grated zest of 1 lemon
â—¦ 1 teaspoon jasmine tea leaves
â—¦ ½ cup blueberries
â—¦ ½ cup blackberries
â—¦ ½ cup strawberries
â—¦ ½ cup raspberries
â—¦ Confectioners' sugar for dusting


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Arrange the oven racks so that the cake will fit on the lowest rack.

To make the cake, sift together the cake flour and ½ cup of the sugar in a mixing bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt. With the mixer on medium-high speed, add the remaining 1 cup sugar in a steady stream. Continue whipping the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and carefully fold in the sifted flour and sugar, a little bit at a time, just until fully incorporated. Stir in the white chocolate. Gently pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch Bundt pan. Knock the pan on the counter a few times to release air bubbles. Bake the cake until lightly golden and dry, about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and invert it. Allow the cake to cool completely before releasing it from the pan.

For the berries, combine ½ cup water, the sugar, lemon zest, and tea leaves in a medium saucepan and boil over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Strain out the tea leaves and return the syrup to the pan. Add the blueberries and poach over low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the strawberries. Let cool, then add the raspberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Just before serving, dust the cake with confectioners' sugar and fill the center with the tea-soaked berries.

Serves 8 to 10