A Birthday and a Cake (Vol. 4)

It's become a tradition to celebrate Max's birthday with a different homemade cake each year (see cakes from years past HERE, HERE, and HERE). This year, I went for a light, fluffy, orange angel cake (the perfect way to follow up our ginormous birthday dinner at Texas de Brazil!).

This birthday marked ten years of birthdays together for Max and me. In fact, it was exactly ten years ago when we'd been dating for less than a year that I surprised my then-boyfriend with a trip to Vegas for his birthday! Max was a student, and I was a teacher on summer break - we were basically young and carefree. We reminisced about this, of course, and Max even reminded me that I literally "kidnapped" him, blindfolded him and drove him to the airport 😂 This birthday was a bit more low-key, starting with a donut tower followed by a day of work (we are such the grown-ups now). 

And now for the cake! I would totally make this recipe again. It has a glaze, but I think it would also be great with whipped cream and fresh fruit. It calls for a tube pan. I used a plain one like this one, but this decorative one is on sale right now (with free shipping), and I think I might just need it 😉

Orange Dream Angel Cake (adapted from Good Housekeeping)

CAKE

1 c. cake flour

1 1/4 c. plus 2 Tbs. sugar

1 1/4 c. egg whites (10 eggs)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

1 tsp. orange zest

2 Tbs. orange juice

GLAZE

1 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar

3 Tbs. orange juice

1 Tbs. melted butter

1. Prepare cake: Preheat oven to 375°. Sift flour with 1/2 c. sugar

2. In large bowl with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites with salt, cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Beat in 1 c. sugar, 1/4 c. at a time.

3. Gently fold in flour mixture by fourths with a rubber spatula.

4. In another bowl with mixer at high speed, beat yolks with orange zest and juice and remaining 2 Tbs. sugar until thickened and pale. Fold in one-third of white batter.

5. In ungreased tube pan, alternate white and yellow batters. Bake 35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

6. To cool cake, invert on wire rack. Let cool completely (cake will shrink if removed from pan while warm). 

7. To remove cooled cake, use thin bladed knife to loosen. Invert onto wire rack and lift off pan.

8. Prepare glaze: in small bowl, mix powdered sugar, orange juice and butter until smooth. Brush over cooled cake and garnish with orange zest. 

Happy Birthday, Husby!