Cakes to feed angels

When I was growing up my Grandma made angel food cakes for Easter. I'm not sure how many times she actually did this, but I remember it on more than one occasion. I think once or twice she may have decorated it with coconut shavings coloured green to imitate grass, with jelly beans to look like Easter eggs. Regardless of how many times she made it, I remember liking it a lot. I'm not sure if it was the fluffy cake, or the cream cheese frosting that made it so good. Eventually she started making the cakes just for me. Now when I go back to visit it's often a request (along with Pete's Fish and Chips burritos).

A month or two ago Grandma sent me a package and, per my request, included angel food cake mix and tubs of cream cheese frosting. The cake mix hasn't seemed to come to Australia yet, but while I wasn't looking the cream cheese frosting has. When I first moved here you couldn't find the tubs of frosting very easily, but now you can get vanilla, chocolate, and cream cheese.  Woot! Even if I couldn't get it at the store I had the tubs Grandma sent. The only thing I needed was the pan.

The pan problem was a little tougher to solve. I tried looking for it at some kitchenware shops here, but apparently angel food cake isn't on offer very often. Fortunately the internet proved helpful.  I found a pan being sold from a kitchen supply wholesaler, but they had to be bought in lots of six. The internet being more than just a one-outlet-town, I found another option that seemed to work. Thanks Harvey Norman! An order on Sunday meant that the pan was delivered by Tuesday.

With all the mixes, tubs, and pans at the ready I was prepared to have a go at making my first angel food cake. The preparation is really simple, add water and mix. The batter is very frothy and light, and it's amazing that just adding water does that. I read on the box not to use a pan smaller than 10" x 4", so I split the batter into two pans, trying to estimate how much I would need to fill the proper angel food cake pan. I was a bit worried as it was cooking, but it settled a bit when I took it out of the oven and I think it turned out alright.

A bit of the bottom corners came off the cake as I was cutting it from the pan, but it appears to have cooked through properly. The colour seemed right, and everything looked encouraging. Just needed to add the frosting.

 

I wasn't sure how soft the cake would be, and the frosting had been in the fridge, so I warmed it up a bit first before spreading it on the cake.  Things seemed to be working fine.  Could it be that I had an Easter cake here in Australia??

 

Yep.  It's a little lop-sided because the edges came off, but it tasted great. I guess now I need to make sure my angel food cake mix dealer back in the States keeps my supply topped up. I hear angel food cake is good for trifles.