Gingerbread Angel Food Cake from cousin Susan F. for Christmas

 

Bake at 375 for 35- 45 minutes

1 cup cake flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cream of tartar
2 cups egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1 1⁄2 cups sugar divided
2 tsp orange peel grated fine

Sift together 3⁄4 cup sugar with flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, ginger and allspice
Beat whites until frothy, Beat until light and opaque. Slowly add 3⁄4 cup sugar, add vanilla and orange peel and beat until very light Gently fold flour mixture into egg whites in 3 additions. Careful to not overfold (don’t want to deflate the egg whites)

Delicately spoon mixture into ungreased 10” tube pan
Bake for 35 - 45 minutes until cake tester comes to clean and top of cake springs back when lightly touched
Leave cake in pan and invert on cake pan feet until cool (air needs to circulate underneath)
To remove cake from pan, use a long thin knife to loosen edges of cake from pan. Then loosen bottom of tube from pan with knife

Serve with Caramel Sauce and Whipped rum cream.

Caramel Sauce

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1.5 cups heavy cream 1/4 cup butter

Stir the water and sugar together in medium sized saucepan. Cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Remove lid and cook without stirring, until the mixture turns a light golden colour (this takes about 40 minutes at a med-high heat). Remove from heat. Pour cream through sieve, standing well back. When sputtering subsides, whisk in butter.

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Whip Cream Sauce Base

Base can be made day before. Whip the cream just before serving the cake and mix base and whip cream together

4 Tbsp butter
2 cups icing sugar
1 egg yolk well beaten 2 tsp vanilla
1 1⁄2 cup whipped cream

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla. Fold in whipped cream add brandy or rum.