I was watching a re-run recently of one of the older Great British Bake Off episodes (yes, I do watch them over and over again) and the technical challenge presented by Mary was an “Angel Food Cake”. The contestants all appeared completely baffled by this challenge, but I smiled to myself, knowing that I had actually made one . . . a long time ago.
I remember it distinctly. It was 1972 and I had never made a cake before … a real ‘from scratch’ cake. The recipe was straight out of the only cookbook I owned (but don’t remember where it came from), the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. My recipes generally came from 
magazine and newspaper clippings – with pictures, of course, so that I would know exactly what the finished dish was suppose to look like.
You may have seen this classic cookbook on a shelf in an antique shop or used book store . . . a three-ring binder with a red and white gingham cover. This cookbook actually taught me how to cook and became my bible in the kitchen.
The cake was an Orange Angel Food Cake. There was no special occasion and I don’t really know why I selected this cake. Perhaps it was because I had a dozen eggs which were getting old and a bag of oranges which I didn’t want to go to waste. I also don’t remember how I had obtained an angel food cake pan, but I had one … and still do. So, following the instructions very carefully, I took on the challenge and remember being quite proud of myself when it came out . . . perfectly baked . . . light and fluffy . . . with a delicate citrusy orange flavor.
Have I made this cake since? No. And I’m not sure why. But after watching the GBBO episode, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic . . . plus I have a dozen eggs, a bag full of oranges, and an angel food cake pan. So, let’s give it a try!
ORANGE ANGEL FOOD CAKE
Preheat oven to 325°. Do not grease the cake pan. (Something the contestants did not know.)
8 eggs yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup cake flour, sifted
8 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
I always line up all the ingredients when baking. It’s so easy to forget something … and it could be as simple or important as salt.
Separate 8 large, room-temperature eggs … put the whites aside.
Beat the egg yolks until thick and lemony-colored. Gradually add 2/3 cup sugar. Beat until gloriously thick. Combine the freshly-squeezed orange juice (freshly-squeezed gives the best flavor) with the orange peel. Add this to the egg yolk mixture alternately with the cake flour. Set aside.
Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until the soft peak stage. Very gradually add the other 2/3 cup sugar. Beat on high until stiff peaks form … but do not overbeat. The egg whites should be stiff but not be dry.
Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
Pour into the ungreased 10″ tube pan (or whatever pan you’d like to use). Angel food cakes do not need to be baked in a specific pan. Loaf pans are fine. Bake in a 325° oven for about 50 to 60 minutes.
When done, a tester will come out clean, the sponge should spring back when touched and the color will be a delicate golden brown.
Invert the tube pan to cool the cake. Yes, that is what the ‘feet’ are for. After approximately 20 minutes, the cake should easily come out of the pan. Turn right side up. Frost when cooled.
Is it a “show stopper” as Mary would’ve liked to have seen? No … but I’m very happy with it. The cake is feathery light with just a subtle hint of citrusy orange. I made a quick seven-minute frosting and decorated it with candied orange slices.
This is the perfect cake for after a heavy meal when you want something sweet, but not too sweet or rich … or when you want to impress your guests (because they will be impressed). It may have taken me almost 50 years to make this the second time, but you know I’ll be making it again very soon! Yummy!!
_____________________________________________________________________________
but I LOVE fruit cake. There I said it! And this Scottish classic is one of my favorites. Why? Because it is made with sweet, thick orange marmalade, giving it a wonderful orangey flavor. And to be an ‘authentic’ Dundee cake, the marmalade should be made with Seville oranges from Spain. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Seville, you can’t help but gaze in wonder at the over 40,000 orange trees which line the streets. At times, the trees are bursting with so much fruit, the streets are just littered with these brightly-colored orbs.
How did the oranges end up in Dundee, Scotland? Because of a storm at sea! A Spanish cargo ship carrying goods and produce crashed into the rugged coastline in Dundee. Among the many goods on the ship were oranges. The oranges were ruined and couldn’t be sold, but a local merchant, James Keiller, bought the load at a discounted price. Keiller already sold jams in his shop and incorporated the oranges, fruit, pith and peel, into the recipe. Food historians say it was his mother, Janet Keiller, who then took the marmalade and used it in a fruit cake, now known as the Dundee cake.
Other historians say the Dundee cake is attributed to Mary Queen of Scots in the 1500s who didn’t care for traditional fruit cakes with all the glacéd fruits and cherries. To please the Queen, her royal baker then made a cake which only had raisins, almonds and the bitter Seville oranges. But the timelines vary too much for me. The Dundee cake is made with orange marmalade which seems to have been created 100 years after Mary Queen of Scots would have enjoyed it. Although marmalade has been around since Roman times, it was almost always made with quince and honey, as a way of preserving the fruit. The name “marmalade” actually originates from the Portuguese word “marmelo” or quince. Believed to be the first published recipe for orange marmalade was found in a cookbook written by Eliza Cholmondeley in 1677.
However this spice cake came to be, by the 19th century, the Dundee cake was served in tea rooms across Great Britain and was the dessert of choice for Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth II. As with many ‘historical’ foods, an application has been filed by Dundee bakers for protected status for this spice cake with the EU. The bakers’ hope is to keep this centuries old cake from becoming a cheap imitation of the original. Let’s hope the rights are granted.