A hundred years ago there were some delightful cake recipes. I recently found an old recipe for Cocoa Angel Food Cake with Boiled Icing. It made a delectable light and airy cake with an absolutely decadent old-fashioned gooey frosting.
The Boiled Icing brought back memories of fluffy, glossy frosting on incredible cakes that great aunts brought to family reunions. (Does anyone still make Boiled Icing?) I’d forgotten how good it is.
Here’s the original recipe:
This recipe makes a relatively small cake. It has a wonderful texture, but it is not as thick as many modern angel food cakes.
And, here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Cocoa Angel Food Cake with Boiled Icing
Cocoa Angel Food Cake
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup pastry flour
1 cup sugar
5 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 375° F. Sift together cocoa and flour, then stir in the sugar. Set aside.
Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat until foamy, then add the cream of tartar and continue beating until the mixture holds stiff straight peaks. Gently stir in the vanilla.
Sprinkle a small amount of the flour and sugar mixture (about 2 tablespoons) onto the whipped egg mixture; and then fold it in. Continue sprinkling and folding the flour and sugar mixture until it all is folded in.
Gently spoon the batter into an ungreased 10 X 4 tube pan with removable bottom (angel food cake pan). Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned and the top springs back when lightly touched.
Invert pan until cool (at least 1 hour) and then remove cake from pan, and ice with Boiled Icing
Boiled Icing
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
dash cream of tartar
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Combine sugar, water, and cream of tartar in a saucepan; put on medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Once the mixture reaches a bowl, reduce heat so that there is a slow boil. Continue boiling until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (240° F.), then remove from heat.
In the meantime, in a mixing bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Slowing pour the hot sugar mixture over the egg whites while beating constantly. Add the vanilla; continue beating until cool. Immediately use to ice cake.
A Hundred Years Ago 