BIRTHDAY

I'm officially a card carrying Medicare member!  It was another scorching hot birthday but we didn't let that stop us from having a fun afternoon.  Carrie brought the boys over and Mike and Kim came home in time to have some water fun on the Slip N Slide!

I made my mother's Chocolate Angel Food Cake (can you see where little fingers just had to taste the frosting?)  Since it's such a delicious cake I thought I'd share the recipe.

Chocolate Angel Food Cake
3/4 Cups sugar
3/4 Cup cake flour
1/3 Cup cocoa
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12 egg whites (at room temperature)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Cup sugar
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In a separate bowl, sift together sugar, cake flour and cocoa mixture 3 times.
Using the wire wisk attachment on your electric mixer, beat the egg whites, salt, cream of tarter and vanilla to a foam using high speed.  Add 1 cup of sugar in a slow steady stream.  Reduce speed to medium and continue mixing until whites form soft peaks. Remove bowl from mixer. Fold sugar/flour mixture into  egg whites.  Pour into an ungreased angel food cake pan.
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Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes.  Invert pan to cool.

Frosting

Beat 1 Cup butter (room temperature) and 1 Cup powdered Sugar until creamy.
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In separate pan, melt 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate on low heat.  Add 1/4 cup sugar and stir to combine.  Add 4 room temperature egg yokes (be sure to temper the yokes before adding to chocolate and sugar).  Cook this mixture slowly until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat to cool. Combine with butter and powdered sugar mixture.
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Beat 4 egg whites to firm peaks (I substitute meringue powder for egg whites for safety).
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Fold egg whites into cooled chocolate mixture.
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Frost cake..REFRIGERATE until ready to serve.
Yum!  


Have a lovely 4th of July everyone!