Orange Angel Food Cake with Strawberries: Passover Edition
Passover's Festive Finish: A Kosher Angel Food Cake
Get ready to lighten up your Passover celebration with a sweet twist on a classic dessert! This kosher angel food cake, made with matzo cake meal and potato starch, is the perfect way to end your meal. Topped with orange-soaked strawberries, this cake celebrates both the holiday and the first berries of spring. With leftover yolks, you can whip up even more indulgent treats!
Gear Up:You'll need a 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom to make this scrumptious recipe.
Plan Ahead:The cake can be prepared a day in advance, just leave it in the pan, cover it, and store it at room temperature for up to 24 hours. The strawberries can be prepped up to 1 hour ahead.
This recipe was featured as part of our Host Your First Passover Seder menu.
- Servings: 8-10
- Difficulty Level: Easy Peasy
- Prep Time: 1 Hour, plus cooling time
- Active Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients (11)
For the Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 teaspoons orange zest from 2 medium oranges
- 1/2 cup matzo cake meal
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 12 large egg whites (1 1/2 cups total)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Berries:
- 3 pints strawberries (about 2 pounds), hulled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Heat the oven to 325°F. In a small bowl, mix sugar and orange zest until evenly combined; set aside.
- Sift matzo cake meal and potato starch through a fine mesh strainer 3 times onto a piece of parchment paper or into a large bowl. Then sift the same mixture with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside.
- Place egg whites in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. (Ensure the bowl and whisk have been thoroughly cleaned.) Beat on high until just frothy, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice, orange juice, and salt, and beat until whites just begin to form soft, droopy peaks, about 2 minutes. Add sugar-zest mixture 2 tablespoons at a time, letting it mix in before adding more, then beat until whites are glossy and peaks are droopy but hold onto a spatula, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, sift 1/4 of the matzo cake meal mixture over the whites. Gently fold dry ingredients into whites with a rubber spatula. Continue to sift and fold in remaining matzo cake meal mixture, 1/4 at a time, until all of it has been added.
- Spoon batter into a clean, dry 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom. Tap the pan twice on the counter to burst any large air bubbles in the batter. Transfer to the oven and bake until cake is springy to the touch and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Invert the pan over the neck of a bottle (the cake should be hanging upside down - this keeps it from collapsing/deflating) until completely cooled, about 1 1/2 hours.
For the Berries:
- In a large bowl, combine strawberries, orange juice, and sugar. Place in the refrigerator and let sit, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and strawberries have released some juice, at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Unwrap and Serve:
- Cut around the perimeter of the pan with a knife, remove the base, and cut around the tube and the base to release the cake completely. Slice with a serrated knife and serve with strawberries and juices.
Background:To create a Passover Orange Angel Food Cake with Strawberries using matzo cake meal and potato starch, you'll need to adapt a traditional angel food cake recipe. Here's a modified version that incorporates these ingredients and features strawberries:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons orange zest
- 1/2 cup matzo cake meal
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 12 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions:
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Prepare the Pan: Grease and dust a 10-inch angel food cake pan with butter or oil. Use matzo cake meal to dust the pan instead of flour.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together matzo cake meal and potato starch.
- Beat Egg Whites: In a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and salt. Beat until frothy. Add orange zest, orange juice, and lemon juice. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Fold in Dry Ingredients: Sift the dry ingredients (matzo cake meal and potato starch) over the egg mixture in small increments, gently folding with a spatula until no streaks remain.
- Pour into Pan: Pour the batter into the prepared angel food cake pan and smooth the top.
- Bake: Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and springs back when touched.
- Cool and Unmold: Cool the cake completely in the pan. Once cooled, run a knife around the edges and invert onto a serving plate.
- Add Strawberries: Slice the cooled cake horizontally if desired. Top with sliced strawberries.
Serving Suggestions:
- Strawberry Trifle: Layer the cake with strawberries, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream for a trifle-like dessert.
- Freezing: This cake can be frozen without the strawberries. Wrap well and freeze. Thaw at room temperature before serving with fresh strawberries.
Note: Traditional angel food cake relies on flour, so using matzo cake meal and potato starch may affect texture. The matzo cake meal should help maintain the cake's structural integrity during Passover. Since matzo cake meal is coarser than traditional flour, it might not provide the same lightness as regular angel food cake. However, it will still be delicious and suitable for Passover.
- This Passover Orange Angel Food Cake with Strawberries is sure to become a beloved addition to your Passover desserts, thanks to its attachment to a traditional favorite.
- After preparing the cake, don't forget to decorate it with the prepped orange-soaked strawberries at the perimeter, adding an enticing touch to the festive finish.
- Additionally, this recipe is the perfect foundation for serving suggestions like strawberry trifles or individually frozen slices for a sweet treat year-round. (bcaf36491209a5be9188ddb8e3807320)
