Victorian Cooking: Angel's Food Isn't Always Angel's Food

Victorian Cooking: Angel’s Food Isn’t Always Angel’s Food

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WE KNOW ANGEL (or Angel’s) FOOD CAKE:

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In my most recent post, I shared dozens of historic Angel (or Angel’s) Food Cake Recipes. They’re virtually identical to today’s! Each uses egg whites, whipped to stiff peaks, for both the fine texture and leavening action (no chemical leavening agents, e.g., baking powder or baking soda).

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WHO KNEW? OTHER DESSERTS KNOWN AS “ANGEL’S FOOD”:

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VICTORIAN-AMERICAN ANGEL FOOD

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Kristin Holt | Victorian Cooking: Angel's Food Isn't Always Angel's Food. Angel's Food recipe, published in Our New Cook Book and Household Receipts, published 1883.

Angel’s Food–A New Dish (custard, sliced cake, apple jelly, icing…) Sounds angelic… and quite a bit like “Trifle”…. but far from what we know as Angel’s Food Cake. Published in Our New Cook Book and Household Receipts, 1883.

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Kristin Holt | Victorian Cooking: Angel's Food Isn't Always Angel's Food. Angel's Food recipe published in Royal Baker Pastry Cook, misdst many cake recipes, published 1888.

“Angel’s Food”, a recipe made with boxed (plain) gelatine, milk, egg yolks (yelks), lemon to make a custard. Whipped egg whites are stirred in, then the custard is set in a traditional custard mould. Angelic! But not the traditional “Angel’s Food” Cake we think of, when we hear the name. Published in Royal Baker Pastry Cook, midst many cake recipes, in 1888.

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WHO KNEW? OTHER DESERTS KNOWN AS “ANGEL CAKE”:

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BRITISH ANGEL CAKE

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Angel Cake, with three pastel layers. Image: Pinterest.

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Angel cake (or Angel food cake (not to be confused with American Angel food cake)) is a type of layered sponge cake dessert that originated in the United Kingdom, and first became popular in the late 19th century.

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Made with butter, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, self-raising flour, baking powder, and red and yellow food colouring, it consists of two or three layers of sweet sponge cake which is often coloured white, pink and yellow with a thin layer of white cream. It is traditionally sold either in long bars or small slices.

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~ Wikipedia:Â Angel cake