Marbled Angel Food Cake

I made this for my Mom on Mother's Day. It was the first time I made an angel food cake, and I'd have to say I'm quite happy about it. It turned out delish! My family raved about it, eventhough I burned the top a little. ;o) I would want to save a slice for my boyfriend but it was a complete goner the next morning. It tasted a lot like brazo de mercedes without the custard filling. The recipe calls for a 10 inch tube pan, but mine was only 8 inches, so I had to use a second pan (the heart-shaped pan). I also made a little boo-boo while making it; the recipe calls for the sugar to be added 2 tablespoon at a time, but I poured mine all at the same time. Hence, the mixing time took longer than it should. (My arms got tired because I was using an electric hand mixer.) I also didn't have nutmeg available, but nevertheless, it was still yummy. :)

Marbled Angel Food Cake with Strawberries

Cake:
1 cup cake flour
pinch of ground nutmeg
12 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/3 c superfine sugar
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder

Topping:
3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled & sliced
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 c orange juice

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Prepare cake: Sift together cake flour & nutmeg into a medium size bowl.
3. With a mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites & cream of tartar in a large bowl until frothy. Beat in superfine sugar, 2 tbsp at a time, & then beat 5-7 mins until stiff glossy peaks form.
4. Fold flour mixture into egg white mixture in two additions, until incorporated. Transfer half of batter into a clean medium size bowl; gently fold in cocoa powder.
5. Spoon white batter alternately with chocolate batter into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan. Swirl a sharp knife through batters to create a marbled pattern.
6. Bake cake in preheated oven for 4o minutes or until springy when touched & a wooden pick inserted comes out clean. *(If pan has no legs extending above the rim, invert onto a wine or similar weighted bottle, placing center of tube over neck of bottle.) Cool 1 hour.
7. Meanwhile, prepare topping: Combine strawberries, sugar, and orange juice in a bowl. Let stand and allow the flavors to blend.
8. Run a thin metal spatula around side of pan & tube to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto a serving plate. Serve cake slices topped with strawberry mixture.

(Source: Family Circle Best Ever Cakes & Cookies; page 30; Published by Broadway Books; Copyright 2001)

Recipe notes: Make sure to sift cocoa powder as well when folding onto the the other half of the batter. I just poured mine as is, and it made little lumps of chocolate on the cake when it was baked. I also used granulated sugar on the cake instead of superfine, which was probably one of the reason why it took a while to mix the eggwhite mixture, but I think there wouldn't be any difference in the taste at all.