Recipe: Red Velvet Angel Food Cake

For my mother's birthday, I decided to make her an angel food cake.  I tried a homemade angel food cake a couple years ago, and it was a pain and didn't end up well... but this is the year that I've tackled pie crust.  My baking chops are significantly more choppy nowadays.  So, I thought I'd give it another try.

My mother is a chocolate lover.  I wanted to use the Red Velvet Baker's Emulsion from King Arthur Flour.  So, how about Red Velvet Angel Food Cake?

Red Velvet Angel Food Cake

1 1/2 c sugar, divided
1 c cake flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp espresso powder
1 1/2 c egg whites (I used the pasteurized egg whites in a carton, this would take 10-12 egg whites)
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Red Velvet Baking Emulsion (or red food coloring gel)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/4 c warm water

Preheat oven to 325 F.   In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa, 3/4 c sugar, espresso powder, and the cake flour.

Beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt. When those are well incorporated, add in the other 3/4 c sugar slowly.  Once it has all been added, beat the mixture to soft peaks.  Add the warm water, vanilla, Red Velvet Baking emuslion and lemon extract and beat for a few seconds to evenly distribute.

Sift the flour/sugar/cocoa powder mixture over the egg whites in 6-8 additions and gently fold it in after each addition. Take your time and do it gently to avoid deflating the egg whites.
Spoon or pour batter into an to an ungreased spring form or 9 inch tube pan with a removable bottom (Mine does not have a removable bottom.  I wish it did.  The cake sticks a little and doesn't come out nearly as nicely as it could).  Smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top springs back when lightly pressed.  Remove from oven and immediately invert onto the top of a wine bottle  (or, in my case, invert on a rack because the cake is not over the sides of the pan and my pan's hole is too small for my wine bottle....) until completely cool, about 1 1/2 hours.  Run a knife around the sides (and around the middle tube, too!) and carefully invert the cake pan onto your serving plate until the cake releases from the pan.  Serve with whipped cream and fruit, if desired.