Paula Deen's Chocolate Orange Angel Food Cake

I wasn't going to post another cake recipe already. But then Deborah brought me a cooking magazine, and Amy had a birthday, and I made this cake, and well, it was delicious. I just have to share. Our favorite Southern cook has got a fabulous Special Collectors edition magazine out, "Paula Deen's Chocolate Celebration." Let me tell you, this is right up my alley. I stand ready to celebrate chocolate at any time. Seriously. You just let me know if you have some chocolate and need help celebrating it. I'm your girl.

When I posted my first cake recipe, one of our retailers, Clawfoot Designs, posted a comment that I thought was really great. Here it is: "Tried the cake recipe and served it to our customers shortly after opening today…needless to say, it went fast! The good news is the cake was delicious and the customers bought most of our stocked items of Tinwoodsman products! Guess it is time to place another order!"

A store that serves homemade cake to customers. I love it. If Alabama weren't so far from Oregon, I would be visiting Clawfoot Designs. Retailers, take note. If you have any baking ability or inclination, you may want to follow Clawfoot's lead. Customers like cake. :)

And shoppers, if the stores you frequent don't have any cake on hand, well, you're just going to have to make this for yourself. It's too good. Moist and light like an angel cake should be. It's not super chocolatey, but that lets the orange shine through. Thanks to this recipe, I discovered that I love orange extract. Who knew? I like a lot of icing, so I made an additional half recipe for my cake.

Here it is served with some orange vanilla ice cream.



Chocolate Orange Angel Food Cake recipe courtesy Paula Deen, "Paula Deen's Chocolate Celebration" Check out her recipe collection at the Food Network site.


12 egg whites at room temperature (Jen's note: eggs are easier to separate when cold. separate the eggs first, then allow to come to room temperature. this makes them beat up fluffier.)
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/4 tsp. orange extract
1 1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
1 c. cake flour
3 Tbsp. Dutch-processed cocoa
Sweet Orange Glaze (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in orange zest and orange extract.

3. In a small bowl, sift together confectioners' sugar, flour, and cocoa; gradually fold into egg white mixture. Spoon batter into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan. Bake for 30 to 32 minutes or until lightly browned. Invert cake onto the neck of a bottle and cool completely. (Jen's note: cooling upside-down allows an angel food cake to keep it's structure and not deflate.) Gently run a knife around edge of cake to release sides. Remove cake from pan. Drizzle with Sweet Orange Glaze.

Sweet Orange Glaze

1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. orange extract

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cream cheese, milk, and extract. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until smooth.