September 2024
In remembrance of the passage last September of my Angel Cat, Gabrielle, from her country estate to her lofty place in feline Heaven, I’m baking an Angel Cake.
Gabrielle, the white kitten, and Annabella, the black kitten, were abandoned by their “owner” during the late winter of 2007, although I wasn’t aware of the cruelty of the woman living in the plywood palace behind my house, until just before Patrick’s Day of 2008. On that day, I adopted them.
The white kitten was called “Angel”. I do not recall “Blackie” being called any name, or even being called, to return to the home-hovel that got short-saled during the winter of 2007-2008.
Angel usually slept, stretched out, on the uppermost branch of a pitiful nectarine tree, located outside my kitchen window. She’d jump from her snooze-perch onto the lower ledge of a wooden “privacy” fence that separated my house from the plywood palace. That dog-eared barrier rarely afforded me any privacy!
Late every afternoon, or early evening, ‘round about suppertime, a voice would call out, “Angel.” An arm would then reach out, over the fence, and a hand moved down to grab hold of the kitten. The immediate and, after the first few grabs, predictable response from Angel was a long, loud, high-pitched feline screech that was anything but angelic!
This auditory event became part of my family dinner routine. It is thus impossible for me to bake this cake without so many of the adorable and adorably comical sights and sounds of The Gabrielle. The former Angel is now a real angel, contented as ever as she scales the highest of heights.
I like this recipe because it’s protein-rich and low on sugar. The Betty Crocker cookbook lists it as “Silver White Cake”, but I call it Angel Cake, which is technically not accurate, but it works for me, and for Gabby!
It’s an oft-baked dessert in my household because it’s light and prevents that “caked-out” feeling that can come from too many successive holidays, birthdays, Friday-night-treats, and weekend celebrations during spring and summer months.
Frosting this cake with dark chocolate icing makes for a delicious pairing of light-and-dark colors. That chroma-arrangement forms a fitting tribute to the Gabrielle, the Snowshoe Cat. She was also known as Queen Frostine because of her sweet but regal demeanour!
Below are the instructions and ingredients, directly from Betty, with a couple of changes of my own (“butter” instead of “grease generously”).
Silver White Angel Cake
Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans, or an oblong/rectangular 13x9-inch pan. I used a ceramic oblong pan for a picnic-y feel. I also reduced the amount of sugar to allow for the sweetness of the frosting.
Sift together: 2-2/3 cups flour, 1-1/2 cups sugar, 4-1/2 tsp baking power, 1 tsp salt.
Add 2/3 cup softened butter.
Pour in 1-1/4 cups milk and 2 tsp vanilla.
Add the 5 egg whites and beat for 4 minutes.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes for a ceramic oblong pan (30–35 minutes for layer pans); or until the top of the cake springs back from your finger and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool, then frost with dark chocolate icing.
The Angel dessert is great with a glass of cold milk. It also makes a wonderful breakfast treat with some tea, or coffee.