Almond Angel Cake Slices
We're giving classic angel cake slices a serious upgrade! This version has layers of soft almond sponge, vanilla Italian meringue buttercream and fondant icing.
Servings: 16 Slices
Equipment
- 2 9"x13" Baking Tins
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Sieve
- Piping Bag
- Skewer
Ingredients
Almond Sponge Cake
- 250 g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- 260 g Caster Sugar
- 4 Large Eggs (Room Temp - 55g Each Out The Shell)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- 200 g Plain Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
- 60 g Ground Almonds
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 180 g Sour Cream (Room Temperature)
- Pink Food Colouring
- Yellow Food Colouring
Italian Meringue Buttercream
- 60 g Egg Whites (Roughly 2 Egg Whites)
- ¼ tsp Cream Of Tartar
- 120 g Caster Sugar
- 40 g Water
- 150 g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
Icing
- 350 g Icing Sugar (Sifted)
- 50 g Cold Water
- Pink Food Colouring
Instructions
Almond Sponge Cake
- Preheat an oven to 175°c/155°c fan (347°f/311°f).
- Grease and line 2x 9"x13" baking tins with baking parchment.If your oven isn't big enough to fit 2 tins in at once, make half the amount of batter at a time and bake each colour sponge separately.
- Add the softened butter and caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer then beat on a medium speed (with the paddle attachment) until pale and fluffy. This will take at least 5 minutes.Make sure to scrape the bowl down regularly with a spatula as you mix the batter!
- In the meantime, crack the eggs into a jug, add in the vanilla & almond extracts then lightly beat with a fork. Sift the flour, baking powder & bicarbonate of soda into a separate mixing bowl then add in the ground almonds & salt then whisk to combine.
- Keep the mixer running on a medium speed then gradually pour in the beaten eggs. Once all of the egg has been added in, scrape the bowl down with a spatula then give the butter another brief mix, to combine.
- Add the flour into the batter, mix on a low speed until almost combined then add in the sour cream and continue mixing until everything is just combined.
- Next, divide the cake batter into 2 mixing bowls then stir in a small amount of pink food colouring into one and yellow food colouring into the other. The batters should be a pale shade, as the colour will darken slightly as the cakes bake.If you'd like to weigh the batter to be as accurate as possible, each bowl should contain around 550g of batter. See the post above for a visual guide to the colours we're aiming for!
- Once the batters are ready, transfer each colour to its own tin then bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.Make sure to get the batter in the oven straight away! If you're making half the batter at a time, get started with the other batch when your first cake has almost finished baking.
- Let the baked cakes cool in the tins for 15 minutes then carefully transfer to wire cooling racks and leave to cool completely.
Italian Meringue Buttercream
- Add the egg whites & cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer then set to one side.Make sure that your bowl is clean & dry!
- Add 90 grams of the caster sugar into a small saucepan along with the water then set over a medium-high heat. Bring the mix to the boil then cook until the syrup reaches 121°c/250°f. This will take around 5 minutes.Don't stir the sugar, as it may crystallise.
- As soon as your sugar is on the heat, start whisking the egg whites on a medium speed. After a minute, when the whites are frothy, add the remaining 30 grams of sugar in a small amount at a time. Make sure to let each addition of sugar mix in before adding in more.
- Once all of the sugar has been mixed in, turn the mixer up to medium-high and continue whisking until the whites reach soft peaks. This will take 2-3 minutes, at which point the sugar will be ready.If your syrup isn't quite ready once the whites are, turn the speed down slightly so that they're both ready at the same time.
- Once the syrup has reached 121°c/249°f, turn your mixer down to a medium speed then carefully pour the syrup into egg whites, in a thin, slow stream.It's best to pour the syrup down the side of the bowl, so that it doesn't hit the whisk & go everywhere!
- Continue whisking the meringue on a medium-high speed until it has cooled, reached stiff peaks & is glossy. This will take around 10 minutes. The meringue needs to be cool before you add in the butter, otherwise it will split so make sure to whisk until it feels cool to the touch.
- Next, continue whisking the meringue on a medium speed then add the softened butter in a small amount at a time, making sure to let each addition mix in fully before adding in more.
- Once all of the butter has been added in, give the mixing bowl a quick scrape down then continue mixing on a medium speed until the buttercream is pale, fluffy and smooth. This will take 3-4 minutes of whisking.The meringue may look split at first but keep whisking and it will come together!
- To finish, add the vanilla and salt into the buttercream then whisk again briefly, to combine.
Assembly
- Line a baking tray with baking paper then set to one side.
- Next, transfer the pink cake to a chopping board and use a sharp serrated knife to lightly trim the top so that it's level (if necessary).Keep the sponge on the baking paper as it will be easier to lift/move. Make sure to get rid of any crumbs/trimmings before you move onto the next step.
- Flip the sponge over onto your line tray then peel the parchment off the top. Then spoon the buttercream on top of the sponge and use a palette knife to spread it out into an even layer. Don't worry if the buttercream isn't neat around the edges, we'll be trimming the cake later on.
- Next, trim the yellow sponge the same way as the pink sponge then carefully flip it over, on top of the buttercream. Peel the piece of parchment off the top then chill the cake in the fridge whilst you make the icing.Flipping the sponge over means that we'll have a flat surface to spread icing on. The best way to flip the sponge over is to line the edges up then confidently invert the cake onto the buttercream.
Icing
- Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl then gradually whisk in the cold water, to make a smooth, thick icing.
- Transfer 60 grams of the icing into a small mixing bowl then stir in a tiny amount of pink food colouring, to turn the icing a pale pink. Transfer the pink icing into a piping bag then set to one side.
- Next, spoon the white icing on top of the cake then use a palette knife to spread it out to the edges. Again, don't worry too much about making the edges neat, as the cake will be trimmed before slicing.
- Cut a small hole in the end of the piping bag then pipe lines of pink icing onto the white icing so they're running horizontally across and are spaced 1 cm apart.
- Run a skewer through the icing, down the length of sponge in 1 cm intervals, to feather the icing. Then chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes, to set the icing.
Cutting Into Slices
- Once the icing is set, carefully lift the cake onto a chopping board. Then use a large knife to trim the edges so that the cake is a neat rectangle.I like to use a long serrated knife for this. Rinsing the blade off with warm water then wiping it clean is the best way to make clean cuts.
- Next, cut the cake in half down the length then cut each half into 8 slices. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, in the fridge. It's best to let the slices sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so before serving.As these slices are made with Italian meringue buttercream, it's best to store them in the fridge. Make sure to use a tub that's deep enough, so that the lid can go on without touching the icing!
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1. To Bake In An Aga - Bake the cake on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the baking oven. Slide a cold plain shelf onto the second from top set of runners just before baking the cake & leave it there for the duration of the bake. Cook the syrup for the meringue on the boiling plate.
2. Storage - As these slices are made with Italian meringue buttercream, it's best to store them in the fridge and eat within 3 days. Make sure to use a tub that's deep enough, so that the lid can go on without touching the icing! It's best to let the slices sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving, to take the chill off.
3. Room Temp Ingredients - For an evenly mixed batter, it's best to use room temperature ingredients. This includes the eggs and sour cream. It's best to let them sit out of the fridge for 30 minutes before using.
4. Eggs - You’ll need large eggs for the sponge, each should weigh around 55 grams out of the shelf.
5. Baking In Batches - My oven isn't big enough to bake two 9x13" tins at once, so I make the batter in 2 batches. Fortunately, the batter ingredients are perfectly divisible by 2, so you can easily make it in batches. For the bicarb, you'll need 1/8 of tsp, which you can measure out by half filling a 1/4 tsp.
If you've got a big enough oven, make the batter in one go and bake 2 tins at once! It's best to weigh the batter when you divide it, to make equally sized cakes.
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