Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in South Florida Family Events and Recipes

If you love angel food cake, October 10 is set aside as a national day to celebrate this sweet treat. Try some variations of the heavenly dessert with our weekend recipe picks!

Honey Angel Food Cake (found on Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups egg whites 

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 ¾ teaspoons cream of tartar

• ½ cup honey

• 1 cup sifted cake flour

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

• Place a 10-inch tube pan in the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

• Beat egg whites with salt in a glass or metal bowl until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat until egg whites stand in peaks. Gradually add honey while beating continually to integrate until stiff peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the egg whites will form sharp peaks.

• Sift flour and white sugar together. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture into the egg whites and fold gently with a spoon to integrate; repeat in two more additions of the flour mixture to completely incorporate. Stir vanilla into the batter.

• Remove hot tube pan from the preheated oven. Pour the batter into the hot pan. Thump pan several times on a flat surface to break air bubbles in batter.

• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the top springs back when lightly pressed, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a wire pastry rack for at least 2 hours. Run a long, thin metal spatula or knife around edge of pan to loosen cake from pan.

Angel Food Roll with Cranberry Filling (found on Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 ⅛ cups castor sugar or superfine sugar, divided

• ¾ cup sifted cake flour

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 9 large egg whites egg whites 

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar

• ¼ cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 ⅓ cups fresh or frozen cranberries

• 6 tablespoons water

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• ½ cup heavy cream

• 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of superfine sugar, cake flour and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add vanilla and cream of tartar, and continue to whip. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining superfine sugar while continuing to whip the egg whites to firm peaks. Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold in by hand using a rubber spatula. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan over a wire rack. Generously sift sugar over the top of the cake, and cover with a clean towel. Run a spatula around the outside of the cake in the pan to loosen, and turn out onto the towel. Remove the parchment paper from the back of the cake, then place it back on loosely. Roll up with the towel loosely from short end to short end, and allow to cool in the rolled position.

• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup of white sugar, cranberries and water. Simmer until the cranberries burst, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the cornstarch, and simmer just until thick, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate.

• Unroll the cake so that it is sitting flat on the towel. Spread the cooled cranberry filling over the top, leaving 1/2 inch border. Use the towel to help you keep a grip on the cake for an even roll. Roll up from short end to short end and place seam side down onto a platter. Refrigerate until serving.

• Whip cream with confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Serve slices of cake with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

Strawberry Soda Angel Food Cake (found on Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package angel food cake mix

• 1 ¼ cups strawberry flavored carbonated beverage

• ¼ cup honey

• ¼ cup butter, melted 

• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

• 4 tablespoons strawberry flavored carbonated beverage

• 4 drops red food coloring

Preparation

• Prepare cake mix according to package directions, except substitute 1 1/4 cups soda pop and honey for the water. Bake as directed. Remove from oven and set upside-down until cooled.

• Meanwhile to prepare glaze, combine melted margarine, powdered sugar, remaining soda pop, and food coloring in a mixing bowl. Mix until smooth and drizzling consistency. Spread top of cooled cake.

Enjoy your weekend!