Chocolate Vanilla Angel Food Birthday Cake

Growing up in New England we didn’t have a choice. It had to be Angel Food cake for your birthday. I made this cake for our monthly celebration of birthdays at our weekly Canasta game.  This time two ladies, Kathi Gordon and Dianna Piles, were celebrating in the same month. One likes chocolate, the other vanilla so I had to do something to combine the two flavors. Also Kathi is from New England so we had to use Angel Food as the base of this birthday cake.

I’ve made angel food in the past from scratch. It’s a fair amount of work and honestly never tastes as good as Betty’s.

I’ve also made this ice cream cake using pound cake, which cuts easier than an angel food cake and absorbs the liquor more thoroughly, but everyone really liked this creation so I would do it again!

Start by making the cake. Once baked, cool upside down on a bottle. To prevent its delicate airy structure from collapsing while it sets, you must cool upside down. Relying on whipped egg whites, as there is no fat in the cake, gravity causes it to deflate if cooled right-side up making the cake very dense. By inverting it, gravity allows it to maintain it’s height and fluffy texture.

Once the cake is completely cooled, using a serrated knife, carefully cut the cake into thirds. Lay the cake on its side to do this and gently saw through the cake to make the layers.

Slightly soften both the vanilla and chocolate ice creams as they will be the filling for this cake. If you really want to get fancy, you can make your own ice cream.

Starting with the largest layer, thoroughly soak with Kahlua or any liquor that would pair well with vanilla and chocolate.

Click on the photos to enlarge.

I didn’t measure the amount of Kahlua, but poured about a cup in a small bowl and just kept brushing it on until the layer was evenly covered.

Gently spoon on a generous amount of chocolate ice cream so it is about 1 inch thick and evenly covers the layer.

Add the next layer and repeat the soaking process. This time cover it with the vanilla ice cream.

Finally add the last layer and soak this one thoroughly, too.

Cover and place in the freezer while you make the mocha whipped cream frosting.

Heat 2 cups heavy cream in a medium pot on low heat so the bottom does not scorch. Add a tsp. of instant coffee or espresso powder. I used espresso as I wanted a very deep coffee flavor. Add about 1/2 of a good quality chocolate bar; like Ghiradelli, cut into small pieces. Stir until it is melted together and cool in the fridge at least a couple hours or overnight. If cooling overnight, make the whipped cream topping to this point the day before and whip it next day just before frosting.

Once the whipped cream/chocolate/coffee topping is thoroughly chilled, whip it into soft peaks. I think this topping is what made the cake so special. The texture is quite different from just whipped cream and the flavors are a beautiful complement to the Kahlua soaked cake.

Frost the entire cake with the whipped topping. Cover the inside of the center hole as best you can.

Add mini-chocolate chips to the top of the cake. You can use regular sized chips, but these little ones are more elegant. Another idea is to make chocolate curls using a vegetable peeler. I used chips from:

The Bulk-Priced Food Shoppe

https://bulkpricedfoodshoppe.com

based in  Greenville, WI. They use sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, whole milk, salt and vanilla to make their chocolate chips. They are really delicious!

Place the cake in the freezer and freeze for about an hour. This is to set up the whipped cream so when you cover it, the cream stays on the cake not all over the plastic wrap. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Take out of the freezer about 20 minutes before you want to cut it.

This cake comes together easily and is very fun to make. It was a festive way to celebrate two special birthdays!

Happy Birthday all over again Dianna and Kathi!

Print Pin

Chocolate and Vanilla Angel Food Birthday Cake

Light, fluffy with a creamy ice cream filling and luscious whipped cream, mocha topping.

Ingredients

• 1 Betty Crocker angel food cake mix Or your favorite brand.
• 1 cup Kahlua for basting the cake layers Or enough to thoroughly soak 3 layers.
• 1 qt. Vanilla Ice cream, softened before spreading You won't need it all to fill one layer.
• 1 qt. Chocolate Ice cream, softened before spreading
• 2 cups Heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp. Instant coffee or espresso
• 1/2 cup Chocolate, cut into pieces
• Mini-chocolate chips for topping

Instructions

• Make the cake per package directions. Cool completely.
• Using a serrated knife, carefully cut the cake into 3 layers. Place the largest layer on a cake plate.
• Start soaking the this layer with a generous amount of Kahlua until the top is completely saturated.
• Soften the ice cream so it is easily spread. Spread about a 1 inch thick layer of chocolate ice cream over the first layer.
• Place the next layer on top and repeat the soaking process. Next cover that layer with a one inch thick layer of vanilla ice cream.
• Place the third layer on top and also soak it completely. Place in the freezer while you make the whipped cream topping.
• Heat 2 cups heavy cream in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add 1 tsp. instant coffee or espresso powder and 1/2 cup of chopped chocolate.
• Stir until it is melted together. Cool completely in the fridge. You can also make the topping the day before and keep in the fridge until ready to frost the cake.
• Once cooled, whip the cream into gentle peaks. Frost the entire cake, including down the center hole with the whipped topping.
• Cover with mini-chocolate chips and place in the freezer for about an hour. Once the whipped cream is set, cover the cake with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
• Take out 20 minutes before cutting.