Of Egg White Cakes

The Iced Egg White Cake

I made Leche Flan for Christmas, and like the many other times I've made leche flan, I was stuck with the problem of leftover egg whites. I've tried making egg white omelets before but I've found that they're never as good as whole egg omelets. I've also tried making meringues, but I found that I do not have the patience for them. (1 1/2 to 1 3/2 hours to bake? Can't wait that long.)  It was a joy then to discover this recipe for egg white cake. 

It's actually an Estonian Egg White cake, also known to Estonians as Munavalgekook. (At least that's what the recipe says) I got the recipe from a blog called Nami-Nami. The author actually baked the cake in a Bundt pan, which (not surprisingly) I didn't have. With a change in cake pans, a little vanilla extract and a little icing, I was able to make a very edible dense cake.

Ready for the party-goers

Egg White Cake

6 large egg whites

1 1/3 cup (about 250g) caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (about 160g) all purpose flour

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

100g (about 1/2 cup) butter, melted and cooled

In a large bowl whisk the egg whites, 2 tablespoons of sugar and vanilla extract until thick, pale and foamy. In another bowl, stir in the flour, corn starch, baking powder and the rest of the sugar. Sift this mixture into the egg white and gently fold them in. Fold in the butter.

Pour into a prepared cake pan, preferably a Bundt pan, but an 8-in cake pan will also do. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C (or 360F) for 30-40 minutes. Once done, remember to cool the cake completely before applying any frosting to it.

Vanilla Frosting (from Martha Stewart)

4 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups confectioner's or icing sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 pinch of salt

Sift the sugar into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Beat everything together until light and fluffy. (how easy is that?)

Chocolate Ganache (for decoration)

I will admit, that when I made this, I did not measure any of the ingredients. Basically, I threw a bar of bittersweet chocolate and some cream into a bowl (preferably metal, but you can also use glass. Do not use plastic!) and then placed the bowl over a simmering pot of water. The set up is similar to what you'd get if you had a double boiler. (If you have one, you should probably use it) Make sure the bowl with your chocolate and cream in it does not touch the surface of the water. Whisk everything together until the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth and shiny mixture.

If you're still not sure, you can use this recipe for ganache from allrecipes.com: Chocolate Ganache.

Assembly

The very first step is to cool the cake. If possible, refrigerate it for at least an hour. Gently spread the frosting onto the cake using a spatula. Finally drizzle the ganache over the cake. 

You can use excess ganache for a lot of things including truffles and flavoring the frosting of my next cake.

Yummy! Being eaten at the party