Raffaello Angel Cake with Salted Almond Cream
A true snow beast of a cake, this Raffaello Angel Cake features an airy angel food cake with a salted almond cream center slathered in a coconut Swiss meringue buttercream. And if that weren't enough, the entire cake is coated in shredded unsweetened coconut.The angel food cake portion of this recipe would not have been possible without the excellent guidance and recipe found on the blog Sally's Baking Addiction.
Equipment
- A 9 or 10-inch tube pan*
- Food Processor
- Fine Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
Salted Almond Cream
- 2 cups half and half
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 5 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 2 tsp almond extract
Angel Food Cake - Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
- 1 3/4 cup superfine sugar
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp cake flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 12 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Coconut Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened but cold, cut into cubes
- 2 tsp coconut extract
To Decorate
- 1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds
- 8 vanilla wafer cookies quartered
- 1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 5-6 Raffaello candies
Instructions
For the Cream
- Place the half and half, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Gently heat the mixture until steam gathers on the surface and it's hot to the touch. Cover and take the pan off of the heat.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk to combine the egg yolks and the cornstarch until the mixture turns a pale yellow. Add two ladlesful of the cream mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and return to the heat.
- Gently cook the cream over medium-low heat until bubbles break the surface and it readily coats the back of a spoon. Take the pan off of the heat and whisk in the butter and almond extract.
- Transfer the cream to a bowl and cover closely with plastic wrap. Transfer to the fridge and let chill for at least 3 hours.
For the Angel Food Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F
- Place the sugar in a food processor and pulse until it resembles dust. Remove 1 cup of the sugar and set aside for later. Add the flour and salt to the remaining sugar and pulse until fully integrated and light in texture. Set aside.
- Pour the egg whites into a large stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and whisk on medium-low until foamy. Increase the speed to medium-high and begin adding the reserved sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Continue to whip until medium-stiff peaks form - see photo above for reference. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and whip until fully integrated.
- Remove the bowl and whisk from the stand mixer. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the egg whites using a fine mesh strainer. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the egg whites. Repeat with the remaining 2/3 of the flour mixture.
- Pour the batter into a tube pan and evenly smooth the surface with an offset spatula. Place the cake in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch.
- Invert the pan and place it on top of a cooling wrack. Leave the cake to cool upside down for 3 hours. Once the 3 hours are up, run a butter knife around the edges of the cake and invert once again to free the cake. Wrap the cake with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.
For the Buttercream
- Place the egg whites and sugar in a medium-sized, heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
- Fill a small saucepan up halfway with water. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low and place the bowl with the egg whites on top of the saucepan to form a seal. Gently cook the egg whites, whisking constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Do not heat the egg white too aggressively or they will scramble.
- Once the egg white are no longer gritty and slightly opaque, pour them into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the salt and whisk the egg whites on medium until completely cooled.
- With the mixer still running, start adding the butter a couple of cubes at a time. Wait until the butter is completely integrated before adding more. Once the frosting is smooth and glossy, add the coconut extract and continue to whisk until fully integrated.
- Transfer the finished frosting to a bowl and set aside until ready to use.
To Assemble
- Take the cake out of the fridge and, using a serrated knife, cut the cake into two layers. Top the bottom layer with the salted almond cream and sprinkle with the sliced blanched almonds and the vanilla wafer cookies. Place the top layer on top and, using an offset spatula, clean up the sides. Return the cake to the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the 30 minutes has passed, take the cake out of the fridge and frost it with a thin layer of the Coconut Swiss Meringue Buttercream to create the crumb coat. Return the cake to the fridge and chill for another 30 minutes.
- Frost the cake again, reserving 1/3 of a cup of the frosting for the final piping. Using your hands, press the shredded coconut into the frosting all over the cake. Pipe 5-6 buttercream dollops, using a 1E Wilton tip, evenly around the top of the cake. Top each dollop with a Raffaello. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Notes
*Be sure to pick up a tube pan that isn't non-stick. The cake has to cool upside down, so the last thing you want is your cake to coming flying out of the pan the second you invert it.