Angel Cake (not looking Angelic)

I prepared for my first Great British Bake Off challenge with passion and precision.  I was determined for this no-fat Angel Cake to look like it had been baked with Mary Berry's very own hands.  So, on with the challenge.

Following Mary's recipe I separated the egg whites, measured the sugar and zested the lemons.  I plugged in Kitty (kitchenaid) and let her do the work.  (I did find the lemon zest sticking to Kitty's head, slightly frustrating).  I continued  to watch Kitty as I measured the flour, ready to fold in. 

Lemon zest sticking to the head. Grrr.

Folding in the flour.

Putting the mixture in to the tin was a doddle and watching the non-fat batter rise was a thrill.   My tin didn't have cooling legs so I rested on a couple of cook books.  Maybe this is where the error occurred, BUT after resting the cake for an hour (as instructed), the cake sat tightly and snuggly in the tin.  I spent fifteen minutes easing, shaking, tapping, throwing (!) the tin to force the cake mixture out.  In the end, I opened the knife drawer, pulled out the palette knife and gently slid the knife between the mixture and the tin.  Still, nothing.

So I started shaking and screaming (not too dissimilar from childbirth actually) and eventually the cake eased away from the tin. BUT, it didn't look good.  It looked like I had put a sponge cake in to a tin without greasing...which I had, but I wanted it to look prettier.  Surely Mary Berry doesn't have this problem?

Anyway I figured, the topping would cover the leprosy look, so whilst the cake was cooling further, I made my lemon curd (never made before, very excited) and whipped up the topping.

At the exact moment my topping was ready, Edie (four year old daughter) started screaming from the lounge, so I raced in....turns out she couldn't get her Mario Kart to reverse!  By the time I'd got back to the kitchen, Kitty had overwhipped the topping.  Oh dear.   I carried on, determination slipping away, with an ever-so-slightly-too-heavey-hand, I plastered the cream on the cake.

It wasn't pretty.  I threw on the lemon curd mixed with passion fruit and gave to my testers.

Pattie, 66 and Freddie, 2.  Pattie said it tasted like bread, but delicious and helped herself to a second slice.  Freddie, said nothing, but pushed the cake away. No words were required.

Pattie & Freds...neither filling me with cake confidence

I have to say, although this doesn't look good...and I don't think I'll be applying for #GBBO next year on this attempt it tasted, AMAZING.

Maybe it's worth suggesting to the producers that the judges should do a 'blind taste'?

If you're giving this super-tasty cake a whirl, my top tips are:

- buy a cooling tin with legs
- use a grater for the lemon zest, to avoid sticking
- watch the cream as it whips!

Until text time....ENJOY!