Fruity Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake, fruit and whipped cream!

Way back in the early 60's when I was in high school and there was actually a class called Home Economics, this kind of cake was an 'assignment' for our group of 4-6.  Since it didn't take that many hands to get this done, most of us ended up just watching-- but, ALL of us enjoyed the finished product (the next day).

Fruity desserts like this seem to be extra 
light and refreshing even in the dead of Winter!

Ingredients:

1 of 10-inch angel food cake (I made mine from a box mix).
1 pint fresh fruit (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc.).  You could use a 10-12 oz. container of frozen berries, like I did, and set a few aside (blot them dry to use for garnishment).
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream (OR whipped topping?)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4-6 drops of red food coloring, optional (I also used just 3 drops, plus a very small amount of the raspberry juice left in the bowl).

DIRECTIONS:

• Bake angel food cake according to directions, and completely cool.
• While the cake is cooling, add the 1/2 cup sugar to the berries and crush them a bit (saving some berries back for top garnishment).  Set aside.

• When cake is fully cooled, remove from pan and gently de-crumb its surface with the edge of a knife or whatever else would work for this.  If you don't want a darker crumb to be underneath the finished dessert, you can gently/carefully slice that off, too, at this point-- it's the part that is 'on the bottom' in this next picture.

• Working at the top of the cake (which was the bottom when it was baking!) and with a very sharp knife, cut (saw?) two vertical slits at 1-inch intervals around the top of cake, between the center and rim, cutting through cake from top to 'almost the bottom'. 

 

• Carefully, hold slits apart and insert berries into them.  You could use a table knife to help get the berries lower into the openings, but that may not be necessary. Then, spoon any left-over juice evenly over berries in the openings.

• Whip cream with sugar, vanilla and food coloring (I opted to use some of the berry juice to color the cream).
• Cover entire cake with cream, using spatula or piping bag.

Garnish with some 'saved' fruit...

• Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.  Slice and .........enjoy!