Toasted angel food cake with laughing strawberries and lemon cream cheese frosting is light, fluffy, fun, and so yummy!
Ingredients
- ¾ cups white sugar: 1 piece
- cake flour: 1 cup
- salt: 0.25 tsp
- egg whites, at room temperature: 12 piece
- water: 0.33333 cup
- ½ teaspoons cream of tartar: 1 piece
- lemon extract: 1 tsp
- ½ (8 ounce) packages cream cheese: 1 piece (softened)
- butter: 0.25 cup (softened)
- lemon juice: 0.25 cup (fresh)
- confectioners' sugar: 1 pack (16 ounce pack, divided)
- lemon zest: 2 tsp
- fresh strawberries: 0.75 cup (sliced)
- blueberries: 0.75 cup (fresh)
- blackberries: 0.75 cup (fresh)
- raspberries: 0.75 cup (fresh)
- white sugar: 2 Tbsp
- strawberries with leaves: 6 piece (fresh)
- black sugar pearls (such as Wilton® sprinkles): 12 piece
- stiff white decorator icing (such Wilton® Bright White): 1 tsp (or as needed)
- butter: 2 Tbsp (softened)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
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Place 1 3/4 cups sugar in a food processor and blend until superfine, about 2 minutes.
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Sift half the fine sugar, cake flour, and salt together in a bowl.
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Whisk egg whites, water, cream of tartar, and lemon extract together in a large bowl for 2 minutes. Beat in remaining fine sugar using an electric mixer until medium peaks form. Sprinkle some of the flour mixture on top; stir in gently. Repeat with the rest of the flour mixture. Spoon batter carefully into an ungreased fluted tube pan.
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Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and let cool completely, at least 25 minutes.
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Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy. Add lemon juice; beat until just blended. Gradually mix in all but 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar on low speed until frosting is just blended. Stir in lemon zest.
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Mix 3/4 cup strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries thoroughly in a bowl with 2 tablespoons white sugar.
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Cut a curved, smile-shaped line near the bottom of each whole strawberry; carefully cut another, flatter curve above. Connect the two curves and carve out space between to create the smile. Leave room above the smile and below the leaves for eyeballs.
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Place reserved 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Dust hands with sugar and roll a tiny amount of stiff decorator icing between your fingers into a small ball. Place it on the strawberry, above the smile. Make another ball and stick it next to the first one. Stick 1 black sugar pearl onto each frosting ball to create eyes. Repeat with remaining whole strawberries.
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Remove cake carefully from the pan, scraping edges from side if needed. Slice into 6 slices about 2 inches thick. Spread 2 tablespoons butter equally on the outside of the slices.
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a cake slice; toast until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Place toasted cake on a plate. Spoon some frosting on top and let it drip down. Spoon sugared berries around the cake and place a smiling strawberry on top. Repeat with remaining cake slices, frosting, and berries.
