Double-strawberry angel food cake with whipped vanilla creme fraiche

Instructions

1. For the strawberry compote: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Hull strawberries, then slice into halves or quarters. Toss lightly in balsamic vinegar and sugar, then spread in a single layer over parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until strawberries are soft.

2. Remove and let cool; you can leave the oven on because you’ll need it for the cake. Transfer the strawberries to a food processor and pulse briefly to form the compote. Alternatively, you can just mash with a fork.

3. For the fresh strawberries: Hull and toss in sugar to coat, then cover and place in refrigerator to let the juices release while you prepare everything else.

4. For the cake: Sift the cake flour and 2 tbsp of sugar together and set aside.

5. Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until peaks begin to form.

6. Sprinkle in the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar and continue beating on high until the egg mixture reaches stiff peaks. (Note that sugar makes egg whites less sturdy, so you may only reach medium peaks. It’s not terribly important, so don’t fret if they’re not stiff.)

7. Fold in the cake flour mixture, vanilla extract, and almond extract, taking care to mix very gently so as not to deflate the mixture.

8. Line a cupcake tin with small parchment paper circles or cupcake liners. Divide batter evenly between 6-8 cupcake tins (depending on how high you want your “cake layers” to be). Alternatively, you can bake the batter in 3 or 4 4-ounce porcelain ramekins.

9. If using a cupcake tin, bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If using ramekins, bake for slightly longer, about 15 minutes (or golden brown).