As you may have heard, we lived on Oahu, Hawaii from 2001-2008, and for a Washington Stater like myself, this was an eye opening experience in so many ways. One of the things we enjoyed exploring were the many different types of food available in this veritable melting pot in the south Pacific.  We especially enjoyed our neighborhood potlucks, where the cul-de-sac would be coned off and all of the neighbors would bring something to contribute to the celebration.  We did this for New Year’s Eve, Halloween (yes, you can eat outside comfortably in Hawaii the end of October!) Fourth of July, graduations, or just whenever we felt like it.  Because few people in Hawaii are actually locals, we were all living away from our relatives, and these neighbors became our extended families.  We made lifelong friends over these meals that combined Loco Moco, Japanese, Southern, Chinese, Hawaiian and good old tumbleweed cuisine.

Today, I’m going to share with you one of the desserts that was extremely popular in Hawaii. I’m actually embarrassed to call it a recipe, so let’s just say it’s a technique….

First for the ingredients:

Wait! A box of Angel Food cake mix is the “technique” you ask?  Well, there might be something hiding behind that box.  The secret weapon that takes this cake to another level, a tropical place, a paradise of amazing culinary experiences, a locale where the tradewinds blow through your hair and tiki torches are ablaze…. Believe me, I could go on and on, but I’ll stop now.

 

So here is the technique:

Pour the cake mix in a bowl. Instead of the water, add the entire can of guava juice.  Mine was 11.5 ounces versus the 10 ounces of water the box calls for, but don’t worry, just do it.  Mix and bake according to package directions.  The batter will be light pink. (If you want it a brighter pink, feel free to add a couple of drops of red food coloring.  I have done this on occasion, as not all guava juices are the same intensity of pink.)

 

When the cake is done, remove from the pan, invert and store as you would any other angel food cake. In addition to using a tube pan, you can make cupcakes, if desired.

When you serve, it will look like this.

 

 

This cake is so “Pretty in Pink” that it would be perfect for a spring tea, luau, baby shower, or any other occasion. The guava juice adds something very special to this cake, above and beyond the pink color.  Guava juice is high in Vitamin C, antioxidants, has anti-bacterial properties, and many other good-for-you benefits.  It is also extremely high in fiber, and we all know how good that is for us.….

So, now you have the Hawaiian secret to making an Aloha Angel Food Cake and I predict it will become a new family favorite!

Good Tidings,

Diane