Low-Fat Cherry-Almond Angel Cake

Make a very cherry angel food cake complete with cherry glaze. The hardest part will be deciding who gets a slice with a cherry on top. MORE + LESS -

Cake

box Betty Crocker™ white angel food cake mix

1 1/4

cups cold water

1 1/2

teaspoons almond extract

1/2

cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained

tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

cups powdered sugar

to 2 1/2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

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1

Move oven rack to lowest position (remove other racks). Heat oven to 350°F. In extra-large glass or metal bowl, beat cake mix, cold water and extract with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 1 minute. Carefully fold in cherries. Pour into ungreased 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pan. (Do not use fluted tube cake pan or 9-inch angel food pan or batter will overflow.)
2

Bake 37 to 47 minutes or until top is dark golden brown and cracks feel very dry and not sticky. Do not underbake. Immediately turn pan upside down onto glass bottle, or rest edges on 2 to 4 cans of equal height until cake is completely cooled, about 2 hours. Run knife around edge of cake; remove from pan.
3

In medium bowl, mix butter, powdered sugar and enough cherry juice for desired spreading consistency. Spread glaze over top of cake, allowing some to drizzle down side. Garnish with whole cherries, if desired.

Look for maraschino cherries with or without stems. Use any remaining cherries to top the cake or other sweet treats, including ice cream.
Cherry or almond? Cherry extract can be used in place of almond; the two extracts have very similar flavoring qualities.