Angel Food Cake
(from JessiVance’s recipe box)
It is absolutely essential that great care be taken in beating the egg whites so they remain creamy and do no weep or break from overbeating and prevent cake from rising so magnificently. It’s best to underbeat them slightly. And they will be best if not ice-cold. The pan is not greased so that the batter easily climbs up the sides as it bakes. Tracing a square in the top of the unbaked batter with a knife also encourages rising. And keeping the cake upside down until it cools is essential to keep it from falling.
Source: The New York Times Dessert Cookbook
Categories: Dessert
Ingredients
- 1-1/3 C superfine sugar
- 1 C sifted cake flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 12 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1-1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Combine to 1/3 cup sugar, the cake flour and salt in a sifter. Sift the mixture three times.
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Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Continue beating until whites hold soft peaks.
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Continue beating, gradually adding the remaining cup of sugar about a Tbsp at a time. Fold in vanilla and almond extracts. Sift about a quarter of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold in. Repeat until remaining flour mixture is folded in.
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Pour batter into an ungreased deep 9" tube pan. Using a knife or spatula, trace a square about 2" deep into the top of the batter. Bake 45 minutes or until the cake has risen, is lightly brown and springy.
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Immediately, invert cake on a rack or suspend the pan upside down over the neck of a sturdy bottle. Allow to cool completely, about 1-1/2 hours. Run a knife or metal spatula around sides of pan to release cake.