Issues → March/April 2007 → Food →
Easy Does It: Angel Food Cake
This true classic is also super-easy and deliciously low-fat
by Annie B. Copps
The name alone evokes images of floating clouds and winged celestial beings offering sweet gifts from the oven. When made right, this cake is indeed an ethereal treat from your own kitchen. The key to a light and fluffy cake is in the ingredients: fresh egg whites, which you must whip to pillowy perfection for heavenly results; cream of tartar, which helps stabilize the whites so the cake won't deflate after it comes out of the oven; and cake flour, for a tender crumb.
This recipe also calls for a mix of vanilla and almond extracts, but feel free to use all of one or the other or your own combination (just keep it to a total of 1-1/2 teaspoons).
Egg-cellent Tips
Use the freshest eggs you can -- the whites will whip up better and hold more strongly.
Start with more eggs than you need. It's important that no yolks are in this recipe.
Let the eggs come to room temperature before you use them.
When breaking eggs, break the shell against a hard, flat surface -- whacking them against the rim of a bowl may cause the shell to break in toward the center, increasing the chance of shell bits getting into the mix.
When separating eggs, break them into clean, individual bowls. Be sure to keep the yolk whole; using clean hands, scoop out the yolk and let the white slip through your fingers back into the bowl, or use one half of the broken eggshell to scoop out the egg yolk. Save the yolks for custard.
Angel Food Cake
Cakes and Frostings Recipes
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 0.5 hours
Yield: about 8 slices
- 7 large egg whites
- 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup sifted cake flour
- Garnish: fresh berries
Heat oven to 375°. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until the whites hold stiff peaks. With the mixer on, carefully add sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mix becomes glossy and peaks still hold -- do not overmix. Beat in extracts. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in flour. Spoon batter into an ungreased 9-inch (10-cup) tube pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Invert the pan onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely, then slide a thin knife around outer and inner edges of the cake to dislodge it from the pan. Slice and garnish with berries.
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