Angel Food Cake

I’m not going to lie. I made this cake because it was the easiest thing I could think to do with 12 egg whites. Sure there are macarons, or meringues, but 12 is an awful lot to use up.

I made this Angel Food Cake recipe earlier this spring but didn’t capture what I did. So here it is.

Angel Food Cake

How I do is I buy pans at the thrift store. If you don’t already have a pan for this cake, find one there, for cheap. It’s one of the few pans that have a solo purpose but worth having in the house on the occasion you have a dozen egg whites needing to get used.

120g cake flour

300g superfine white sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

360g egg whites, at room temperature (about 12 large egg whites)

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Preheat oven 350. Use a 2 part Angel Food Cake Pan. Do not grease.

If you don’t have superfine sugar, pulse granulated sugar in a food processor. Remove half. Add the cake flour and salt to the food processor. Pulse a few times.

In the bowl of your electric stand mixer beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 150 grams superfine white sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the meringue holds stiff peaks and is thick and glossy. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.

Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites in four increments. Using a rubber spatula, by hand. Be careful not to deflate the mixture as best possible.

Pour the batter into the pan and run a knife through the batter to get rid of any air pockets. Smooth the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 35 - 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when gently pressed. (The top of the cake will have cracks.)

Immediately upon removing from the oven, invert the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely, about 90 minutes.

Then run a long sharp knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake and then remove the cake from the pan. Next, run a metal spatula or knife along the bottom and center core of the pan and remove. Place the cake, right side up, on your serving plate. I remove the brown crumb by gently scraping it off, for a consistent look. Cut the cake with a serrated knife.

This recipe comes from the Joy of Baking. It’s one of the best resources out there.

In the oven! will never win prizes for my photography. LOL!

Angel Food Cake pans should always be purchased at the thrift store. They are ubiquitous and well worth the $4.99 even if they are single use style pan.