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Angel Food Cake

Makes: 1 9-10" tube pan
Author: Joy of Cooking
Servings: 12
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • 1 9 or 10-inch tube pan one with legs is best, otherwise you will also need a bottle to set the pan upside down on

Ingredients  

Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cake flour (sifted)
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • ½ tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups egg whites (cold - about 12 large whites)
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp almond extract (optional)

Add to Wet Ingredients Later:

  • ¾ cup white sugar

Instructions: 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°. Have ready an ungreased 9 or 10-inch tube pan.
  • In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients together 3 times. (The cake flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and the salt.) Set aside.
  • In a large, spotlessly clean bowl (you don't want a trace of grease, otherwise the egg whites won't stiffen properly), beat the wet ingredients on low speed for about 1 minute. (The egg whites, water, lemon juice, cream of tartar, vanilla, and almond extract.)
  • Increase the mixer speed to medium (no high) and beat until the mixture increases in volume 4 1/2 to 5 times and resembles a bowl of slightly translucent foam composed of tiny bubbles. (This takes anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 minutes.) The foam will hold a very soft, moist shape when the beaters are lifted.
  • Beat in gradually (on medium speed), 1 Tbsp at a time, taking 2 to 3 minutes: 3/4 cup white sugar.
    *When all the sugar has been added, the foam will be creamy white and hold soft, moist, glossy peaks that bend over at the points; do not beat until stiff.
  • (If the bowl is nearly full, transfer the mixture to a wide 4-6 qt bowl for easier folding.)
  • Sift a fine layer of the flour mixture (about 1/8 of the total) evenly over the surface of the batter and fold gently with a rubber spatula only until the flour is almost incorporated. Do not stir or mix.
  • Repeat 7 more times, folding in the last addition until no traces of flour are visible.
  • Pour the batter into the pan and tilt or spread to level the top.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - 35-40 minutes.
  • Let cool upside down for at least 1 1/2 hours, set the tube over a bottleneck or rest the pan on 4 glasses (if the pan doesn't have legs).

Notes:

This is a fussy cake, but not so hard as it might seem. Just make sure to have your utensils spotlessly clean (any grease can cause the whites to not stiffen properly) and don't get a speck of egg yolk in the egg whites.
Treat the batter very gently and tread lightly while the cake is baking to prevent it from falling.
*For a less sweet cake with a slightly drier texture, decrease both sugar measures to 2/3 cup - the finished cake will be a tad shorter.
Make Ahead: Since this needs to cool for a few hours, it works well to make it early in the day.