Angel Food Cake

By daiseyduck

The key to Angel Food Cake is voluminous, stable egg whites. A mere speck of yolk precludes them from whipping to peaks. We had the best success with either cold or room-temperature egg whites. Cold whites whipped to the same volume as room-temperature eggs (they just took a few minutes longer). Cream of tartar offered some insurance against deflated whites. Its acidity helped stabilize the egg whites.

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (4 1/2 ounces) (see note)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
• 12 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Step 1

1. PROCESS SUGAR Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk flour and salt in bowl. Process sugar in food processor until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Reserve half of sugar in small bowl. Add flour mixture to food processor with remaining sugar and process until aerated, about 1 minute.

2. BEAT WHITES With electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high. With motor running, slowly add reserved sugar and beat until soft peaks form, about 6 minutes. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated.

3. SIFT AND FOLD Sift flour mixture over egg whites in 3 additions, folding gently with rubber spatula after each addition until incorporated. Scrape mixture into 12-cup ungreased tube pan.

4. BAKE Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cracks in cake appear dry, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool, inverted, to room temperature, about 3 hours. To unmold, run knife along interior of pan. Turn out onto platter. Serve.