Ingredients
- 1 cup Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1-3/4 cup fresh egg whites- room temp. (approximately 18 large eggs)
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1-1/2 tsp cream of Tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Optional: 1/4 tsp. orange essence or extract or almond extract
- 3/4 cup + 2 TBSP granulated sugar
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°.
Sift together powdered sugar, flour and salt. Do this 4 or 5 times. (This is an important step.)
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment beat: egg whites, warm water, cream of Tartar, vanilla & orange essence on med/high, while gradually adding the granulated sugar in 3 or 4 batches. Soft peaks will form. This takes 2 or 3 minutes. Turn to high and beat until stiff and glossy another 2 minutes, 5 minutes total. Transfer to a large wide bowl.
In 4 batches, add flour mixture, folding in gently with a rubber spatula. Be gentle & quick, as not to deflate the meringue.
Put in a 10” un-greased tube pan. Run knife around batter to remove any air bubbles. Smooth top w/ spatula & put in center of pre-heated oven. The pan will be very full. Bake 45 to 55 minutes in the middle of oven, until golden brown. Cake should spring back when touched & not be sticky.
Invert on a bottle to cool at least one hour. Using a long knife, cut around sides & center post of cake to loosen cake from pan. Turn upside down & remove cake from pan. Using a knife, run it around the bottom of the pan to loosen cake. Then turn upside down & remove cake. Let finish cooling on a rack in the open air. This will help to dry out the sides.
Chef's note:
You can omit the orange or almond extract if you want; make sure to use the vanilla. DO NOT use boxed egg whites, it will not make a very tall cake and the cake will be sticky.