Angel Food Cake
Tags: #cake #sponge #classic
Serving: 12 servings
Total time: 3 hours 30 minutes
A light, cloudlike vanilla sponge made only from whipped egg whites, sugar, and cake flour, baked in an ungreased tube pan and cooled inverted for maximum loft.
Ingredients
- 360 g egg whites, room temperature
- 150 g caster sugar (for flour mixture)
- 150 g caster sugar (for meringue)
- 110 g cake flour
- 6 g cream of tartar
- 2 g fine salt
- 10 ml vanilla extract
Steps
- Set the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Leave a 25 cm aluminum tube pan ungreased.
- Wipe the mixing bowl and whisk with a clean, dry towel.
- Whisk 110 g cake flour with 150 g caster sugar in a bowl.
- Sift the flour-sugar mixture three times.
- Place 360 g egg whites in the clean mixing bowl.
- Add 6 g cream of tartar to the egg whites.
- Add 2 g fine salt to the egg whites.
- Beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy.
- Increase the mixer to medium-high speed.
- Gradually add 150 g caster sugar over 2–3 minutes.
- Beat until soft, glossy peaks form.
- Add 10 ml vanilla extract to the meringue.
- Beat until medium-stiff, moist peaks form.
- Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the meringue.
- Fold gently with a large spatula until mostly incorporated.
- Sift the second third of the flour mixture over the meringue.
- Fold gently until mostly incorporated.
- Sift the remaining flour mixture over the meringue.
- Fold gently just until no dry flour remains.
- Spoon the batter into the ungreased tube pan.
- Smooth the surface with a spatula.
- Run a thin knife or skewer through the batter to release large air pockets.
- Place the pan in the oven.
- Bake until the top is golden, springs back to a light touch, and a skewer comes out clean, 35–40 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven.
- Invert the pan onto its feet or a bottle.
- Cool completely until room temperature, 2–3 hours.
- Loosen the outer edge with a thin, flexible knife.
- Lift out the center tube insert.
Cooksmith