Angel Food Cake

You know it when you see it. Tall, fluffy, golden brown on the outside, bright white and spongy on the inside, angel food cake is an unmistakable Southern dessert. There are a few keys, though, to getting this finicky cake of few ingredients just right.

First, make sure your eggs whites are at room temperature. It helps them fluff up. Second, do not over whip. You want your meringue to have barely soft peaks. Hard peaks will create a dense crumb. And third, gently incorporate the flour so that you don’t deflate your meringue.

Ingredients

3/4 cup      cake flour       

2 cups     granulated sugar, divided       

14                    room temperature egg whites 

2 tablespoons cool water      

1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel     

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract            

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.                       

2. Sift the flour and 1 cup of the sugar together into a large bowl. Set aside.               

3. Pour the eggs whites and the water into the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the mixture on medium speed until the egg whites start to foam.              

4. Continuing to whip, add the salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract. As the egg whites start to increase in volume, pour in the remaining 1 cup of sugar.              

5. Adjust the mixer speed to high and whip until a meringue develops that holds soft peaks.

6. With the mixer speed at its lowest setting, whisk the flour and sugar mixture, in thirds, into the meringue until just incorporated.                      

7. Gently transfer the batter to a tube pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.                

8. Place the cake upside down either on the feet of the tube pan or securely positioned on a sturdy glass bottle. Allow it to cool for 90 minutes.               

9. Turn the cake upright and run a sharp knife along the sides and bottom of the pan to release it for serving.

Notes For Angel Food Cake

• If you dare (and we do every time), spray a single spritz (no more!) of non-stick cooking spray onto a paper towel and wipe the inside of the tube pan. We know...heresy, as the conventional wisdom is that it will keep the cake from rising. But it always works for us. The cake lifts perfectly, and the little bit of spray helps to release a more beautiful cake for presentation.