ANGEL FOOD CAKE
Use an ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Don't use a non-stick pan. It won't
work.
Wet ingredients
1 1/2 cups room-temperature egg whites (about 12 large eggs)
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
3/4 cup sugar
Dry ingredients
1 cup sifted cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 350°. Beat together wet ingredients except sugar on low speed
until well-mixed, 1 1/2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and beat until the
volume increases 4 or 5 times and it looks like a soft foam. Gradually add the
sugar, continuing at medium speed until it becomes white and creamy-looking.
It should hold a soft peak. Sift sugar-flour mixture over whites 1/4 cup at a
time and gently fold in. Pour batter into tube pan, passing a knife around a
couple times to even it and get any large bubbles out. Bake until cake is
light golden, a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out
clean, and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 45
minutes. Remove cake from oven. Turn cake pan upside down and place center
tube of pan over narrow bottle neck. Cool cake completely, at least 1 1/2
hours. With a knife or very thin metal spatula, cut around sides and center
tube of pan to loosen. Remove side of pan. Cut cake from bottom of pan. Put on
plate or tray. Sprinkle powdered sugar over or frost.