Angel Food Cake

Lately I've been experimenting with making ice cream and have been adding to my stash of egg whites (a blog about ice cream making is forthcoming). Since I've finally accumulated enough egg whites, I decided to make angel food cake.

I've been waiting for a very long time to make this cake. I haven't made it in the past because I either didn't have enough egg whites on hand or something would happen to my egg whites (e.g. my mate threw away my frozen egg whites). Anyhow, the stars were aligned and I had enough egg whites, frozen strawberries (for a topping), and heavy cream (to make homemade whipped cream) to make a yummy dessert. I know people associate this dreamy dessert with the summer, but consindering that it is 24 degrees outside, I think this dessert is more than appropriate at this moment. I used the following recipe, but would scale back the amount of sugar by 1/4 cup because I found the cake to be a bit on the sweet side.

Angel Food Cake (adapted from Cooks Illustrated, The Best Recipe)

1 1/2 cups egg whites (10-12 large), at room temperature
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar, divided (I recommend reduction of sugar by 1/4 cup)
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 325F.

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and the cake flour. Set aside.

2. Beat egg whites until frothy, the add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until fully incorporated then add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time. When sugar has been added, beat egg whites to soft peaks (the egg whites will look like soft waves and when you lift the beaters, the peaks will droop back down into the batter). If your batter is falling in ribbons, it is not quite down. Do not beat all the way to stiff peaks. Once you have soft peaks, add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat for a few seconds to evenly distribute.

3. Sift the flour/sugar mixture over the egg whites in 6-8 additions (depending on your proficiency with folding flour into egg whites) and gently fold it in after each addition. It is better to take your time and do it gently than to rush and deflate the egg whites.

4. Spoon batter into an ungreased 9 inch tube pan. Smooth the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter once or twice to ensure that there are no large bubbles lurking beneath the surface.

5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven an invert pan over a bottle. Allow to cool completely. Gently run a thin knife around the sides, then around the bottom, of the pan to release the cake when you are ready to serve it. If desired, serve with straberries and whipped cream.