traditional angel food cake

How To Make traditional angel food cake

• 1

  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl sift together the cake flour and 3/4 c. granulated sugar set side.
• 2

  In a large mixing bowl beat eggs until foamy then add cream of tartar, salt, and lemon juice. Begin to whip ingredients into stiff peaks once batter begins to thicken start to add remaining sugar 1 Tbsp at a time until shiny stiff peaks form and all sugar has been incorporated. Once peaks form add extracts and beat a few more seconds.
• 3

  Next fold in the flour and sugar mixture 1/4 c. at a time with a spatula or wooden spoon don’t stir. You don’t want to deflate your batter. Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan. Tap the pan gently on the counter a couple time to break up large air bubble on the bottom of the pan. Smooth the top of the batter and bake for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done when skewer come out clean, and it springs up quickly when you touch the surface. Remove from the oven and immediately turn it upside down on a wire rack. Allow to cool for 1 1/2 hours, once it has cooled completely use a knife to loosen all of the edges including the center tube and turn cake out onto cake plate or serving plate. Cut with a serrated knife and serve with topping of your choice.
• 4

  1.) Egg Whites must first be whipped into stiff peaks, and other ingredients slowly folded in after. Beating or aggressively adding ingredients can cause the air to come out of the egg whites and deflate your cake. 2.) No Shortening or Leavening, these add too much heaviness. 3.) Use a soft flour ( NO whole grain) and sift it thoroughly. A light cake flour works best. 4.) The addition of cream of Tartar will prevent over browning. 5.) DO NOT grease the pan! This is important, the cake needs to stick to the pan to rise properly. 6.) Use a tube pan or bundt pan, the cake requires the extra surface area for proper rising. It will essentially climb the sides of the pan. 7.) Turn upside down while cooling, this prevents the light airy cake from falling and becoming a dense sticky mess. 8.) And finally, cut only with a serrated blade to prevent smushing (yes that is the technical term).
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