Angel Food Cake

Homemade Angel Food Cake is so much better than the box and worth the effort to separate the dozen eggs.  It is especially when served with homemade whipped cream and sliced fresh strawberries that are becoming so abundant as we are nearing spring!

1 cup Cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
12 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Do not grease or flour your angel food cake pan.  (I use the Fat Daddio Angel Food Cake pan, it's the best, no more old school inverting the pan over a bottle.  It stays balanced when inverting on a cookie sheet for proper cooling).



In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, salt and vanilla extract.  Beat until the mixture is just frothy, then sprinkle the cream of tartar on top and continue beating until the mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks.

Add the remaining sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, then gradually fold in the dry ingredients.

Spoon the batter into the pan and bake the cake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until it's golden brown and the top springs back when lightly touched.

Remove the cake from the oven and set it upside down over a cookie sheet. This cooling process sets the structure and keeps the cake from collapsing.

Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife and remove it from the pan. 

Store the cake, covered, on the counter for up to a week.  Freeze, well wrapped for up to 3 months.