Back to Basics....Angel Food Cake

This is one of those that yes you can get the box mix and it works, but they taste so-so, and really if you are going to eat sweets shouldn't it be worth the calories. The beauty of angel food cake is that it is so light and airy, that is tastes like sweet clouds. Really it is great as is, but it is good with strawberries and whipped cream too.
The great thing is about angel food cake is it is so simple to make, you just have to make sure that you follow the steps exactly. When you do you get a light and fluffy cake that is a dream.

When separating your egg white make sure to do them one at a time in three bowls. One is for the egg yolk, one is for all the whites and the third is quality control. You don't want to ruin all of your whites if a bit of yolk gets in there, you would have to start all over again, and that isn't fun. So, the best method is to break the egg, put your white in a bowl make sure it is clean (no yolk) then pour it into your mixing bowl, repeat. You can either save your yolks and make mayonnaise or just toss them.

Angel Food Cake

Adapted from Cooks Country

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

12 egg whites

1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees set aside your tube pan.

In a bowl combine flour and salt set aside.

In your food processor process sugar until it is powdery and fine about 1 minute, pour half into a bowl add flour mixture and process again for about 1 minute.

Make sure your mixing bowl and beater are clean if not your egg white will not get light and fluffy. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on low for a minute or two until they begin to foam, then turn up the mixer to medium high, add reserved sugar slowly and beat for about 6 minutes or until soft peaks form. Add in vanilla and beat until incorporated.

Take bowl off of stand and sift then fold in sugar/flour mixture in three batches. Do not over stir, but make sure they are incorporated well so that you don't have any dry patches.

Pour into your tube pan and bake for 50-55 minutes. Invert onto a bottle if your pan does not have feet. Let cool for 2 1/2 to 3 hours then un-mold using a serrated knife.

Enjoy!