Angel food cake is made only with egg whites, no yolks and no butter or other fat. Spongy and light, with a delicately sweet flavor and a kind of “crust,” the keys to success involve repeated sifting and the crazy upside-down cooling. The tube shape of the cake makes it ideal for drizzling with a glaze or chocolate sauce. Or slice and serve with any fruit sauce or macerated fruit.
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Sift the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt together into a medium bowl. Sift again.
Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the granulated sugar and the extracts; continue to beat until the peaks begin to stiffen.
Sift one-third of the dry ingredients over the egg whites and gradually and gently fold it in using a rubber spatula. Repeat with the rest of the dry ingredients, adding them in two more increments, until incorporated. Scoop the batter into an ungreased 9- or 10-inch straight-sided tube pan. Bake until the cake is firm, springy, and well browned, 45 to 55 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, and invert the cake in the pan over the neck of a bottle to cool. When completely cooled, run a butter knife carefully around the sides of the cake and the tube and remove. Cool completely before slicing with a serrated knife or pulling apart with 2 forks. Angel food cake is best the day it’s made; it becomes dry quickly, though it is wonderful toasted.
Chocolate Angel Food Cake Substitute 1/4 cup cocoa powder for 1/4 cup of the flour.
Lemon-Scented Angel Food Cake Omit the almond extract. When you add the sugar and vanilla in Step 3, add 1 packed tablespoon grated lemon zest.
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