Angel Food Cake - Head 'Em Straight

Yield: 10 – 14 slices depending on the width of the slices from a 4” high x 9” wide round cake pan with a funnel or a 9” x 5” loaf pan, resulting in an approximately 3” high cake. The ingredients can be doubled for a 6” (6” tall x 10” round cake pan with a funnel), however, the cooking time will be longer and the cake may not be as moist and tender.

Ingredients

3/4 cup flour

1 3/4 cups superfine sugar, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups egg whites, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tarter

½ teaspoon lemon extract + 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Other flavoring suggestions:

½ teaspoon orange extract + 1 tablespoon grated orange zest

½ teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Decoration suggestions:

Fresh edible flowers

Candied edible flowers

Chocolate covered orange,lemon or grapefruit peel

Freshly cut strawberries

Berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

Whipped cream

Chocolate ganache

Orange glaze

Caramel sauce

Lemon curd

Cherry preserves

Blueberry preserves

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Use a very clean, ungreased 4” tall x 9” round pan with a funnel, or 9” x 5” x 4” loaf pan.
Combine 1 cup of superfine sugar, flour and salt in a bowl. Whisk together thoroughly.
Place sugar, flour, and salt in a sifter and sift 6 times. Reserve.
Beat egg whites until frothy.
Add the cream of tartar and flavoring.
Beat egg whites, adding remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time at 15 second intervals so that the sugar can completely dissolve into the batter.
Beat egg whites to the soft peak stage. When the beater is pulled out of the egg whites, the egg whites will stand in peaks but the tips fold over. At the stiff peak stage the tips will remain upright.
Sift the dry ingredients one more time.
Sift ¼ cup of the dry ingredients over the top of the egg whites and gently fold into the egg whites. Repeat Step 10 until all of the dry ingredients have been added.
Gently pour the batter into the ungreased pan, rotating the pan to evenly distribute the batter.
Smooth the top of the batter.
Run a knife between the batter and the funnel and the batter and the inside rim to remove air bubbles.
Place cake pan in the middle of the oven and bake (45-60 minutes) or until the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed with a finger and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the ring comes out clean. The crust should be lightly golden. If the crust is golden prior to the cake finishing baking, cover with a sheet of tin foil. Monitor the cake during cooking and do not overbake.
Invert the cake over a plate or cookie sheet when it comes out of the oven and allow to cool overnight.
When cool, turn the cake right side up and run a sharp knife between the outer rim and cake and the cake and the inner funnel. Place a plate over the bottom of the cake and invert cake onto plate. Run the serrated knife between the cake top and the bottom of the cake pan.*
Cake can be made a day in advance as long as it is kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Place cake onto the serving plate.
Decorate as desired.
Serve and cut with a serrated knife.

*Tube pans are credited with invention in the 1890’s and appeared in a receipt in 1896. Receipts for white sponge cakes appear as early as 1839. Early white sponge cake receipts reference a cake pan with a funnel in the middle. It is easier if the funnel is attached to a bottom that can be removed from the sides of the cake pan as, to remove the angel food cake, a serrated knife is run along the inside rim (from top to bottom) of the sides and the outer edge of the funnel (tube). The removeable bottom also allows for the serrated knife to be run between the funnel and outer edge of the bottom of the cake pan to release the top of the cake. If a removeable bottom cannot be found, it may be necessary to jiggle the serrated knife, back and forth, at the bottom of the cake pan to help to release the top while running it around the cake.