There’s something heavenly about Angel Food Cake — light as air, golden at the edges, and sweet enough to make any day feel special. I still smile remembering the first time my daughter made this cake. I had just come home from grocery shopping, proud of my well‑stocked kitchen, only to find that she’d used nearly every egg in the house! I hadn’t realized she meant this cake when she said she wanted to bake. By evening, we were out of eggs but rich in laughter and fluffy slices of cake. These days, I buy eggs by the case — sixty at a time — because when inspiration strikes, it’s best to be ready. This recipe is a reminder that the simplest ingredients can rise into something extraordinary when stirred with love and a little patience.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1½ cups sugar, divided
- 1½ cups (12 eggs) egg whites
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
- Sift flour and 1/2 cup of the sugar together four times. Set aside.
- Measure egg whites into large bowl; then beat to a coarse foam.
- Measure and sprinkle over surface of whites the salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla.
- Beat until whites are slightly stiff but still moist and foamy. To test, shake bowl gently; meringue should slide slightly in bowl.
- Add remaining 1 cup sugar in 2-tablespoon portions, sprinkling it over surface, then beating in.
- Gently fold in flour mixture in four portions.
- Pour lightly into ungreased 10-x 42-inch tube pan rinsed with cold water. Insert knife and circle batter twice to cut any air pockets.
- Bake at 300° for about 1 hour. When the
cake springs from sides of pan, it is done. - Invert pan and cool thoroughly, about 1 hour, before removing cake. Yield: 1 (10- × 4½-inch) tube cake.
