Angel Food Cake Recipe

Position a rack in the oven to the middle spot, then preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).

Place the sugar in a food processor then process (in the "on" mode, not just pulse) for 1 minute. Turn off the processor, allow the dust in the drum to settle, then remove the lid. Remove 1 cup of the sugar and set it aside to use in step 5. Leave the rest of the sugar inside the drum of the food processor.

Add the cake flour (or all-purpose flour + cornstarch) and salt to the remaining sugar in the processor, then pulse about 8-10 times to combine and aerate again. Set aside.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, and beat on medium speed until the mixture is foamy, about 1 minute.

Stop the mixer, add the vanilla extract, then resume beating the mixture on medium-high speed while you slowly add the reserved sugar.

Once all of the sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to high and whip until mixture forms soft peaks, about 4-5 minutes. You will know you have soft peaks when you pull the whisk out of the bowl and the peaks form but quickly droop back down. They do not dribble or drip, but rather stand up for a brief moment before collapsing onto themselves. When you have soft peaks, remove the bowl from the mixer. We will now refer to this mixture as the meringue.

Slowly add the flour mixture in 6 separate additions to the meringue by gently dusting the flour onto the top of the meringue and folding it in with a spatula. I used 3 to 4 heaping spoonfuls (the larger Tablespoon size) for each addition. Fold each addition into the meringue using a large spatula, taking care that the flour mixture is completely incorporated before adding the next addition. It is crucial that you not add all of the flour at one time, as you will deflate the meringue.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 9- or 10-inch tube pan3 and gently wiggle the pan to smooth out the top. Bake the cake for 42-46 minutes or until it springs back to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack until cool, about 4 hours. If your pan has feet (like the one that I linked), you can invert it directly onto a table. Once the cake is cool, run a thin knife around the edges and gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases.

To serve, dust with powdered sugar or alongside whipped cream, strawberry sauce, and/or fresh berries. It is crucial you use a serrated knife to cut this cake as a regular knife, even a very sharp one, will squish the cake. Store leftovers covered tightly up to 5 days. Cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature before serving.