Angel Food Cake

Separate the eggs, placing the egg whites in a large bowl (discard the yolks or save them for the best lime tart ever). Let the egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Editor's Tip: Never seem to get the separation right? Here's how to separate eggs for cakes and more.

While the egg whites are standing, sift 1/2 cup of sugar and the flour together twice. Set aside. Editor's Tip: Don't skip the sift. Sifting eliminates any lumps and helps make the flour super light, so it blends evenly into the batter. For cakes with an ultra-fine crumb, like angel cake and sponge cake, sifting benefits the final texture. If you hate sifting ingredients, check out this KitchenAid sifter attachment.

Place the oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the cream of tartar, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt to the egg whites. Beat the mixture at medium speed until soft peaks form. Then, gradually add the remaining sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Editor's Tip: What's the difference between soft and stiff peaks? Soft peaks mean the egg whites are still a bit loose and droop off a spatula; stiff means that the egg whites can hold their shape.

Gradually fold in the sifted flour-sugar mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time.

Gently spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Test Kitchen Tip: Be sure to use an ungreased (but not a nonstick) tube pan for an angel cake. This type of batter needs to climb the sides of the pan to reach great heights for its light-as-air texture. Then, cut through the batter a few times with a knife to remove any air pockets. Editor's Tip: Running a knife through the batter before baking is one of our best angel food cake baking tips. Since the batter is very light, it is prone to bake with air pockets. A quick swirl through the batter with a knife helps close these air pockets, so your cake looks picture-perfect once it is sliced and served.

Bake the cake until it's lightly browned and the entire top of the cake appears dry, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove it from the oven and immediately invert the pan. Cool completely, about one hour. Test Kitchen Tip: If your tube pan doesn't have feet, invert it onto the neck of a glass bottle to cool.

To serve, run a knife around the side and the center tube of the pan. Remove the cake to a serving plate or cake stand. Top with whipped cream and fresh berries if desired. Editor's Tip: Homemade whipped cream is what you want here. It is easy to make and tastes amazing with this classic cake.