This is a recipe from my mama. When she was a recent bride and an even newer mama, her sisters and mom worked together with some ladies at church to contribute to a cookbook. Whether it was motherly intuition or just a desire to share her favorite recipes, Mama ended up with a handful of these cookbooks and once she knew she had a daughter (me!) to share it with, it got stashed away in my hope chest, waiting for the day when I'd be old enough to use it.
Now I'm married with kiddos of my own, and this is one of my favorite cook books. It's got old fashioned treasures, like homemade saltines, graham crackers, every kind of pie, and other down home cookin' goodies.
This recipe for angel food cake is probably similar to any other recipe, but I love that it's a classic favorite that's stood the test of time. It does take some effort, so we save it for special occasions--specifically Easter in our family.
You start by separating a dozen (yes, 12!) eggs. I'm demonstrating in the photo. Carefully crack the egg in half, then let the whites fall into a bowl while reserving the yolk in the shell. You can save the yolks for a future purpose, like homemade ice cream or creme brulee!
Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. I highly recommend a stand mixer if you have one, because there will be a lot of mixing going on here. But if you don't have one, a large bowl and an electric hand mixer will do the job.
Beat until soft and glossy.
Meanwhile, sift together flour and powdered sugar. I don't have a sifter, so I just whisk them together in a bowl, and that works just fine for me!
Stop the mixer after soft peeks have formed. The meringue will still be glossy.
Add the granulated sugar a little at a time and continue to beat the egg whites.
Lots of sifting! Make sure no lumps remain!
The meringue is ready when it holds stiff peaks--that means it mostly holds shape when moved.
Sprinkle on a little of the flour mixture...
and fold it in gently with a spatula. Continue to do this a little at a time until the flour mixture is used.
Now. You will have 16 cups of batter. Usually, this fills a 10" tube pan. I don't have one, so I use a bundt pan and a loaf pan. Be warned, though, that you don't grease the pans, and it may be difficult to get the cake out! This article from allrecipes.com on cake pan conversions is really helpful in helping you decide what pans to use with what you have already!
Spread the batter into your ungreased pans.
The cake is ready when it's golden in color and springs back after light touch. Use a knife around the edges to help rescue the cake from those unorthodox pans!
Turn the cakes upside down on a cooling rack...
and wait until completely cooled to remove from the pan. I like the silicone bundt pan for obvious reasons here! You can frost the cake with whipped cream and topped with strawberries, but it's gorgeous on its own, and then you can serve individual slices with various toppings such as berries, whipped cream, ice cream, hot fudge, or whatever else sounds good!
Angel Cake Supreme
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
12 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
Sift flour with powdered sugar three times. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla until stiff enough to hold soft peaks, but still moist and glossy. Beat in granulated sugar, 2 T at a time, and continue to beat until meringue holds stiff peaks. Sift about 1/4 of the flour mixture over eggs; fold in. Fold in remaining flour by fourths. Bake at 375 in an ungreased tube pan for 30 minutes or until top springs back without leaving mark when touched lightly with finger. Invert cake on cooling rack and let cool completely before removing from pan.
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