With the Holiday season upon us again, the temptations to violate any reasonable dietary standard abound. I'm tempted to make all the expected devil versus angel puns - in fact, I may have already made one! But this is one Angel Food Cake recipe that will let you enjoy a treat, and still respect yourself the next morning. (Or, at least if you don't respect yourself, you won't be able to blame the cake!) Culled from Grandmother Losange's family recipes, and updated for our low fat age by Corinne, this is one recipe you'll come back to again and again, holidays or not.
Ingredients
1 ½ Cups Sifted Cake Flour
1 ¾ Cups Sugar
½ Teaspoons Salt
1 ½ Cups Egg Whites (approximately 12 Eggs)
1 ¼ Teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
`Preparation
Sift, then measure flour. Then sift together the flour, sugar, and salt five (5) times. Pause occasionally to give your wrist a rest. Place the sifted mixture on waxed paper. This will make it easier to lift into the bowl when you need it. Next, beat the egg whites until foamy. Then, add the Cream of Tartar to the egg whites and resume beating until the egg whites are stiff, but not dry. When they look glossy and moist, and cling to the sides of the bowl, they're ready.
Using a whisk type beater, blend in the Vanilla and Almond flavorings, and then fold in the flour mixture (this will take a while). Finally, turn into a 10 inch ungreased - repeat, ungreased, tube pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 to 1 ¼ hours, then remove from oven. After the baking is complete, remove the cake from the oven, and place inverted on a rack until the cake is cold - about 1 hour. (Tip - the neck of a wine bottle is a good resting place for an inverted tube pan!) Finally, loosen the cake form the sides of the pan, and place on a serving tray lined with parchment.
Serving Suggestions
The Angel Food Cake can be iced, if you'd like, but we will not be held responsible for the ensuing caloric explosion. Eaten as is, in it's un-iced state, it's really hard to put down, and LOW IN FAT. Really! Make sure you get a slice or two before your guests devour it. Any desert beverage goes great with it, from a homemade Latte to a fine Moscato (I recommend the lightly frothy Nivole). Eat up and enjoy!