Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is a very light and moist sponge cake. It is made mainly with eggs whites and sugar. The air incorporated in the egg whites gives the cake the light and fluffy texture.

Angel food cake is easy, fool-proof, and quick to make. I used Alton Brown's recipe found on the Food Network website and added a little twist to mine. I didn't have any orange extract, but like every baker, vanilla extract is always found in the cabinet, so I used that instead. I also added a pinch of ground cloves and a pinch of all spice to the cake flour, it gave the cake character. Less sugar then on the recipe was added. A pinch or two extra of cream of tartar was causally added in. The over all results? Wondrous!!
Use a clean, non greasy bowl and beaters when beating the egg whites. The grease can prevent the egg white to reach its volume. Make sure there are no traces of yolk in the egg whites. Even 1/8 teaspoon of yolk can prevent the egg white to turn into that white foamy texture you want. Do not over beat your egg whites. Stiff egg whites are used to make meringue, which is not what we are trying to accomplish.
Always, carefully and slowly fold in the flour mixture. Do not over fold. Folding too much will break down the egg white and the cake won't turn out light and fluffy. Try to refrain from over folding. When the batter is ready to go into the pan, scoop the batter in the pan. Pouring the batter in will flatten the cake.
Inverting the cake after baking will allow the cake to retain its structure and volume. It will also prevent the cake from shrinking. This is where the cooling legs or tall tube comes in. If your pan does not have the cooling legs or if the tube is even in height with the rims, you can easily invert the cake and place it on top of a wine bottle's neck. Allow the cake to completely cool before taking it out of the pan and serving.
Top off the cake with some frosting, whipped cream, fresh fruits, canned fruits, or jam. Or you can even eat it by itself!