Angel Food Cake

Makes: At least 10 servings

Time: About 1½ hours

Angel food cake is made only with egg whites and without butter, which makes it incredibly light and spongy. In this cake, the repeated sifting is essential to ensure the lightest possible result.

With hints of vanilla and almond, it pairs perfectly with Lemon Glaze or Chocolate Sauce. Use any leftovers to make a delicious trifle, and turn the neglected yolks into Lord Baltimore Cake, Crème Brûlée, or Créme Anglaise.

• 1 cup cake flour
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 9 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Sift the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt together into a medium bowl. Repeat.

2. Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the granulated sugar and the extracts and continue to beat until the peaks become stiffer.

3. Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the egg whites and gradually and gently fold it in using a rubber spatula. Repeat with the rest of the flour, adding it in 2 more increments, until it’s incorporated. Turn the batter into an ungreased 9- or 10-inch tube pan (not one with ridged sides) and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the cake is firm, resilient, and nicely browned.

4. Remove from the oven, invert the cake in the pan, and place over the neck of a wine bottle to cool. This prevents the angel food cake from falling and getting dense as it cools, and ensures the lightest, fluffiest texture. When completely cooled, run a dull knife carefully around the sides of the cake and remove. Cool completely before slicing with a serrated knife or pulling apart with 2 Forks. Eat plain or top with a glaze or sauce. Angel food cake is best the day it’s made; it becomes stale quickly (although it is wonderful toasted).

CHOCOLATE ANGEL FOOD CAKE Substitute ¼ cup cocoa powder for ¼ cup of the cake flour.

Ginger-Cardamom Angel Food Cake A lighter take on a spice cake: Add 1 tablespoon ginger and 1 teaspoon cardamom to the flour mixture. Omit the almond extract.

LEMON CHIFFON CAKE The addition of oil and egg yolks makes this a much richer cake: Increase the cake flour to 2 cups. Omit the almond extract. Separate 9 eggs. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, ½ cup neutral oil, ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest; add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients. Follow Step 2 as directed. Fold a quarter of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk batter, then fold in the remaining mixture. Bake as directed and top with Creamy Lemon Glaze.

Serving Angel Food Cake

Slicing angel food cake with a knife can compress the soft interior; instead, try this technique: Insert two forks, back to back, then use them to gently pull apart the cake into slices.