The Altitude Adjustment Section
An angel food cake is wonderfully light and airy in texture and not overly sweet. It has no fat and is mostly whipped egg whites. It is important your mixing bowl is clean dry and grease free and that you do not grease the pan or else the cake will not rise.
Ingredients
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
12 large eggs whites room temperature
4 teaspoons instant Espresso powder
1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
Procedure
Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, sift the flour, cinnamon, and confectioners' sugar; set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the egg whites, instant espresso coffee powder, cream of tartar,and salt. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form; beat in vanilla. Add the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating mixture after each addition. Beat until the sugar completely dissolves and egg whites stand in soft, glossy peaks.
Add the flour mixture to the egg whites, one-third at a time, folding in with rubber spatula after each addition. The flour should be completely blended with the whites. Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Run a knife or spatula through the batter to eliminate any air pockets. Bake the cake 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched with a finger.
Invert the cake in the pan on a funnel or bottle; cool completely in pan. With metal spatula, carefully loosen cake from pan. Invert onto a dish and invert again onto a serving dish. Optional: sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
