Angel Food Cake

So, I had been craving Angel food cake.

It is something I have never attempted before- but thanks to all of the delicious ice cream Mike had been making, we had enough frozen egg whites for me to try my hand at this heavenly treat.

Of course, I turned to my friend Alton for the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cake flour, sifted
• 12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon orange extract, or extract of your choice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Sift half of the sugar with the salt the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside.

In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, orange extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.

Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).

Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least an hour before removing from pan.

**Use a serrated knife to cut any cake, but most definatley angel food cake! It will keep the light & fluffy cake from smooshing**

Cook's Note: Since they're easier to separate use the freshest eggs you can get.

Per Serving (based on 10 servings): Calories: 208; Total Fat: 0 grams; Saturated Fat: 0 grams; Protein: 5 grams; Total carbohydrates: 47 grams; Sugar: 36 grams; Fiber: 0 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 115 milligrams

  I grew fond of having 2 slices of cake (it's mostly egg whites... totally okay to have two slices, right!?!) that I inverted and filled with fresh, juicy strawberry slices. It was like having a little dessert sandwich!

The verdict: Fairly easy to make although I wouldn't "waste" a dozen eggs in order to whip this up in my own kitchen. I am currently collecting up egg whites as The Hubster makes ice cream using the yolks.

The inside was just as tasty, soft and fluffy as the cakes you get from your grocery store bakery- but the crust was a little more crisp (which I actually like better)

If you have a hankering for Angel food cake and have 12 egg whites laying around, give this a try. Otherwise, I give my blessing to buy one at your local grocery store.