Recipe Station

Here's everything for this light and fluffy angel food cake. This recipe requires 15 minutes of active time and 3 hours total and makes one 10-inch tube.

Ingredients to Gather

5 ounces bleached cake flour (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons; 140g) (see note above)
15 ounces cold egg whites (2 cups; 425g) from 12 large eggs
15 ounces granulated sugar (2 cups; 425g)
1 tablespoon (15ml) vanilla extract
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 tablespoons; 25g) from 1 small lemon
1/4 teaspoon (1g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight
To Serve:
2 pints assorted fruit, such as blueberries, blackberries, and figs (optional)
1 ounce Fresh Lemon Syrup (2 tablespoons; 25g) (optional)
6 ounces Lemon Chantilly (1 cup; 170g) (optional)

Directions to Follow

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350°F. Sift cake flour and set aside. Combine egg whites, sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on low to loosen, about 1 minute, then increase to medium-low (4 on a KitchenAid) and whip 3 minutes; the whites will be dense and dark.

2. With the mixer still running, add lemon juice and salt. Immediately increase to medium (6 on a KitchenAid) and whip 3 minutes more; the meringue will be thin but foamy. Increase to medium-high (8 on a KitchenAid) and continue whipping until the meringue is glossy white and thick enough that you can see the pattern left by the wire whisk. This can take between 2 and 4 minutes, depending on the freshness of the whites and the horsepower of your mixer. When meringue is ready, it should be soft enough to run off the wires when the whisk attachment is removed, but thick enough to mound up on itself like soft-serve in the bowl.

Next, sprinkle cake flour on top and stir, and then use a folding motion to scrape from the bottom of the batter up and fold through the center. Make sure there are no pockets of flour. Now, scrape butter into an ungreased 10-inch aluminum tube pan, and then bake for about 45 minutes or until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit. The cake should be puffed up, a golden color, and firm to the touch. Now, invert the pan using stilts or three cans stacked on top of one another, and cool the cake upside down for at least 2 hours and ideal there's absolutely no warmth left to it. Now, take an offset spatula and slide it around the sides to loosen it, and then remove the insert and slide the spatula underneath it. Flip the cake over onto a serving plate, and gently pull on the sides of the cake to loosen it from the center tube. When ready to serve, cut the cake with a chef's knife, gently sawing it using only slight downward pressure.

Finished! We really like to garnish this cake with some figs and berries tossed in fresh lemon syrup, along with some lemon chantilly and maybe a nice hot cup of tea.

Article Source: Serious Eats