Effortless Angel Food Cake Recipe
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Category
Dessert
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Cusine
American
What do you need?
How to make?
Ingredients
5 ounces bleached cake flour
15 ounces cold egg whites from 12 large eggs
15 ounces granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 small lemon
1/4 teaspoon 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
1 ounce Fresh Lemon Syrup , optional
6 ounces Lemon Chantilly , optional
Directions
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350 degrees 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 and whip 3 minutes; the whites will be dense and dark. With the mixer still running, add lemon juice and salt. Immediately increase to medium and whip 3 minutes more; the meringue will be thin but foamy. Increase to medium-high 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. Sprinkle cake flour on top and stir with a flexible spatula to roughly combine. Switch to a folding motion, scraping from the bottom up and folding through the center, until no pockets of flour remain. Scrape the batter into a 10-inch aluminum tube pan ; if you notice any small pockets of unincorporated flour, simply pause to mix them in. Bake until the cake is puffed, golden blond, and firm to the touch, about 45 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 206 degrees F. Invert pan onto its stilts or onto a trio of cans and cool upside down until absolutely no trace of warmth remains, at least 2 hours. Slide an offset spatula around the sides of cake to loosen, remove the insert, and slide spatula under the bottom as well. Flip onto a serving plate, pulling gently on the sides of the cake to release it from the center tube. To serve, cut with a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion and only the slightest downward pressure. If you like, garnish with figs and berries tossed in Fresh Lemon Syrup and finish with Lemon Chantilly. Wrapped tightly in plastic, leftovers will keep up to 1 week at room temperature.