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1
Heat oven and sift flour Heat oven to 325F, with rack in lower third of oven.
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2
Use a fine sieve to sift together flour and 3/4 cup granulated sugar over a sheet of parchment paper or a bowl.
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3
Repeat sifting four times.
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4
Make meringue Beat egg whites in a large, wide bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until foamy; add salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla.
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5
Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
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6
With mixer running, add remaining 3/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating no more than 1 minute after each.
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7
Raise speed to medium-high and beat until stiff glossy peaks form (when beater is lifted, only the tip of the peak should fall over slightly).
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8
Fold flour into meringue Sift flour mixture over meringue in six parts, gently folding in each addition with a flexible spatula.
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9
Be careful not to overmix or the egg whites will deflate.
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10
Bake and cool Scrape batter into a 10-inch angel-food pan (or tube pan).
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11
Run a knife through the batter to release any large air bubbles, and smooth with an offset spatula.
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12
Bake until cake is golden brown and springy to the touch, 30 to 45 minutes.
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13
Invert pan onto its legs (if using an angel-food pan) or a wire rack, and let cool about 1 1/2 hours.
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14
Carefully run a paring knife around side of cake to loosen, then turn out onto the rack.
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15
Serve Place the cake on a serving platter and surround with berries; dust with confectioners sugar.
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16
Slice cake with a comb cutter or serrated knife; serve slices with berries and whipped cream.
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17
Cake will keep up to 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped well in plastic.
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18
One way to put yolks to good use is to make lemon curd (page 477) to serve with angel food cake.
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19
For a savory alternative, use extra egg yolks to prepare mayonnaise (page 95) or hollandaise sauce (page 96).
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20
If youre not planning to use raw egg yolks right away, refrigerate them up to three days in an airtight container, or freeze up to four months.
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21
When refrigerating yolks, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
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22
To prevent them from becoming gelatinous when frozen, add 1/8 teaspoon salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (add salt to yolks intended for savory dishes and sugar to yolks for baked desserts) to each 1/4 cup of yolks (about four).
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23
Beat the yolks lightly before mixing in the salt and sugar, and freeze the mixture in an airtight container.
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24
Be sure to label the container with the date and number of yolks.
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25
When using them in a recipe, use 1 tablespoon of thawed yolk for each large yolk needed.
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26
If using a standing mixer, you will need to gently transfer meringue to a large, wide bowl before folding in the flour.
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27
Angel food cake pans have removable bottoms and legs for easy removal and cooling.
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28
A 10-inch tube pan can be used in its place.
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29
A comb cutter is the traditional tool for slicing angel food cake; it keeps the cake from flattening.
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30
If you dont have one, use a serrated knife and slice with a sawing motion.
