Tom Roach's Angel Food Cake
- 1 1/2 cups (11 to 12) large egg whites
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 cup sifted cake flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- Place fresh, cold egg whites and cold water in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer.
- Set aside until they are 60 degrees, or slightly below room temperature.
- Pour flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and salt into a triple sifter or sieve.
- Sift onto a sheet of waxed paper; set aside.
- Adjust rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Set nearby a dry, ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
- Such a pan allows the batter to cling to the sides and rise to its full height.
- Place a long-necked bottle or large metal funnel nearby for inverting the baked cake.
- Whip egg whites, preferably with a whisk attachment until frothy.
- Add cream of tartar and whip on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Continue whipping and gradually add the 1 cup granulated sugar until whites have thickened and form soft droopy white peaks.
- Add the vanilla and lemon zest in the final moments of whipping.
- Sprinkle one-quarter of the flour mixture over the whites, and with a rubber spatula, fold into the whites.
- Repeat this process with the remaining flour mixture, folding in only one-quarter of the flour mixture at a time.
- Gently pour the batter into an ungreased tube pan.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is light golden, the cake feels spongy and springs back when touched, and a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out free of cake.
- Invert cake onto the neck of a bottle or funnel.
- Cool completely before removing from pan.
- To remove cake from the pan, slip just the tip of a small metal spatula between the cake and pan.
- Slowly trace the perimeter to release any cake sticking to the pan.
- Tilt the cake pan on its side, and gently tap the bottom against the counter to loosen the cake.
- Rotate the cake pan, tapping as you turn it a few more times, until it appears free.
- Cover the cake with a rack or cardboard round, and at the same time that you invert the cake onto the work surface, tap it firmly onto the surface.
- Lift the pan from the cake.
egg whites, cold water, cake flour, granulated sugar, salt, cream of tartar, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tom-roachs-angel-food-cake-recipe.html (may not work)