Angel Food Cake

I LOVE angel food cake!  I got this recipe from Jason Blomstedt's mom when she made it for a picnic.  So yummy!  People think angel food cake is hard, but it's really not.  You just need to know a few tricks.  I serve my angel food cake with strawberries (where you slice them and add sugar to make a "sauce") and homemade whipped cream...never cool whip! 

ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Whip the following until foamy:

1 1/2 c egg whites (about 12)

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

Keep whipping/beating and add:

3/4 cup sugar (2 T at a time) until stiff

SLOWLY add (scrape bowl around sides and over the top; I've done on low with beaters):

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

in a separate bowl, sift 3x together:

1 c flour

3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar

add flour/sugar slowly to egg whites 1/4 cup at a time; scrape sides to mix in

bake in ungreased pan--cut w/ a knife to get out bubbles

bake at 375 for 30 to 35 min until tan

cool upside down

Pointers:

• To make sure your egg whites will beat to a stiff peak your bowls and beaters have to be spotless or they'll never firm up.  Also, not a DROP of egg yolks can be in your whites.  If you get any in them, they won't stiffen.
• If you're unsure what a stiff peak is, consult the internet or a basic cookbook (I started making angel food cake from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, which has lots of pictures and pointers).
• I think it works better to use an aluminum pan to bake with, I have a dark, non-stick pan, too, but it doesn't work as well. You can find the aluminum ones easily on amazon or at Williams Sonoma, etc.  I never see them at Walmart or Target, but I could be wrong.  I haven't looked in a while.  I found mine at a garage sale, and it's been awesome!