Angel Food Cake

For me it was not my birthday unless I had an angel food cake. I always loved how light they tasted. I would eat 1/4 of the cake and it was the best thing ever. The tradition still lives on. My husbands birthday is on Tuesday and guess what I am making an angel food cake!Angel Food Cake

1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup cake flour
1 ½ cups large egg whites (about 12)
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. almond extract
¼ tsp. salt

1. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375 F.
2. In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and flour; set aside. In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with kitchenaid mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed, adding vanilla, almond extract and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not under beat.
3. Sprinkle powdered sugar-flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time, over egg white mixture, folding in with rubber spatula just until sugar-flour mixture disappears. Push batter into ungreased 10 x 4 inch angel food cake pan (tube pan). Cut gently through batter with metal spatula or knife to break air pockets.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heat-proof funnel or bottle. Let hang about 2 hours or until cake is completely cool. Loosen side of cake with knife or long metal spatula; remove from pan.
5. Spread or drizzle Lemon glaze over top of cake.

*Note: To cool angel food cake, immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof bottle or funnel (plastic funnel can be wrapped with foil to make heat proof).

Lemon Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp. lemon juice
2 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice

In a large bowl pour lemon juice on top of sugar. Miss in until it is smooth. Pour over cake