Angel Food Cake

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups egg whites, room temperature (about 12 to 14 large eggs)
• 1 1/4 cups cake flour, stir before measuring
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Sift flour with 3/4 cups sugar 4 times; set aside.
2. With a hand-held electric mixer at high speed, beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks are formed.
3. Gradually beat in remaining 1 cup sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition; continue to beat until stiff peaks form when beaters are raised out of mixture.
4. With a rubber spatula, gently fold almond extract and vanilla into the beaten egg whites. Sprinkle about a quarter of the flour mixture evenly over the egg whites; fold in gently with a spatula, about 15 strokes. Repeat until all of the flour mixture and about 10 to 12 more strokes.
5. Preheat oven to 375° F.
6. Gently spoon batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Cut through batter in pan with a narrow spatula or knife. With rubber spatula, spread batter to smooth the top and make sure batter is spread to touch the sides of the pan.
7. Bake on a lower oven rack for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched with fingertip. Invert pan to cool completely, about 2 hours. Use a narrow spatula or knife to gently loosen cake from sides and center of the tube pan. Gently, grasping the center tube, lift cake out of pan. Use a narrow spatula or knife to loosen the cake from the bottom. Remove the cake from tube section and frost with a fluffy white frosting or serve with sweetened strawberries or other fruit.