Angel Food Cake - eggs

Method

• About 30 minutes before making the cake, place an egg separator over a small bowl.
• Crack each egg over the egg separator to separate the whites from the yolk.
• (Save the yolks for another recipe.)
• Transfer egg whites to a 2-cup measuring cup until there are 1 1/2 cups of egg whites.
• Place the egg whites in a clean large bowl, and let stand at room temperature up to 30 minutes.
• Move the oven rack to the lowest position; remove other oven rack.
• Heat the oven to 375F In a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar and flour; set aside.
• Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until mixture looks foamy.
• On high speed, beat in the granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time; add the vanilla, almond extract, and salt with the last addition of sugar.
• Continue beating until meringue is stiff and glossy.
• Do not underbeat.
• Sprinkle the powdered sugar-flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, over the meringue; to fold in, use a rubber spatula to cut down vertically through the batter, then slide the spatula across the bottom of the bowl and up the side just until sugar-flour mixture disappears.
• When all sugar-flour mixture has been folded in, spoon the batter into an ungreased 10x4-inch angel food (tube) cake pan.
• Using a metal spatula or knife, gently cut through the batter, spreading batter gently against side of pan and tube, to break large air pockets.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cracks in cake feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly.
• Immediately turn pan upside down onto a heatproof funnel or bottle.
• Let cake hang about 2 hours or until completely cool.
• Remove pan from funnel.
• Loosen the cake by running a knife or long metal spatula between the cake and side of pan.
• Place a serving plate upside down on pan, then carefully run knife or long metal spatula between cake and pan bottom.
• Carefully remove bottom.
• To cut cake, use a long serrated knife in a sawing motion, or use an electric knife.