Angel Food Cake

Three weeks ago, I decided to stop selling cakes.  You might think that was really crazy of me to do BUT the thing is, I am just plain tired. I just wanted to get away from the pressure and stress for a while.  For how long, I don't know.

I kind of shocked and disappointed the people around me, especially the ones who regularly asked me to make cakes for them.  They thought something bad had happened.  That I was sick or had a problem.  Someone even thought I was pregnant!  It was difficult for them to understand that I just wanted some time off and that this wasn't a decision I made out of impulse. They were hoping this break wasn't going to be a permanent thing.

That's something I couldn't promise.  Because you know what? I don't miss it.  I don't miss the constant ringing of my phone.  I don't miss the late nights.  I don't miss the people going in and out of my house.  I don't miss the nonstop baking and cleaning up. I don't miss the cakes, period. 

I still bake though.  But only what I want to and when I want to.  For my family this time. Although I have been constantly baking bread and whipping up ice cream, for the last three weeks, I had avoided anything that had to do with cake.  Honestly, I didn't have the slightest desire at all.

Today, however, I was compelled to make one. With the ongoing ensaymada experimentation, I had a growing number of spare eggwhites that I didn't want wasted.  So I made an angel food cake. The recipe I used is another one that I copied off my aunt's old notebooks.

I know the cake isn't much to look at. Don't let the brownish, flawed outside appearance fool you.

What more can I say?  Eggwhites well used.  

ANGEL FOOD CAKE (suitable for a 10x4 tube pan)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups egg whites, room temperature

1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup cake flour

1 teaspoon flavouring of your choice (ex. vanilla, almond)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

2.  In a small bowl, sift together the cake flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar.  Set aside.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, beat eggwhites, cream of tartar and salt till frothy. Gradually add in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and the flavouring and beat until stiff.

4.  Gently fold in the cake flour/sugar into the meringue 3 tablespoons at a time.  Fold only until the flour/sugar mixture disappears.

5.  Pour batter into an ungreased 10x4 tube pan.  Push the batter to the sides of the pan and level off.

6.  Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cracks should feel dry.

7.  Take out of the oven and immediately invert onto a glass bottle and cool completely.

 8.  Carefully loosen cake sides with a knife and invert cake into a serving plate.  Enjoy as is or with whipped cream, ice cream or fresh fruits!