Active Time

　　30 minutes

　　Total Time

　　2 hours plus cooling

　　Success has many authors, and the classic angel food cake recipe has been credited separately to 19th-century cooks in the American South and German immigrants to St. Louis. Whatever its origin, this airy sponge cake has staying power. The ethereal dessert gets its tender crumb from whipped egg whites, cream of tartar, and cake flour, which is finer and less prone to forming gluten than all-purpose flour. Sifting the cake flour may sound fussy, but it keeps the dry ingredients from clumping and makes it easier to incorporate into the delicate batter. Don’t skip it. The ginger in this cake won’t lend it a gingery flavor, but will bring in a bit of warmth. If you don’t care to use ginger, you could swap it out for ½ tsp. almond extract or cardamom, or simply leave it out.

　　There’s no butter here, so how you aerate the egg whites is key: Use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or high-speed hand mixer set over a large bowl to beat foamy egg whites into stiff peaks, taking care not to overmix. Use the leftover egg yolks to make a vanilla custard or fruit curd to serve with the cake.

　　While it might be tempting to bake your angel food cake in a Bundt pan or as cupcakes, a tube pan with a removable bottom is crucial—but stay away from nonstick. The cake needs traction from the sides of the pan to rise tall and fluffy. To cool, you’ll invert the cake so there’s no chance of it collapsing, then use a long knife to trim the edges away from the pan.

　　

Ingredients

8 servings

　　1½ cups (350 g–385 g) egg whites from 10–11 large eggs

　　1 Tbsp. warm water

　　1 cup (120 g) sifted cake flour, not self-rising; sift before measuring

　　1¼ cups (238 g) superfine granulated sugar

　　1 Tbsp. ground ginger (optional)

　　2 tsp. vanilla extract

　　1 tsp. cream of tartar

　　½ tsp. kosher salt

　　Whipped cream and berries or sliced peaches, for serving (optional)

　　

Special equipment:

Special equipment: a 10x4" tube pan with removable bottom and a standing electric mixer

　　

Step 1

Place rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 375°F.

　　

Step 2

Put whites and water in a very clean large metal bowl and swirl over simmering water or a gas flame until barely warm. Sift together flour, ¼ cup sugar, and ginger 4 times onto a sheet of wax paper.

　　

Step 3

Beat whites in standing electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt. Increase speed to medium-high and beat just until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually beat in remaining cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. at a time, occasionally scraping down side of bowl. Increase speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. (Do not overbeat.) Sift one third of flour mixture over whites. Beat on low speed just until blended. Sift and beat in remaining flour in 2 more batches.

　　

Step 4

Gently pour batter into ungreased tube pan and smooth top. Run a rubber spatula or long knife through batter to eliminate any large air bubbles.

　　

Step 5

Bake until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove cake from oven and immediately invert pan. (If pan has “legs,” stand it on those. Otherwise, place pan over neck of a bottle.) Cool cake completely, upside down. Turn pan right side up. Run a long, thin knife around outer edge of pan with a smooth (not sawing) motion. Do the same around center tube. Remove outer rim of pan and run knife under bottom of cake to release. Invert to release cake from tube, and invert again onto a serving plate.

　　

Step 6

Serve cake with whipped cream and fruit, if using.

　　Do ahead: Cake may be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

　　Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in the February 2000 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our best cake recipes →

　　Cooks’ Notes

　　Angel food cake was traditionally torn apart using 2 forks or a many-pronged cake breaker to preserve its prized texture; however, gently sawing with a modern serrated knife also works well.