Recipes of Our Mothers - Tess Labas' Angel Food Cake

I'm not exactly sure why I thought of Angel Food Cake the other day--but there it was, in fond traces of childhood memory, my dear Nana and the spongy clouds she harnessed in her kitchen. Perhaps a beneficent angel bent down to airily whisper with a breath of vanilla...a gentle reminder that it had been years since I had eaten this cake, a subtle prodding to get baking! My old pal's mother stepped in to share her recipe. Delicious thanks to Tess Labas!

Such perfection on its own or draped with a fruity coulis, topped with fresh berries--and what an entrance! The appearance of Angel Food Cake at your table is sure to be a delighted surprise that will elicit more than a few reminiscences as well. Further reveries that involve other shuffling angels' feet, I leave to you. Do enjoy!

Chris writes:

Here's my Mom's recipe!

ANGEL FOOD CAKE
A whole dozen of egg whites or about 2 cups (or pre-packaged egg whites)
1/4 tsp salt
1.5 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 tsp almond extract (Whole Foods has a good one)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1.25 cups of sugar
1 cup cake flour (I switched to King Arthur's from Gold Medal)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the salt and cream of tartar, then beat until soft peaks form.
Then add the almond and vanilla and then gradually add the sugar and then beat until stiff.
Sift the flour over the egg whites and gently fold it in.
Bake in an ungreased tube pan (10") for 50 mins to an hour (toothpick meter). Invert the pan on a rack and let it COMPLETELY cool before removing, 90 mins.

Mom said that her pan has small metal attachments on the outside for inverting the pan that prevent the cake from sticking to the plate/rack; otherwise, invert and hang the pan on a bottle. She also tells me one of my aunts used to do that with a fluted pan, until she got the Angel Food Cake pan.

I can just smell this baking in our kitchen with afternoon sunlight pouring through the window...

Heavenly.

Thanks to Chris and Mrs. Labas for sharing with me here on Evenings With Peter!