Angel Food Cake - Recipe Development for everyone

Continuing our series on cake, today we're going to knock angel food cake out of the park. Looking back, this probably should have been the first post in the series, because it's so easy. You ready for this?

First, use equal weights egg whites and sugar. Then, use 1/3 of that weight in driers (flour, cocoa powder, etc). And that's about it. Really. I mean, you should add some things like a little bit of salt and a touch of vanilla extract, too, but it's honestly that simple. Here, I'll make one up right now:

Berry Angel Food Cake

• 10 oz egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 10 oz sugar
• 3 tsp strawberry extract (I don't figure most people have this lying around, so you can also use vanilla)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3.2 oz flour (Preferably cake)
• 2 cup fresh berries
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar

1. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt, and extract. Sprinkle in the sugar and whip until  stiff peaks form.
3. Sift the flour over the egg whites and fold in "gently but quickly."
4. Pour into an angel food cake pan and smooth out the top.
5. Bake for approx. 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and a cake tester (toothpick or paring knife) comes out clean.
6. Turn the pan upside down to cool. To remove, run a knife along the sides.
7. Whip up the cream, sugar, and about 1/4  of the berries until stiff peaks form.
8. Fill the cake, frost the cake, and enjoy the cake.

See how we got there? Egg whites, a little bit of cream of tartar to help the egg whites whip up, equal weight of sugar, a little bit of flavor from the extract and the salt, and 1/3 of the weight of the eggs in flour. It really is as easy as that. Take the next two minutes and write your own recipe (don't be afraid to spice it up a bit) and then comment and tell me how painless it was. Then, when you bake the cake and your guests ask where you got the recipe, puff out your chest and tell them you created it yourself!

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