I’m running out of weekends baking at the first location of SMiLes by Meg. There are six more weeks of school, and of those, there are only three weekends where I’ll actually be at my apartment. In fact, there are all sorts of “lasts” going on over the course of the next couple of weeks, which is both exciting and a little sad (but mostly exciting).

For example, this weekend, my mom came down and visited for the last time. She was a sport, making the five hour drive, which I know from extensive experience is not particularly pleasant. We ate lots of good food and shopped at a craft fair (and, ok, a lot of other places) that I’d been dying to show her for awhile.

And, as usual, we had to make a stop at Williams-Sonoma. I’m not sure I will ever live within walking distance of one again, so I feel the need to take advantage. Usually, this means inventing reasons to go in and sample whatever they are cooking, but today we had a purpose: a tube pan.

Three weeks ago, I made some raspberry sorbet, which is completely wonderful on its own. However, I wanted to bake something that would pair well with it, and decided on Angel Food Cake, since its light and mops up melted stuff well. Angel food cake requires a tube pan, though, which I didn’t have.

Imagine my delight when we walked to the baking section of the store and there was not only a tube pan, but a Nordic Ware pan made especially for angel food cake! As I’ve mentioned before, having dessert-specific bakeware makes me feel just one step closer to being a true adult.

So, after sending my mom off to drive back home, I set to it.

First, put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit at room temperature for an hour. You may think that you can be clever and let the eggs come to room temperature before just starting the whole cake, eliminating the wait time, but that’s not going to work. Eggs are easier to separate cold. Trust me.I used my hour to go for a run. This turned out to be an excellent decision since I have since eaten two slices of cake.

When you’re ready to start, sift together the confectioner’s sugar, cake flour, and salt. I used my fine mesh sieve, which I purchased on another (probably unnecessary) trip to Williams-Sonoma, and sifted onto a piece of parchment paper, preventing the ingredients from sticking in a bowl when you go to use them later. Beat the egg whites on high speed using the whisk attachment until they are frothy.Add the cream of tartar and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form.Then, while the mixer is running, add the granulated sugar gradually. Continue to beat until floppy soft peaks form and the mixture thickens. Finally, beat in the almond extract until combined. Also, note the floppy soft peak in the picture – that’s what you’re aiming for.
Remove the bowl from the mixture and sprinkle about a quarter of the sifted ingredients over the top. Fold in exceedingly gently using a rubber spatula. Add in another quarter, and fold in again. Repeat with two more additions.  Now for the fun part, my new angel food cake pan! Note the legs – those are important later.Pour the batter evenly into the ungreased pan. I’m not going to lie, the ungreased instruction stressed me out. I am wary of any recipe that seems to think a cake will cooperate in coming out of a pan without some kind of assistance. And I have good reason to be so skeptical. But it worked for me, so hopefully that reassures you a bit.Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is golden and springs back when pressed lightly. Allow to cool completely upside down in pan. See why the legs are so important now?Once the pan is completely cool, run a flat spatula around the outside to free the cake. If you’re using an angel food cake pan, too, it will fall right out with the bottom, since it’s removable.Simply running the spatula between the bottom and the cake frees it up to fall onto the pan, all in one piece!

Another awesome purchase of the weekend? A beautiful yellow cake stand from Little Daisy Bakery that I’ve had my eye on for far too long. Look how well my cake fits on it! Anyways, I then took one for the team for you guys and had a piece in the name of better pictures. And in the name of testing my raspberry sorbet theory. After doing so, I realized that this cake absolutely cannot stay in my apartment. I have boxed it up and will be bringing it to school tomorrow. Otherwise I have no doubt that I would eat the entire thing before the end of the week.

Though, as cakes go, angel food cake really isn’t the worst you could be indulging in. There’s no butter, which is really pretty unheard of in my baking adventures. Especially if you checked in last week.

So, hopefully this one makes it into your summer repertoire, as it very easily lends itself to fruit toppings and light sauces (I toyed with the idea of making a coconut cream sauce, but ran out of time).

Enjoy!

Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

• 12 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Ingredients:

1. Separate egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to sit at room temperature for an hour.
2. Sift together the confectioners sugar, flour, and salt using a fine sieve onto parchment paper.
3. Beat the egg whites on high speed using the whisk attachment until frothy.
4. Add the cream of tartar and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form.
5. Add the granulated sugar gradually while the mixer is running. Continue beating until floppy soft peaks form.
6. Beat in the almond extract.
7. Sprinkle about a quarter of the sifted ingredients over the batter. Fold in using a rubber spatula very gently.
8. Repeat with remaining sifted ingredients, one quarter at a time.
9. Pour batter evenly into ungreased angel food cake (or tube) pan.
10. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly.
11. Allow to cool completely upside down in pan. When cool, run a flat spatula around pan to release cake.