Move oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 375°. DO NOT prepare tube pan. Tube pan should be ungreased.
Into a medium bowl, sift powdered sugar and flour. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add egg whites and cream of tartar. Use the whisk attachment and whisk on medium until foamy.
Turn mixer speed to high and continue whisking. Add 1 TBSP of granulated sugar at a time to mixer. Add in salt and vanilla.
Whisk until stiff, glossy peaks have formed. Do not underbeat.
Remove bowl from mixer.
Sift the powdered sugar mixture, ¼ cup at a time over the egg white mixture. Gently fold in using a rubber spatula just until the powdered sugar mixture disappears. Continue until all the powdered sugar mixture has been added.
Spoon batter into the ungreased tube pan. Gently run a knife or metal spatula through the batter to break any large air bubbles.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Top should spring back when lightly touched and the cracks feel dry.
Remove from oven and immediately turn pan upside down. If your pan doesn’t have feet, place pan upside down on a bottle to cool.
Allow to cool for about 2 hours or until completely cool. Run a knife or metal spatula around sides of pan to loosen cake. Remove from pan.
Notes
I prefer to use fresh egg whites for this recipe. While you can use pasteurized egg whites from the carton, I have found they take longer to whip. I also think fresh egg whites are stronger.
Be sure to have egg whites at room temperature before you start.
It is super important that the beater and whisk are grease-free! If in doubt, rinse with lemon juice or vinegar.
Don’t skip the sifting steps!
The best pan to use is a 10 x 4” tube pan, the aluminum type with feet.
DO NOT grease the tube pan.
Angel food cake can be made ahead and frozen! Wrap with saran wrap twice and once with heavy duty aluminum foil. Place in freezer for up to 4 months. To defrost, remove from freezer and let the wrapped cake sit out until room temperature.
