St. Louis Angel Food Cake

St. Louis Angel Food Cake
MAKES ONE 10-INCH CAKE

Among the culinary refinements of St. Louis, Missouri, is angel
food cake. St. Louis in the antebellum years was a mecca for travelers
on the floating palaces that plied the Mississippi. The clientele demanded—
and could easily afford—the best of everything, and the
steamers that gilded the river between New Orleans and St. Louis
spared no cost or effort to see that it was made abundantly available.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
11/2 cups sugar
12 egg whites (about 11/2 cups), at room temperature
1l/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1A teaspoon salt
11/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine the flour and 3/4 cup sugar. In a large bowl whip the
egg whites until frothy; add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until
mixture forms soft peaks. (You may start out beating with an electric
mixer, but after addition of the cream of tartar, finish with a whisk for
best results.) Whisk the remaining sugar into the egg whites, 1 tablespoon
at a time, working vigorously until stiff peaks form. Fold in the
vanilla. Spoon flour mixture into the egg whites, 1A cup at a time, and
fold gently just until blended. Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch
angel food cake pan. Cut through batter gently to remove any large
air bubbles. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the
cracks are dry. Invert and let hang suspended, until completely
cooled. Do not remove from pan until completely cool.