Angel Food Cake

1½ cups superfine sugar, divided

1 cup cake flour, sifted

12 egg whites, room temperature

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, sift together ½ cup of the sugar and the cake flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to whisk together the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla and almond extracts. Beat on medium-high until very foamy. With the mixer running, slowly add the remaining cup of sugar. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Sift half of the flour-sugar mixture over the egg whites and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently fold into the egg mixture. Repeat with the remaining flour-sugar mixture. Transfer to an ungreased 10-inch tube pan or divide between 2 ungreased loaf pans. Bake 35-40 minutes for a tube pan or 30-35 minutes for the loaf pans, or until a wooden skewer inserted at the center comes out dry.

Overturn the tube pan onto the neck of a wine or similar bottle and cool. Loaf pans can be turned on their sides or overturned onto cooling racks. To remove the cakes from the pan, slide a paring knife around the edge.

Makes 1 tube cake (12 servings) or 2 loaf pans.

@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 120 calories, 0 fat, 27 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 5 g protein, 0 cholesterol, 95 mg sodium.

Alison Ladman for The Associated Press