Bánh Bông Lan Trắng-Angle Food Cake

There are two kinds of white cake with and without fat.  This one has no fat.  It is easy to make but we need a tube pan with removable bottom and a serrated knife to cut the cake.  The pan is ungreased and after baking it is inverted to prevent the cake from falling on itself.  I found mine at Goodwill nearly twenty years ago and I still see a lot of them there occasionally.  If you want to buy one, pick the thick sturdy not the flimsy/slimsy one.  Make sure no trace of egg yolk in white. Break a single egg over a small bowl before adding the white to a big bowl.


1¼ cup cake flour -4¼ oz/128 gr
1½ cup granulated sugar-10½ oz
12 large egg whites-1½ cup
1 tsp cream of tartar
1//4 tsp salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract.

1. Preheat oven to 350 oF.
2. Grind sugar in a food processor until superfine about 1-2 minutes.  Divide into 2 parts.
3. Sift flour, salt and 1/2 sugar together 4 times. Do not skip this step:  it helps folding easier.
4. Place egg white and cream of tartar in a beating bowl of an electric mixer with paddle or whisk attachment.  Beat egg white on medium speed until frothy about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium high and slowly sprinkle the remaining sugar until the white forms soft peaks-the top of mixture will look like the ripple on the back of sea shells about 6 minutes.  Add vanilla and continue beating until a stiff peak meringue about 30 seconds more.  Try not overbeat.
5. Put flour/sugar mixture into a sifter or strainer set on a piece of paper.  Gradually shake the flour mixtures over the meringue about 4-5 additions.  Folding gently with a large spatula after each addition.  The dry ingredients do not have to disappear completely after each addition. Do not stir the batter.  Continue folding until incorporated.
6. Carefully scrape the batter into the ungreased tube pan.
7. Bake in the preheat oven 35 minutes, until the cake is golden brown on the top and the top cracks appear dry.  Insert a toothpick halfway between the center and outer wall.  It should come out dry.  If not bake and recheck in 5 more minutes. 
8. Remove the cake from oven and immediately invert on a cake rack.  Let cool completely in the pan at least 1.5-2 hours.  Use a sharp thin blade knife, insert down the side and sweep around the pan in 3 strokes.  Do the same around the center tube.  Lift the cake from outer rim.  Use the same knife with blade slightly stilt downward, run the knife under the cake while turning the center tube.  Invert the cake onto a cake rack and transfer the cake to a serving platter.
9. Serve plain or with fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream or a topping (will update soon). Store leftover cake at room temperature under a glass dome up to 5 days.