The Great Angel Food Experiments! Mwahaha…

What is Angel Food Cake? A fluffy, egg-based cake that rises without leaven or soda.

How Does Egg White Make a Cake? The proteins connect once untangled. However, they come back together.

The First Cake Ingredients: 1 Cup All-purpose Flour 1 ¼ cups Sugar Pinch Salt 1 Cup Egg White ½ tsp Vanilla Extract Process: Beat egg whites, add extract, sift together flour, sugar, and salt, add to egg white and beat, put into 325 degree oven, bake 1 hour. Results: A rather chewy, crusty cake, not risen very high.

What Happened? The outside cooked faster than the inside. The protein “shell” was broken by the flour and mixer.

The Second Cake Ingredients: 1 Cup All-purpose Flour 1 Cup Sugar Pinch Salt 1 Cup Egg White 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract ¼ tsp Almond Extract 1 tsp Cream of Tartar Process: Beat egg whites, add Cream of Tartar, add extracts, sift together flour, sugar, and salt, sift into egg white, fold together, put into cool oven, set temperature to 325, bake 1 hour. Results: A fluffier, softer cake with less of a crust.

What Happened? The Cream of Tartar stopped the proteins from clumping back together. The bubbles in the foam expanded then set. The outside was not immediately browned by the quick introduction of heat.

The Third Cake Ingredients: 1 Cup Cake Flour 1 Cup Confectioners Sugar Pinch Salt 1 Cup Egg White 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract ¼ tsp Almond Extract 1 tsp Cream of Tartar Process: Beat egg whites, add Cream of Tartar, add extracts, sift together flour, sugar, and salt- five times, sift into egg white, fold together, put into cool oven, set temperature to 325, bake 1 hour. Results: A blander, chewier cake.

What Went Wrong? The bubbles in the foam were too big. The confectioners sugar was not equivalent to ordinary sugar.

What Could I Still Do Better? Soft egg whites, not stiff- for stronger bubbles. Measure by weight, not by volume. Cool longer- prevent collapse.