Don’t be intimidated by making homemade angel food cake! Give this angel food cake recipe a try and fall in love with this light, perfectly sweet cake.
Sift together the flour and ½ cup of the sugar. Set aside.
In a very clean glass or metal bowl (do not use plastic!), add the egg whites and the salt. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed until foamy, then increase the speed to medium-high. Once the eggs just pass the foamy stage and start to become "fluffy", add the cream of tartar and vanilla. Return the mixer to high speed and beat to medium peaks. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top of the egg whites and mix on medium speed until just incorporated - no more than 10 or 20 seconds.
Sprinkle about ¼ of the sifted flour mixture over the top of the egg whites. Using a large, very clean spatula, fold in flour: cut the spatula down the middle to the bottom of the bowl, then sweep it around, up and over. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Continue this process just until the flour is mostly incorporated, then repeat with the rest of the flour mixture, ¼ at a time, folding until just incorporated.
Gently spoon the batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan. Bake for 30 minutes, then increase the heat to 325°F and bake for another 30 minutes, until golden on top and the cracks in the top are relatively dry.
Upon removing from the oven, invert the cake. Some pans have "legs" to let you rest it directly on the countertop, but I usually turn it upside down with the tube part of the pan over the top of a wine or vinegar bottle. Allow to cool completely while inverted.
To remove the cake from the pan, then run a knife or thin offset spatula around the edges of the cake. Lift the tube section out of the pan, then run the knife or spatula around the inner tube and under the cake to remove the cake from the pan.
Notes
Make sure you use glass or metal bowls when making this cake, as plastic holds onto fat molecules more than glass or metal.
I recommend using an electric hand mixer and a wide mixing bowl for beating the egg whites as it is easier to ensure all of the whites at the bottom of the bowl are evenly beaten.
Use only an aluminum angel food cake pan for this recipe; do not use a nonstick tube pan. Make sure to not make anything other than angel food cake in your pan, as any residual fat molecules left in the pan from other recipes can prevent the angel food cake from rising properly.