Light As Air Chiffon Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 7 eggs, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup milk (whole or skim, or buttermilk for chocolate cake)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Recipe

• 1 separate the eggs carefully; even a small mount of yolk in the whites will prevent them from beating up properly.
• 2 in a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy. gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar and contine beating until stiff and glossy. set aside.
• 3 whisk together the remaining 1 cup sugar with the flour, baking powder and salt. in a separate bowl, beat the oil, milk, egg yolks and flavorings until pale yellow. add the dry ingredients and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes at medium speed using a mixer, or longer by hand.
• 4 gently fold in the whipped egg whites, using a wire whip or cake blender. be sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl so the batter is well-blended.
• 5 pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan or angel food pan, or two 9-inch round ungreased cake pans.
• 6 bake the cake in a preheated 325 degree oven. if it's in a tube or angel food pan, bake it for 50 minutes, then turn up the heat to 350 for the final 10 minutes, making a total baking time of 1 hour. if you're using two 9-inch pans, bake for about 40 minutes at 325, then 10 minutes more at 350.
• 7 note: don't open the oven during the first 45 minutes of baking; the cake will rise high above the pan, then settle back almost even.
• 8 it's done when a finger gently pressed in the middle doesn't leave a print, and you can hear a crackling sound if you listen carefully.
• 9 cool the cake upside down for 1/2 hour before removing it from the pan.
• 10 if you've used a tube pan, set it atop a thin-necked bottle, theading the bottle neck through the hole in the tube.
• 11 note: dip a serrated knife in hot water between each slive if you want smooth, even pieces.