Dana Pollack's Red, White & Blue Angel Food Cake Recipe

Photo: Jennifer Causey

'This is hands-down one of my favorite recipes,' says the author of the Dana's Bakery cookbook, which is filled with desserts from her South Hackensack, N.J., shop. 'It's light, airy and perfect for summer!'

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 cup (about 4¼ oz.) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup caster sugar or superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 12 large egg whites (about 1½ cups)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• Red food coloring gel
• Blue food coloring gel
• Powdered sugar

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1Preheat oven to 325°. Sift together flour, caster sugar, cornstarch and salt into a bowl; set aside.
• Step 2Beat egg whites and granulated sugar with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed until soft peaks form, 4 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla; beat until just combined, about 1 minute.
• Step 3Using a rubber spatula, gradually fold sifted flour mixture into egg white mixture in about 3 additions.
• Step 4Divide batter in thirds in different bowls (about 3 ½ cups each). Fold a few drops of red food coloring into batter in one bowl; fold a few drops of blue food coloring into batter in second bowl, and leave remaining batter undyed.
• Step 5Spoon red batter evenly into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Spoon white (undyed) batter evenly over red batter; spoon blue batter evenly over white batter. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately flip cake upside down (do not remove cake from pan) onto a wire rack. Let cake cool in pan completely, about 2 hours.
• Step 6Run a knife around edges of cake to loosen from pan, and remove cake from pan. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar, slice and serve.