Whole Wheat Angel Food Cake, with Sprinkles!

Ingredients

1½ cups (300 g) sugar

1 cup (120 g) whole wheat pastry flour

12 large egg whites

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon pure almond extract

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon (50 g) rainbow sprinkles

Directions

Position an oven rack in the middle and heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Sift ¾ cup (150 g) of the sugar with the flour into a bowl. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, combine the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, vanilla, and almond extract. Whisk on medium speed until very frothy. Gradually add the remaining ¾ cup (150 g) sugar; it should take about a minute to add the sugar.

Increase the speed to medium- high and whisk until the mixture is glossy and at medium peak, almost as thick as shaving cream.

Transfer the meringue to a large bowl, sift about half of the sugar- flour mixture over the top, and fold to combine. Sift the other half of the sugar-flour mixture over, add the sprinkles, and fold to combine. Pile the batter into an ungreased 10-inch (25 cm) angel food cake pan.

Bake until the top feels firm and springs back when you press it lightly with your finger and the cake is an even light brown, about 35 minutes.

Cool the cake upside down (see Note). When the cake is completely cool, run a thin knife between the cake and the edge of the pan and lift the cake out. Run the knife under the bottom of the cake and around the center tube to separate it from the pan.

Transfer the cake to a large plate or cake stand. Store any leftover cake wrapped in plastic at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Notes

It's crazy to think that you can make this most ethereal of cakes with whole-grain flour... but you can. Whole wheat pastry flour is milled from softer wheat, meaning it has a lower protein content, which is ideal for tender cakes and pastries. You can skip the sprinkles, but why would you? Be sure to use actual sprinkles, the long rainbow ones. Nonpareils will streak into the cake too much and the colors will get murky. Serve the cake simply, with a big spoonful of Malted Whipped Cream (page 308), or add some fresh berries, lemon curd, or a thick ribbon of warm chocolate sauce. —Makes one 10-inch

(25 cm) cake

Note: A key step in making an angel food cake is turning the pan upside down as soon as you take it out of the oven, so that the delicate crumb structure can cool and set up without deflating from its own weight. Some angel food cake pans have tabs around the rim that serve as feet to stabilize the inverted pan. If yours doesn't, you can rest the pan on the neck of a soda bottle, but try to brace it somehow so it doesn't tip.