Perfect Angel Food Cake with Raspberry Sauce and Berries
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Cook time: 
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Serves: 12-16
 
Ingredients
For the cake:
  • 125g (or 1 cup + 4 teaspoons) cake flour
  • 100g (or ½ cup) superfine granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • 300ml (or 1¼ cup) egg whites (about 10 large eggs)
  • pinch of table salt
  • 200g (or 1 cup) superfine granulated sugar
  • 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the raspberry sauce and topping:
  • 200g (or 7 ounces) frozen raspberries
  • 20g (or 5 teaspoon) granulated sugar
  • 750g (or about 1½ pounds) mixed berries, I used strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries
  • sweetened whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
First, make the cake:
  1. Start by prepping a 23-cm/9-inch angel food cake pan (tube pan). Make sure you're using a pan with a removable bottom.
  2. Wash both the cake pan and a large bowl by hand, using dish soap. Rinse with hot water and dry with a clean tea towel. This step ensures that there are no traces of fat in the pan or bowl. Don't grease the pan!
  3. Preheat your oven to 175°C/350°F (standard oven setting).
  4. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, 100g of granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Sift and set aside.
  5. In the large bowl you just cleaned, combine the egg whites with the pinch of salt. Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix until foamy. Mix in the lemon juice and start to gradually add the 200g of sugar. Beat until the meringue can hold soft peaks (bird's beak stage). Add the vanilla and mix briefly until incorporated.
  6. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold one third of the flour mixture into the meringue until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining two third of flour mixture. Be careful not to overmix; once all of the flour mixture is incorporated, stop folding. It's okay if there are still a few lumps in the batter.
  7. Spoon the batter into the cake pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Gently shake the pan to remove any large air bubbles (don't rap the pan on the counter). Use a tissue or some paper towel to wipe the sides of the pan clean; this ensures the cake rises evenly.
  8. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  9. Once the cake is done, remove from the oven and immediately invert the cake pan onto three water glasses (so that the edge of the cake pan is resting on top of the glasses). Allow to cool to room temperature.
As the cake cools, make the raspberry sauce:
  1. In the bowl of a double boiler (or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water) combine the raspberries with the sugar. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the raspberries have softened.
  2. Take off the heat and, using a stick blender, blitz to a puree. Pass the puree through a fine-meshed strainer to get rid of the raspberry seeds.
  3. Once the cake has cooled, use a small, sharp knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Remove the sides of the pan, then use the knife to cut underneath the cake and loosen the cake from the bottom of the pan.
  4. Place the cake upside down on a serving plate, drizzle with the raspberry sauce and decorate with the mixed berries. Serve immediately, with or without whipped cream.
Recipe by The Tough Cookie at https://thetoughcookie.com/2014/08/25/perfect-angel-food-cake-raspberry-sauce-berries/