Angel cake

I chose this recipe for my daughter's first birthday because it had very few ingredients -- I wanted to keep it simple -- and just egg whites, not egg yolk. (She hasn't yet eaten the latter.)

It was the first time I've made a cake like this, and the first time I've used a tube pan. The hardest part was getting all the egg whites beaten until they were stiff; I used 10 egg whites, so it took a while, even with the electric mixer.

The resulting cake was very good, although it did seem to flatten a little between the time it came out of the oven and the time we ate it (the following night).

It was almost completely eaten by two toddlers and four adults, as you can see by the last photo. Alice (top) and her friend Maya loved it! Maya wasn't sure at first, then she clapped.

This recipe came from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.

Angel cake (makes one 10-inch tube cake, or about 10 small pieces)

10-12 egg whites, or 1.5 cups, room temperature

1.5 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 cup sifted cake flour or sifted all-purpose flour

1.5 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

1.) Sift the powdered sugar and flour together three times. In a separate bowl -- a very large bowl -- beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium until soft peaks form, and the tips curl.

2.) Add the regular sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, and comtinue to beat until stiff peaks form, and tips stand straight up.

3.) Sift 1/4th of the flour mixture into the egg whites at a time, folding in gently. (Be careful; the powder will get blown around easily.)

4.) Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake on the oven's lowest rack at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched lightly.

5.) Immediately invert the cake while still in the pan. Cool completely, then loosen the sides and remove from pan.

Today's food fact: Ever wonder why dieters and other food-conscious folks ask for egg white omelettes? One egg white has 17 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, and 3.6 grams of protein. One egg yolk alone has 55 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 2.7 grams of protein, and 210 milligrams of cholesterol. (Source: http://www.dietfacts.com/)