Cake outside if its natural habitat

I've always been weary of Angel Food Cake.

Seriously, who can trust a cake that almost never has frosting?

Sweet...creamy...sugary...rich...frosting. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

I can eat it with my fingers.

Buttercream frosting. Cream Cheese frosting. Vanilla frosting. Chocolate frosting. Caramel frosting. Ganache. Icing. Whatever you call it, I call it heavenly. Hell, I will even eat that crappy whipped greasy frosting that comes on store bought cakes if its in the same time zone.

Angel Food cake just seems so unnatural. I mean isn't cake's primary function to be a vehicle for the yummy goodness of frosting?

While it goes against my better judgment to make Angel Food cake it is Chris' favorite. AND since it was his birthday this week. AND since it's not terribly bad for you, I made the unholiest of all the cakes. Its not as difficult as it looks. This is Alton Brown's recipe and the easiest we've made.

You'll need: 1 3/4 cups super fine Sugar (if you don't have or can't find super fine, run your sugar through the food processor for about 2 minutes or so)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Cake Flour, sifted
12 Egg Whites (as close to room temp as possible)
1/3 cup Warm Water
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (You can use any extract you have on hand)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350.

Step 2. Separate your eggs. You only need the whites. I always feel so wasteful just throwing away the yolks. If you can think of a use for 12 egg yolks, I'd love to hear it. An all yolk omelet just sounds disgusting.

Step 3: Sift 1 cup sugar with the cake flour and the salt. Set aside.

Step 4: In your mixer bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water, extract, and cream of tartar for about 2 minutes. You are looking to loosen up the eggs and make them a bit foamy.Step 5: Move to your mixer and, beating continuously at medium speed, slowly spoon in the remaining sugar. You want to get to medium peaks, (The egg whites should look smooth, moist, and shiny. When you lift up your beaters, you should have peaks that stand up)Slowly sift enough of the flour mixture to dust the top of the foam. Use a spatula to fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.

Step 6: Carefully spoon into an ungreased tube pan.Step 7: Bake for 35 minutes before you check for doneness with a wooden skewer. It should come out dry.

Step 8: THIS IS IMPORTANT! Cool UPSIDE DOWN for an hour. If you have a pan that has a bottom that comes off, make sure you support the middle with a glass or a bowl. If you don't cool upside down, it will collapse.
Serve with fruit and whipped cream for best results.
The results are so much different than store bought cake. This is moist and light and really really tasty (even without frosting). I'm still not a big fan of Angel Food Cake but if I have to have a delicious fat free, frosting deficient cake this is an excellent choice.