Angel food cake with cherry sauce

Tip: From when you start to add sugar to egg white mixture, total beating time should take 5 minutes. Pan available from kitchenware shops or speciality cake stores.
                                             

Ingredients

3/4 cups plain flour

11/2 cups caster sugar

10 egg whites, at room temperature

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 tsp cream of tartar

Icing sugar mixture and whipped cream, to serve

Cherry sauce

670g jar morello pitted cherries

2 tblsps caster sugar

1 tblsp cornflour

2 tblsps cold water

Method

1.Sift flour and 1/2 cup of the sugar onto a sheet of baking paper. Repeat three times. Set aside.
2. Place egg whites, vanilla and tartar in a large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on a high speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to medium. Gradually add remaining sugar 1 tblsp at a time, beating between additions until thick and glossy.

3. Add flour mixture to egg white mixture. Gently fold until combined. Spoon into an ungreased 23cm loose-base angel food cake pan. Smooth over the top.

4. Cook in a moderate oven (180C) for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of cake comes out clean. Remove from over. Invert pan immediately onto a bench. Leave cake to cool in pan.

5. Meanwhile, make sauce. Drain cherries through a sieve over a saucepan. Set cherries aside. Add sugar and cornflour blended with water to juice in pan. Stir over a low heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil, stirring until thickened. Pour into a heatproof bowl. Stir in cherries. Cool.

6. Remove cake by running a palette knife around inside edge of pan to loosen. Inver onto a serving plate. Lift off side. Loosen base with a knife. Remove.

7. Just before serving, dust cake with sifted icing sugar. Serve with cold sauce.