Espresso Angel Food Cake

This is a beautiful angel food cake! It becomes a canvas just waiting to be "painted." It presents as an elegant dessert, sure to please all who try it. It has a wonderful, nutty texture and an intense espresso taste. I love it, and I hope you will also. I have served this with a glaze, sometimes frosted with a very light frosting,sometimes with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar and chocolate curls. Give this cake your personal touch!

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 cups  sifted whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar, divided
• 3  tablespoons instant espresso powder, divided
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  teaspoon  almond extract
• 12  egg whites, at room temperature
• 1  teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Sift together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons espresso powder(push through sieve). Stir again, set aside.
3. In a small bolw, mix remaining 1 tablespoons espresso powder with 1 teaspoons hot water. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl or standing mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are firm but not dry. Beat in liquid espresso mixture.
5. Sift 1/3 of flour mixture onto egg whites, and, with a rubber or silicone spatula, gently fold into whites. Add remaining flour in two batches, folding in gently after each addition. Turn batter onto an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake until browned and firm, 50 to 60 minutes.
6. Invert cake (in pan) on a cooling rack and let cool completely, at least one hour. Run a long, thin, sharp knife between the cake and the pan to loosen; remove cake. Keep covered, at room temperature, up to 1 day.