Angel Cake

Pour twenty egg-whites into a basin and whip them till quite firm; at once add ten ounces of sugar, part of it flavored with vanilla (No. 3165), and continue whipping the whole until quite smooth, then add half a pound of flour into which has been mixed half a teaspoonful of cream of tartar and sifted several times through a sieve; mix all together lightly till smooth. With this preparation fill some angel cake molds, eight to nine inches in diameter, three-quarters full; these should be quite dry, without any buttering. Push the cakes into a very slack oven to cook for forty to fifty minutes, then take them out and keep them in their molds for two hours; now pass a small kitchen knife between the pan and the cake, knock the edges of the former gently on the table to detach the cake and turn it on a grate; pare the tops very straight, ice with royal icing (No. 101) and dress on a lace-paper-covered board or dish; after the icing is dry decorate with more of the royal icing.