Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 350℉

Step 2

Pulse granulated sugar in the food processor or blender until it is super fine.

Step 3

Set aside half of the fine sugar, and sift the other half into a medium bowl using a sifter.

Step 4

Add cake flour and salt to the bowl of sifted sugar. Mix to combine.

Step 5

In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients – egg whites, vanilla extract and cream of tartar. Whisk to combine.

Step 6

Sift the remaining sugar that was set aside in Step 3 into the wet ingredients. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to whisk until soft peaks are formed (see Note 1). This will take at least a few minutes.

Step 7

Gently fold the sugar + cake flour + salt mixture from Step 4 a little bit at a time into the egg white mixture, until all the flour mixture is folded into the egg white mixture. Avoid over mixing.

Step 8

Transfer mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes.

Step 9

Remove cake from oven, let it sit for 5 minutes. Then cool cake by inverting it upside down on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour.

Step 10

To remove cake, slide a thin spatula between cake and the inside walls of the tube pan, and gently remove cake from tube pan and place on cooling rack.

Step 11

Let cake cool for another 30 minutes.

Step 12

Make strawberry mixture by combining strawberries, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 13

Top angel food cake with a thick layer of cool whip and then strawberry mixture (just the strawberries, avoid adding too much liquid).

Step 14

Serve with leftover cool whip and strawberries. Enjoy!