Cappuccino Angel Food Cake with Italian Meringue

Here is a devilishly low in fat angel food cake!

1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons instant cappuccino coffee drink
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
14 egg whites at room temperature
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cocoa powder for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift flour into a dry mixing bowl. Sift sugar, cinnamon and cappuccino coffee powder together into a separate bowl and set both aside.

Using a copper or stainless steel bowl, beat egg whites first until foamy. At this point add salt and cream of tartar if using stainless steel bowl and then beat egg whites to soft peaks.

Gently fold in sugar cappuccino powder mixture into egg whites with rubber spatula. Next, fold flour in to egg white and sugar mixture in 2 batches. Now, gently fold in vanilla and almond extract into batter. When all has been incorporated, pour batter into a 10-inch non-stick tube pan and smooth out top.

Bake for approximately an 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake is creamy coffee brown color and top springs back when gently touched with finger and/or a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool cake upside down in pan.

When cool, remove cake from pan and frost with Italian Meringue and sprinkle with cocoa powder if desired.

Yield: 14 servings at approximately 273 calories; 0.6 gram total fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 62 grams carbohydrate; 0.2gram dietary fiber; 5.6 grams protein; 135 milligrams sodium

Italian Meringue
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
4 egg whites at room temperature
Pinch cream of tartar

In a small heavy-bottom pan dissolve sugar with water over low heat. Increase heat to medium and cook until sugar syrup reaches 239 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

As sugar syrup approaches desired temperature, beat egg whites at room temperature in a copper or stainless steal bowl until foamy; add cream of tartar if using stainless bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Slowly pour hot syrup onto egg whites and beat on high speed until bowl feels cool to the touch.

Use immediately or refrigerate in a covered container for up to 24 hours.

Yield 3 1/2 cups or 14 (1/4 cup) servings at approximately 88 calories; 0 fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 21.5 grams carbohydrate; 0.3 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram protein; 17 milligrams sodium