Ingredients

• 12 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar, divided in half
• 1 cup sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

1. preheat oven to 160 Celsius.

2. in a small bowl, sift together 3/4 cup sugar and the cake flour. Set aside.

3. beat egg whites until just frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt.

4. beat until till just combined then add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar in 4 additions.

5. once all the sugar has been added, beat egg whites to soft peaks.

6. once you have soft peaks, add the vanilla and beat for a few seconds.

7. fold in the flour/sugar mix in 6 additions, sifting it over the egg mix each addition.

8. spoon batter into an UNGREASED 9 inch tube tin with a removeable bottom. level the top with a spatula and tap the pan on a bench once or twice to remove air bubbles.

9. cook for 40 - 50 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed.

10. remove from oven and turn tin upside down on a wire rack. leave UPSIDE DOWN to cool completely.

11. to remove cake, gently run a thin knife around the sides and centre of tin. push the bottom up to remove cake.

12. place upside down on a plate and use the knife to remove rest of tin.

13. decorate as desired. I used whipped cream, sliced banana and fresh passionfruit.