| | For the cake: |
| 1 cup | Cake flour |
| 1 1/2 cup | Superfine granulated sugar |
| 1 1/4 cup | Egg whites (about 10 large egg whites) at room temperature |
| 1 1/4 teaspoons | Cream of tartar |
| 1/4 teaspoon | Salt |
| 1 teaspoon | Vanilla extract |
| 1/4 teaspoon | Almond extract |
| | For the fruit compote: |
| 1 cup | Sugar (more or less depending on taste) |
| 1/2 cup | Water |
| One 1/2&qu | Ot; slice lemon zest (yellow part only) |
| 3 1/2 cups | Peeled, cored and sliced apples |
For the cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Sift the flour twice with 1/2 cup of the sugar.
3. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form when the mixer is removed from the batter.
4. Add half of the remaining sugar and beat for 1 minute. Add the remaining sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition.
5. Stir in the vanilla and almond extract.
6. Fold the flour and sugar mixture into the egg whites, 1/4 cup at a time, just until incorporated.
7. Put the batter in an ungreased 10" tube pan and bake until the cake is light golden brown and springy to the touch, about 1 hour. Invert the pan and let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan.
For the fruit compote:
1. Bring the sugar and lemon zest to a boil over high heat. Simmer for 5 minutes. This will extract flavor from the peel, dissolve the sugar and make a syrup.
2. Add the fruit and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until just tender.
3. Remove the fruit from the juice and set aside. Discard the lemon zest.
4. Reduce the juice over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until it becomes syrupy.
5. Pour the reduced syrup over the cooked fruit and serve with a slice of cake. (Store the leftover cake in an airtight container or freeze for longer storage.)