Lemon angel food cake with lemon glaze and pistachios

This recipe should come with a warning: besides being delicious - no surprise here since we're talking about a lemon cake - its texture is so light, so feathery, that without noticing you'll be going back to the kitchen for seconds, thirds... (yes, I am writing from experience). :)

If you don't have pistachios on hand I am sure that almonds would work wonderfully here, too.

Lemon angel food cake with lemon glaze and pistachios
slightly adapted from Bon Appétit

Cake:
1 cup (120g) cake flour (homemade: 100g all purpose flour + 20g corn starch)
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 large egg whites (280g), room temperature
finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Lemon syrup and glaze:
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
½ cup (65g) unsalted pistachios, lightly toasted and cooled, finely chopped
½ cup (70g) powdered sugar

For cake: position rack in center of oven and preheat to 180°C/350°F. Have ready a 25cm (10in) diameter angel food cake pan with 10cm (4in) high sides and removable bottom (do not use a nonstick pan)*.
Sift flour, ½ cup (100g) sugar and salt into medium bowl; repeat sifting 3 times. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites, lemon zest, and vanilla on medium speed in large bowl until frothy (mixture may turn bright yellow but color will change when remaining ingredients are added). Add cream of tartar; increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1 cup (100g) sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle 1/3 of flour mixture over whites and gently fold in until incorporated. Fold in remaining flour mixture in 2 more additions just until incorporated. Transfer to cake pan and smooth the top.
Bake cake until pale golden and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 38 minutes. Immediately invert cake onto work surface if pan has feet, or invert center tube of pan onto neck of bottle or metal funnel and cool cake completely.
Using long thin knife, cut around cake sides and center tube to loosen. Lift out center tube with cake still attached; run knife between cake and bottom of pan to loosen. Invert cake onto rack, then turn cake over, rounded side up, onto serving plate.

Lemon syrup and glaze: combine the granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons lemon juice in small saucepan; stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Brush syrup all over top and sides of cake. Immediately press pistachios onto top and sides of cake, pressing to adhere.
Stir powdered sugar with remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Let stand until glaze sets, about 10 minutes.
Cake can be made up to 1 day ahead – cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.

* I used a nonstick pan because it’s the one I have; the cake did not raise as much as the one on the photo of the original recipe but it tasted delicious and had a very light, feathery texture

Serves 10-12