PUMPKIN CHIFFON CAKE

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
5 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Cream cheese frosting (your favorite recipe) or vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Have ready an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Add egg yolks, pumpkin, oil and vanilla and beat on high speed until smooth.

Using clean beaters, in another large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar on high speed. Beat whites until they're so stiff they begin to lose their gloss.

Use a rubber spatula to fold one-quarter of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in remaining whites and, if using, the nuts. Scrape batter into pan and spread evenly.

Bake in preheated oven until top springs back when lightly pressed and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool upside down on a bottle or inverted funnel at least 1 1/2 hours.

Run thin knife around outside of cake and remove from pan. Ice with canned cream cheese frosting or serve with vanilla ice cream.

Makes one 10-inch tube cake
Source: Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006 by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker