Angel Food Cake

Ready for a slice of heaven? We are no stranger to decadent and rich cakes. But what about a cake recipe where butter, fat, and egg yolks run away in fright? Meet angel food cake. Angel food cake is a low fat cake recipe made mostly from egg whites, cake flour, and sugar. It’s pristine white on the inside with a chewy light brown crumb around the exterior. What it lacks in butter makes up for in texture. This tall, tender, and timeless cake has a cloud-like crumb and ultra light flavor.

I’ve published angel food cupcakes and a super fun sprinkle angel food cake on my blog, but now it’s time visit where both originate: classic homemade angel food cake!

If I had to pick a favourite dessert of all time and cheesecake was off the table, Angel Food Cake would be a sure winner. It’s fluffy, tender, and has the perfect sweet flavour to go with all those fresh berries we’re enjoying this time of year! If I’m honest, I avoided making it from scratch for YEARS, only because I’d heard horror stories about how difficult it can be to get a homemade Angel Food Cake just right with the perfect amount of height, and with boxed mixes so readily available I took the easy way out.

Since moving to Europe a few years ago where cake mixes are non-existent, I’ve had to perfect my homemade Angel Food Cake recipe and I’m happy to say I was totally wrong – homemade Angel Food Cake can be SO easy to make and my no-fail recipe is truly amazing. With a few simple tips and tricks, a No Fail Homemade Angel Food Cake is an easy summer dessert to add to your baking repertoire!

Angel Food Cake Video Tutorial
Let’s dive right in. First, here’s a video tutorial where I walk you through each step. The steps and ingredients are pretty straightforward, but it’s always helpful to have a clear visual. 🙂

Throw away that boxed Angel Food Cake mix and try these simple tips to make sure your homemade Angel Food Cake turns out perfectly, just like mine!

• DON’T GREASE your pan! Use a 10-inch fluted aluminum tube pan (also known as an Angel Food Cake pan) and pour that batter right into it – no greasing required! Greasing the pan would prevent the cake from rising up in the oven as the batter would have nothing to cling onto as it bakes. And don’t worry, removing the cake is easy with a thin knife or offset spatula.
• WHIP those egg whites! This recipe calls for 12 egg whites!! Whip them up to peaks as stiff as you can get, and don’t forget the cream of tartar. It lends stability to the egg whites. My favourite Kitchen Aid Mixer does a fabulous job of this – check it out HERE (affiliate link)!
• SIFT your dry ingredients twice or three times! You want anything you add to the whipped egg whites to be as light as possible to keep the volume of the batter. No clumps here!
• FOLD with a whisk! Using a whisk to fold the dry ingredients into the whipped egg whites will help the mixture keep its volume. Don’t forget to be VERY gentle and add the dry ingredients in 3-5 additions to ensure maximum volume!!
• Cool it upside-down with lots of air flow! This ensures the cake keeps its height and doesn’t fall as it cools!
• SLICE with a serrated knife! When it comes time to serve, cut the cake with your favourite serrated or bread knife. This will cut through the cake with little effort, keeping as much height as possible.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cake flour, sifted
• 12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon orange extract, or extract of your choice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a food processor spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Sift half of the sugar with the salt the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside.
3. In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, orange extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
4. Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).
5. Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least an hour before removing from pan.

Cook’s Note

• Since they're easier to separate use the freshest eggs you can get.

Share this post