Angel Food Cake
Servings 16 people
Angel Food Cake is a light and airy cake that's an absolutely delicious blank canvas for all of your favorite toppings!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cake flour spooned and leveled
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 12 large egg whites (must be room temperature)
- 1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Optional garnish is powdered sugar whipped cream, and fruit
Instructions
- Take cold eggs out of the refrigerator and separate out the yolks into a large, dry bowl. Let them warm to room temperature (this can take 30 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature of the room)
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In order to make the angel food cake, you must either use 1 cup of cake flour or make cake flour out of all-purpose flour. To make cake flour: Measure 1 cup all-purpose flour. Remove 2 Tablespoons. Add 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to the flour. Sift this together 2 times. This will mix these ingredients well and also add air to the mixture so it is more the consistency of cake flour.
- Stir together the cake flour and powdered sugar. Set this aside.
- Using a standing mixer or electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium until frothy, add the cream of tartar and salt then beat on high speed until the meringue holds stiff peaks.
- Gradually add the granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons at a time until incorporated. Do not scrape the bowl during the beating. Beat until they are stiff but not dry.
- Gently fold in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Sprinkle the flour-sugar mixture, ¼ cup at a time over the meringue. Fold it in gently just until the flour-sugar mixture disappears. You do not want to overbeat or the meringue will deflate, and this will keep it from rising as well but be sure to incorporate all the flour - it tends to find pockets to hide in.
- Move the batter into an ungreased (this is very important) angel cake pan or tube pan - not a bundt pan. (10 inches X 4 inches) If you grease the pan the batter will not be able to grip the sides and middle and will not rise properly.
- Run a spatula through the batter to remove any air bubbles, then smooth the top.
- Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Do not open the oven door to check the cake before 30 minutes as the fluctuation in temperature may cause the cake to collapse.
- When you remove the cake from the oven, place the pan upside down so that the cake doesn’t collapse as it is cooling. You may balance the middle tube on a bottle if your pan doesn’t have feet.
- Once the cake is completely cooled, run a spatula around the edges and remove the cake from the pan. It will be served upside down.
- Be sure to cut the cake with a sharp serrated knife. Serve the cake with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and fruit if desired.
Notes
- You can use a handheld electric mixer but I made this cake both ways, using a handheld AND a stand mixer... the stand mixer whipped the egg whites much better in my opinion. If your egg whites don’t fully stiffen but are somewhat thick, your cake will still most likely turn out...mine did! It will just be a bit denser and not AS fluffy but still delicious!
- Storage Instructions: Angel food cake will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature, or up to a week in the fridge. It will freeze for up to 4 months.
- Can I use 6 whole eggs instead of just egg whites? No, you will not get an angel food cake with a light airy texture if you include egg yolks. In fact, you will not be able to whip the egg whites into a meringue if there is any yolk in the egg whites.
- What is the best way to separate eggs? It is best to separate the eggs when they are cold. (Then you will allow the egg whites to sit until they are room temperature - at least 30 minutes.) I separate each egg into a small bowl by cracking the egg gently, and transferring the egg yolk back and forth between the 2 halves of the shell until all that is left in the shell is egg yolk and all of the egg white is in the bowl. When I am sure I have got no egg yolk in the bowl I will transfer the egg white to my mixing bowl. I do this one egg at a time because there can not be any egg yolk in my mixing bowl or it will not form meringue.
- My egg whites don’t want to turn into meringue - what did I do wrong? First of all the egg whites must be at room temperature, and there must not be any yolk mixed in. Also, if you are using a plastic bowl, there may be some residual grease in the bowl, which will make it difficult to form a meringue. That is why a glass bowl is preferable.
- Won’t the cake stick in the pan if I don’t spray it? The angel cake will not rise properly if you grease the pan. After it has cooled completely, you will run a spatula around the edges and it will tip out of the pan.
- Can I just make this in a regular cake pan or a bundt pan? No, an angel food cake needs the tunnel in the middle and smooth sides to allow it to rise properly.
- I don’t have any powdered sugar - is there a substitute? Yes, place 1 ½ cup of granulated sugar in your blender and blend it at high speed until it is powdery. If you are using it right away, it will work fine.
- Can I use egg whites from a carton? No, you must use fresh egg whites. The whites in a carton are pasteurized and will not work.
Nutrition
Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
Find it online: www.sugarandsoul.co/angel-food-cake/