This angel food cake is made up of simple ingredients and the texture is perfectly soft and light. Add your own twist with your choice of fruit, cream or chocolate toppings!
Angel food cake is a specific type of chiffon cake that uses only whipped egg whites to add the texture and volume to the cake. It’s the perfect dessert for summer parties or grill outs. You can top it with fresh berries, chocolate, powdered sugar, whipped cream, and so much more! See below for more topping ideas.
Quick Tips
- Egg whites whip up better when they are not cold but separate from the yolks better when they are cold, so separate your egg whites right out of the fridge then let them sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before whipping!
- Whip the egg whites and sugar until SOFT peaks form (the mixture should wilt and not completely hold its shape when you pull out a whisk)
- Carefully fold your dry ingredients into the egg whites – we want to maintain as much of the egg white volume as possible to get a good rise on the cake
- Do NOT grease your tube pan. The cake needs to be able to climb up the sides to rise
- Cool the cake upside down in the pan
- Run a thin knife around the cooled cake to release it from the pan, then slice it with a serrated knife
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer – to whip your egg whites
- Rubber spatula – to fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites
- A tube pan – to achieve the classic angel food shape
- Measuring cups or kitchen scale
- Sifter (optional) – to maintain a light and airy batter
- Large mixing bowls
Ingredient Notes
- Egg whites – you can use egg whites from a carton, just make sure that they aren’t straight out of the fridge when you whip them
- Granulated sugar – some will be added to the egg whites while you whip them, and the rest will be added to the dry ingredients for the cake. Also used in the topping
- Cake flour – use all-purpose flour + corn starch as an easy substitute! (1 ¼ cup cups all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons of corn starch and whisk together)
- Salt – table salt recommended
- Cream of tartar – helps the egg whites maintain their structure
- Vanilla extract (sub other extracts 1:1 (1 teaspoon total) if desired)
- Almond extract – adds great additional flavor!
- Cream cheese – adds structure to the whipped topping
- Heavy cream – the base of the whipped topping
Try some of these other summer recipes!
- Hershey’s Chocolate Cream Pie
- Chocolate-Filled Peanut Butter S’mores Cookie
- Baked Lemon Raspberry Donuts
- Try my fellow blogger friends recipe for Strawberry Shortcake – this is one of my summer faves!
How to make Angel Food Cake
Making an angel food cake can be broken down into three simple steps.
- Whip egg whites and sugar.
- Fold in extracts and dry ingredients.
- Cool upside down and carefully remove from the pan.
How to whip the egg whites and sugar
Separate out 12 egg whites while they are cold and place them in a separate bowl. Allow the egg whites to sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes so that they whip up easier.
You may also use carton egg whites (1 ¼ cups or ~13 ounces). Also allow them to sit out for 20-30 minutes.
While the egg whites are sitting out, whisk together the dry ingredients (cake flour, salt, cream of tartar, 1 cup granulated sugar). Set aside.
Place the egg whites in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the egg whites on medium-high until frothy, then add ¾ cup granulated sugar.
Whip on high until soft peaks form. **Be sure to stop when soft peaks form. Stiff peaks means that your eggs have been over-whipped and will likely lose volume when baked.
How to fold in the remaining ingredients
If you have a sifter, sift the dry ingredients into the whipped egg whites in 4-5 portions. Fold the mixture gently after each addition until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Avoid over-mixing so that the mixture maintains its structure!
If you do not have a sifter, just whisk the ingredients well, then add them to the egg white mixture in 4-5 portions. Fold gently in between each addition to ensure that the mixture doesn’t lose too much air.
Gently spoon the mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Spread it gently to even it out before placing it in the oven.
Bake for 40-45 minutes on 325 degrees. Rotate the cake after 20 minutes to ensure even baking.
How to cool the cake
Bake the cake until the top is light brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Once baked, immediately invert the pan on to a cooling rack and allow the cake to cool to room temperature upside down.
Once cooled, run a thin knife around the edges to release the cake. Cut with a serrated knife to serve.
Topping ideas
For this recipe, I cut the angel food cake in half and topped the angel food cake with layers of whipped cream cheese mousse and fresh fruit, but the topping choices are endless!
- Cool whip (or homemade whipped cream) and fruit
- Powdered sugar
- Fudge, chocolate ganache or chocolate sauce
- Fruit jam
- Lemon curd
- Ice cream or yogurt
- Frosting
Substitutions/Variations
This delicious angel food cake is great on its own, but you can also adjust the cake flavors if you’d like to switch things up!
- Change the extracts to adjust the cake flavor if desired. Remove the vanilla and the almond extract and add 1 teaspoon of another (pure) extract flavor (i.e. lemon, orange, banana, etc.)
- Make this a chocolate angel food cake! Remove ¼ cup of the flour and substitute ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Carton egg whites are OK to use here instead of regular egg whites, just be sure to let them warm up for 20-30 minutes at room temperature before whipping them.
- If you don’t have a tube pan, you can make this recipe into cupcakes (use cupcake liners) or bake in loaf pans (**I have not tested different pans for this recipe, but I would guess you would need two loaf pans). Be sure to line the bottom of the loaf pan with parchment paper (leave the sides ungreased and un-lined so that the cake can climb up the edge).
Angel Food Cake Trifle
Another substitution idea is to make this into a trifle! In this variation you will cut up the cooled angel food cake into 1 inch cubes and make layers of the whipped cream cheese topping, fresh berries and cubed angel food cake. You can make this version in a 9×13 pan or a trifle bowl.
How to make the Angel Food Cake Trifle
- Cube the angel food cake into 1 inch cubes
- Make the whipped cream cheese topping (**DOUBLE THE RECIPE BELOW if making a trifle)
- Chop up/prepare berries as desired
- Assemble the trifle in a 9×13 or trifle pan (layers: angel food, whipped cream cheese topping, assorted berries, repeat).
FAQs
Can I use carton egg whites?
Yes! This cake calls for 1 ¼ cup of egg whites, or about 13 ounces. Just make sure that the egg whites sit out for 20-30 minutes at room temp before whipping them.
I don’t have a tube pan, can I use a bundt pan?
No, do not use a bundt pan for this recipe. You will be unable to get the cake out of the pan. If you don’t have a tube pan (aka angel food pan), you can make these into cupcakes or bake in 2 loaf pans (make sure the bottom is lined with parchment). Or make your own angel food cake pan using this method!
Angel Food Cake
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer
- sifter (optional)
- Measuring cups or kitchen scale
- 2 large mixing bowls
- Rubber spatula or bowl scraper
- Tube pan (aka angel food pan) (ungreased)
Ingredients
For the angel food cake
- 12 egg whites 1 ¼ cups or ~13 ounces
- 1¾ cup granulated sugar ** divided
- 1¼ cup cake flour ** or use cake flour substitution (shown above)
- 1¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
For the whipped cream cheese topping (double this recipe if making a trifle)
- 8 ounces cream cheese 1 brick, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream cold
- fresh berries for topping
Instructions
To make the angel food cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Separate out the egg whites of 12 eggs (do this while they are cold) or measure out 1¼ (13 ounces) of carton egg whites.
- Set the egg whites aside to allow them to warm up for 20-30 minutes.
- While the egg whites warm, whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl (cake flour, 1 cup of granulated sugar, salt, cream of tartar).
- Once the egg whites have sat out for 20-30 minutes whisk them on high in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or use a hand mixer (and a large bowl). Once the eggs become frothy, add ¾ cup granulated sugar. Beat on high until soft peaks form (about 4 minutes).
- Sift the dry ingredients into the whisked egg whites (or slowly pour in small portions if you don't have a sifter). After each ¼-½ cup is added, gently fold the mixture together to incorporate the dry ingredients into the egg whites. Add the flour mixture slowly and in small portions, folding the mixture gently in between to avoid losing as much egg white volume as possible.
- Gently spoon the mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Carefully spread the mixture evenly throughout the pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is light brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Spin the cake after 20 minutes for even baking.
- Once removed from the oven, immediately flip the pan over and allow the cake to cool upside down on a cooling rack (while still in the pan). Cool the cake to room temperature.
- Once the cake has cooled, flip the pan back over and run a thin knife along the edges of the pan to release the cake. Do the same with the bottom of the cake.
To make the whipped cream cheese topping (double the recipe for trifles)
- Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the sugar and extracts. Beat until well combined.
- If using a stand mixer, switch to the whisk attachment. Add the heavy cream and beat on medium-high until the mixture thickens and soft peaks form.
- Store in the fridge until you are ready to decorate the cake.
To decorate the cake
- Use a serrated knife to cut the angel food cake in half (horizontally).
- Spread half of the whipped topping over the first half of the cake and sprinkle with fresh berries.
- Gently place the other half of the cake on top and cover with the remaining whipped topping. Place remaining berries on top of the cake as desired. Store and serve chilled.
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