Angel Food Cake
Your complete guide on how to make homemade angel food cake. The best fluffy, traditional, low-fat cake recipe that you can top with your favorite fruit.
Angel Food Cake Recipe
So you love cake. We get you.
Decadent, rich cakes abound, but what about when you’re trying to watch calorie intake, but you still want to enjoy something sweet? Angel food cake comes to your rescue. It’s low-fat and when cut into 12 slices, has just 151 calories per slice.
We’re going to talk all things angel food cake today so that you can make this beautiful, classic dessert!
Traditional Angel Food Cake
Traditional angel food cake is soft, fluffy and spongy. It’s light and airy with a sweet flavor. It bakes up a beautiful white color with a light brown crumb on the outside. You can top it with a dollop of whipped cream, chocolate or caramel syrups, or simply serve it with fresh fruit or a scoop of ice cream. It really is one of the most versatile desserts I know of.
Angel Food Cake Ingredients
Angel food cake is made up of just 6 ingredients:
- Cake Flour: I recommend cake flour for the best tender crumb. You can use all-purpose flour and the cake should still turn out well. But if you happen to have cake flour, use it!
- Sugar
- Egg Whites: I like to buy egg whites in a carton (NOT egg beaters, but 100% egg whites) so that I don’t have to crack open a dozen eggs and figure out what to do with the yolks.
- Salt
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar is an acid that strengthens the frothed eggs and also helps to keep the eggs soft. You definitely don’t want to leave this ingredient out.
- Almond Flavoring: You could really use any flavoring you’d like. We prefer almond in traditional angel food cake.
How to Make Angel Food Cake
There are just a few tips to remember when making angel food cake:
- Always make sure your pans and cooking utensils are free of grease. In order for the egg whites to froth, there can be no trace of grease. Make sure the bowls are clean. Also be sure there isn’t any part of the egg yolks in the egg white as you froth the eggs.
- Sift the flour and sugar together. When you are folding this into the frothed egg whites, this will allow the flour to be folded in quickly and easily and not have to be mixed quite as much. It may seem like an extra, unnecessary step, but just do it.
- Whip the eggs until they are frothy, then follow the steps of adding the ingredients as outlined in the recipe box below. Don’t try to add them too quickly or do things out of order. Just follow the directions carefully.
- When you fold in the flour, fold it in gently. Don’t mix fast or hard.
- Spoon the batter into an angel food cake pan. This is a 2-piece tube pan with a removable bottom so that you can easily get the cake out. DO NOT grease the pan. Remember? Grease makes the angel food cake fall. The cake will come out. Trust me.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, flip it upside down and rest it on 3 cups or glasses. Many angel food cake pans will have tabs so you can easily rest it on the cups. Allow the cake to cool upside down completely to ensure it stays tall and fluffy.
- To remove the cake from the pan, slide a knife around the outer edges and around the center tube. Twist the bottom of the pan gently and push the cake out.
And that’s really it. It’s easier than you think and tastes so much getter than store bought angel food cake.
Tools Needed to Make Angel Food Cake
- Stand Mixer: A hand mixer will work, but I always find it easier to froth eggs with a stand mixer.
- Angel Food Cake Tube Pan: I find that traditional aluminum pans work best.
- Flour Sifter: Because you should always take the extra step to sift flour for excellent results.
Angel Food Cake
Your complete guide on how to make homemade angel food cake. The best fluffy, traditional, low-fat cake recipe that you can top with your favorite fruit.
Servings 12
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups egg whites (11-12 eggs)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Sift together ¾ cup of sugar and the flour three times. Set it aside.
- In a clean, grease-free bowl, beat the egg whites until they are frothy .
- Add the salt and cream of tartar, then beat until the eggs hold stiff peaks.
- Add the remaining sugar, three tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Fold in the flour/sugar mixture about ½ a cup at a time, then fold in the almond flavoring.
- Spoon the batter into an ungreased angel food cake tube pan.
- Bake on the lowest oven rack for 45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and looks dry.
- Remove the pan from the oven and immediately invert the pan, standing it upside down on 3 glasses that are equal in height for support.
- Allow the cake to cool upside down completely, then slide a knife around the sides and center of the pan to loosen the cake.
- Remove the cake to a plate and serve with desired fruit.
Nutrition
Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 121mg | Sugar: 25g | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg