Angel Food Cake Recipe

Angel food cake on a cake stand sliced so you can see the inside crumb.

5 from 2 votes

This recipe for perfect angel food cake produces a light and airy cake using 6 simple ingredients with the most ideal delicate texture. I’ve tested both cake flour and a DIY substitute, so you can make it with what you have on hand.

Prep Time30

Bake Time46

Cooling Time4

Total Time5 16

Recipe Author Lynn April

Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

▢ 1 and ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
▢ 1 and ⅓ cup (170g) cake flour¹
▢ 10 large egg whites² at room temperature
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 1 and ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Position a rack in the oven to the middle spot, then preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
Place the sugar in a food processor then process (in the "on" mode, not just pulse) for 1 minute. Turn off the processor, allow the dust in the drum to settle, then remove the lid. Remove 1 cup of the sugar and set it aside to use in step 5. Leave the rest of the sugar inside the drum of the food processor.
1 and ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
Add the cake flour (or all-purpose flour + cornstarch) and salt to the remaining sugar in the processor, then pulse about 8-10 times to combine and aerate again. Set aside.
1 and ⅓ cup (170g) cake flour1, ½ teaspoon salt
Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, and beat on medium speed until the mixture is foamy, about 1 minute.
10 large egg whites2, 1 and ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
Stop the mixer, add the vanilla extract, then resume beating the mixture on medium-high speed while you slowly add the reserved sugar.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Once all of the sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to high and whip until mixture forms soft peaks, about 4-5 minutes. You will know you have soft peaks when you pull the whisk out of the bowl and the peaks form but quickly droop back down. They do not dribble or drip, but rather stand up for a brief moment before collapsing onto themselves. When you have soft peaks, remove the bowl from the mixer. We will now refer to this mixture as the meringue.
Slowly add the flour mixture in 6 separate additions to the meringue by gently dusting the flour onto the top of the meringue and folding it in with a spatula. I used 3 to 4 heaping spoonfuls (the larger Tablespoon size) for each addition. Fold each addition into the meringue using a large spatula, taking care that the flour mixture is completely incorporated before adding the next addition. It is crucial that you not add all of the flour at one time, as you will deflate the meringue.
Pour the batter into an ungreased 9- or 10-inch tube pan³and gently wiggle the pan to smooth out the top. Bake the cake for 42-46 minutes or until it springs back to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack until cool, about 4 hours. If your pan has feet (like the one that I linked), you can invert it directly onto a table. Once the cake is cool, run a thin knife around the edges and gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases.
To serve, dust with powdered sugar or alongside whipped cream, strawberry sauce, and/or fresh berries. It is crucial you use a serrated knife to cut this cake as a regular knife, even a very sharp one, will squish the cake. Store leftovers covered tightly up to 5 days. Cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature before serving.

Video

Notes

Cake flour: while cake flour is my best recommendation, I did test this recipe with the cake flour substitute that I most often use in my own baking. To make your own 1 and ⅓ cup of cake flour substitute, combine 19 Tablespoons (143g) of all-purpose flour and 3 Tablespoons (24g) of cornstarch. Ordinarily, you would sift this mixture to combine and aerate efficiently, but since we are adding the cake flour directly to the food processor to aerate it further, this step is unnecessary. Thus, you can just add the all-purpose flour and cornstarch into the food processor in step #3 where you're instructed to add the cake flour.
Egg whites: do not use egg whites from a carton for this cake. Fresh egg whites work the best. Separate the eggs while they're cold then allow them to come to room temperature before whipping into the meringue. With the extra yolks, make lemon curd or peach curd, or combine with cartoned egg whites to make breakfast casserole or French toast casserole.
Tube pan: do not use a Bundt cake for angel food cake as it will not rise properly and collapse in the oven.
Halve the recipe: this recipe halves beautifully and fits in an 8" tube pan. Temperature is the same, and bake time is about 30-32 minutes.

Adapted from both Ina Garten and Alton Brown

Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.