Light and fluffy this homemade Angel Food Cake Recipe is easy, flavorful, airy and a classic recipe that is perfect for or spring or summer baking.
Angel food cake is one of those store bought recipes that people never think that they can make. I want to reassure you that it is super simple to whip up and tastes so much better than you could ever imagine. It is also lower on calories than your traditional cake recipe which means so much to so many.
There is much debate about the difference between angel food cake and sponge cake, so let me lay it down for you.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANGEL FOOD CAKE AND SPONGE CAKE:
- LEAVENING: While angel food cake relies on the heated egg whites mainly for the leavening agent, cakes like sponge cake rely on the eggs, salt and cream of tartar mixture.
- FLOURS: In the traditional sponge cake you would use all-purpose flour, where as in angel food cake recipes you rely on finely sifted cake flour.
- EGGS: Angel food cakes use just egg whites that are whipped until stiff and folded into the batter, sponge cakes use a mixture of egg yolks and whole eggs and do not require any folding into the batter itself.
- TIME & TEMP: While each recipe varies the consensus is that sponge cakes cook quicker at lower temps and angel food cakes longer at higher temps.
A largely asked question is “is angel food cake healthy to eat”. While the answer is yes, the cake itself does have lower calories than a lot of cakes out there, it is still a cake. Adding different toppings can greatly change the outcome of each slices as well. So you can throw the word healthy out as a relative term that may not mean much.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:
- Egg whites
- Cake flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Cream of tartar
Remember in the beginning when I said that this is an easy recipe, it truly is. The minimal ingredients all come together nicely, and the flavor of angel food cake is like biting into a marshmallow, the texture is light and fluffy with vanilla undertones that really make this cake recipe a hit among everyone.
CAN I USE ANOTHER PAN?
Another common question that people as is “can you make angel food cake in a regular cake pan”? The simple answer to this is no, unfortunately you cannot. It is even not recommended to make in a bundt pan. The reason behind this is because after cooling you need to cut away the cake from the sides of the tube pan.
With using a bundt pan this is simply not really possible unfortunately. While tube pans are relatively inexpensive here is a hack on how you can bake this angel food cake recipe without a tube pan.
HOW TO MAKE ANGEL FOOD CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and add your egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Meanwhile in bowl sift together flour, sugar and salt, and sift together at least 5 times to make it light and airy.
- Once you reach stiff peaks with your egg whites add in your vanilla and cream of tartar and beat for about 1 minute longer.
- Fold your egg white into your flour mixture until combined.
- Pour into your angel food cake pan and bake in oven for about 35-40 minutes until golden.
- Remove from oven and invert cake pan and cool upside down with cake in pan.
- Once cool, turn over and gently scrape sides with knife to release.
- Cut cake and serve with your favorite toppings.
Now this angel food cake recipe is one that you must add to your must make list. It isn’t as intimidating as you may thing. Just a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time in the oven and you have yourself a perfectly simple recipe that can be dressed up or down!
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Use a bottle of egg whites instead of cracking eggs and tossing the yolks.
- Use a 10″ tube pan for this recipe, or you could also make them into cupcakes as well, or reference the link above on how to make your own substitute tube pan.
- While slicing, use a serrated knife, you will save yourself time and from a mutilated cake.
- Switch up your extracts. We’ve seen it used with lemon, orange, almond, etc. or different flavors.
If you are thinking of making a cake this weekend The Best Angel Food Cake Recipe has to be it. It such a classic that has been around for years and always goes well with company. Top if with things like fresh fruit, caramel, chocolate glaze, etc. This cake can be made to your liking!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
The Best Angel Food Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 10-12 egg whites 1 1/2 cups
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat your egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Meanwhile sift together your sugar, flour and salt at least 5 times to get it nice and light.
- Once egg whites have reached stiff peaks add in your vanilla and cream of tartar and beat about 1 more minute.
- Pour into ungreased tube pan and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes until golden and top springs back..
- Remove from oven and invert cake and cool upside down with cake still in pan.
- Once cooled, use knife around the edges of pan to loosen cake and place on serving tray.
- Top with desired toppings.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
BRENDA
THAT SOUNDS SO GOOD. REMINDS ME WHEN I WAS A CHILD AND MOM WOULD MAKE THIS AND A ORANGE CAKE AS IT CALLED FOR EXTRA EGG YOLKS. : )