Homemade Angel Food Cake
Homemade Angel Food Cake is light, airy and delicious! Made from scratch, it tastes so amazing you may never buy a box mix again!
This Angel Food Cake recipe tastes great frosted with fluffy buttercream icing or just plain with my 5 minute Strawberry Sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.
Baking an angel food cake has always been a Birthday Cake tradition in our home. For a special birthday, I made this cake and decorated it with vanilla buttercream and white miniature marshmallows. Such a fun, impressive cake!
This cake recipe is one of my Mom’s. So many of my favorite cake recipes are from her collection. Another outstanding cake recipe she made was Poppyseed Chiffon Cake.
Tips to ensure great results for making angel food cake
- Use grease-free bowls and utensils, clean and dry. No plastic!
- Use a tube pan. Do not grease it!
- Use only cake flour! Cake flour has a lower protein content, meaning it has less gluten-forming potential. This makes it better suited for cakes that are light and airy.
- Sift the flour 3 times!
- When separating the egg whites, be careful to not get any egg yolk in the whites. I always separate each egg in a small bowl.
- Leave egg whites to sit out at room temperature for at least one hour. If the egg whites are cold they won’t whip up as well.
- Sift the flour with 3/4 cup of sugar 4 times! Sifting the flour and sugar allows the flour to blend perfectly into the beaten egg whites.
- Beat the egg whites just until they form soft peaks. Over-whipping the egg whites will cause your cake to be dense and not rise as high.
- Make sure to turn the angel food cake pan upside down to cool or your cake will collapse. If the cake rises above the side of the pan, place the inner cylinder on a glass to raise it.
What to serve with this cake?
My favorite Homemade Strawberry sauce or Sour Cherry Sauce. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you like.
Fresh berries, like strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. Add a dollop of whipped cream.
Drizzle with chocolate or caramel sauce.
Special homemade dessert recipes
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This post was originally published July 3, 2014. Occasionally I update with fresh tips, content, and photos. Current update April 7, 2023.
Homemade Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour sifted 3 times
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar divided into 3/4 cup and 1 cup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/ 2 teaspoon salt
- 12 eggs whites (room temperature for at least 1 hour) to equal 1 2/3 cups
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Separate the egg whites and leave sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sift together the flour and 3/4 cup of sugar. Sift 4 times and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl.
- Beat on medium speed until the egg whites hold a soft peak. Do not overbeat.
- Stir in the salt and vanilla extract.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and gradually add in the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Do this quickly, but gradually. Beat until stiff peaks form. The batter will look glossy. Scrap the side of the bowl down as needed.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a rubber spatula gently fold in the sifted flour and sugar mixture. Blend until well combined, but do not over-mix.
- Gently spoon the batter into a large tube cake pan. Do NOT grease the cake pan.
- Cut a knife through the batter to remove any air pockets.
- Bake at 350º F for about 35-40 minutes. The top should be golden brown and have dry-looking cracks that spring back when gently pressed.
- Remove the cake from the oven and immediately turn the pan upside down to cool. I place the center of the tube on a glass to elevator it.
- Once the cake is cooled, run a knife around the inside and bottom of the pan to release the cake from the pan.
- Decorate with your favorite frosting or glaze, or serve plain with fresh berries and whipped cream.
thank you Gloria!
HI, Laureen! Thanks for sharing the recipe. How big is the tube pan, is it 10-inches? I never baked Angel Food Cake. What brand is your tube pan
Hi Rimma, yes it is a 10 inch, and I use one that the bottom separates from pan.