This Angel Food Cake recipe is easy to make from scratch and can be enjoyed plain or with toppings. It’s sweet, light, and soft like a cloud where every bite melts in your mouth. What might look plain, is exceptional in taste and texture!
Easy Angel Food Cake Recipe
Angel Food Cake is like no other. It’s light, airy, slightly sticky, with a fluffy interior, and golden-crackled exterior, and has just the right amount of sweetness. It is void of butter, oil, egg yolks, and frosting, and yet delivers amazing flavor. Plus, it’s low-fat! It’s a cake anomaly.
A lot of people think it’s complicated to make, so they would rather just buy it and not deal with the hassle. But I assure you, it’s actually really easy. Plus homemade, like most things, is so much better!
Ingredients Needed
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this Angel Food Cake recipe, including flour and powdered sugar that are sifted together – the combination is incredible.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Egg whites – Just the whites, not even a spec of yolk. They must be at room temperature.
- Flour – I use all-purpose flour. You can also use cake flour. See note below.
- Powdered sugar – Sifted with the flour for the most light and tender crumb.
- Cream of tartar – This helps stabilize the whipped egg whites and what gives the cake its chewy, pillow-y texture. Do not substitute. See note below.
- Granulated sugar – For the best sweetness, but also a necessary ingredient to stabilize the egg whites in addition to the cream of tartar.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor.
- Almond extract – For even more flavor. Almond extract sort of tastes like cherries! There’s not a whole lot in angel food cake to lend flavor, so I highly recommend the vanilla and almond extract.
- Coarse salt – For flavor and to balance out the sweetness.
What is Cream of Tartar?
Cream of tartar is an acidic dry powder (found where all the spices are) and is a key ingredient when making angel food cake. It not only helps stabilize the whipped egg whites, but it gives the cake its distinctive chew, which happens because cream of tartar prevents sugar in the batter from crystalizing into crunchiness. There really isn’t a substitute.
Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour
While many recipes are adamant on using only cake flour for angel food cake, I’ve tested this recipe with cake flour and all-purpose flour and it works great with either. Since I always have all-purpose flour stocked in my pantry, that’s what I use.
There is a subtle difference. Cake flour does tend to produce a lighter crumb and has a bit of taste to it, whereas all-purpose flour has a looser crumb with no flavor. My preference after testing this recipe several times is using all purpose flour and sifting it with powdered sugar. The combination renders the absolute best texture and sweet taste!
How to Make Angel Food Cake
Angel food cake is a bit finicky, but it’s not difficult to make at all. Here’s a summary.
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete directions, and don’t miss the helpful tips and video below.)
- Bring egg whites to room temperature. Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand for at least 30 minutes to reach room temperature.
- Sift flour and powdered sugar. Sift together the powdered sugar and flour, twice.
- Make the batter. Add cream of tartar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt to the egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Switch to high speed and gradually add in 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar at a time, until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. With a spatula, gradually fold in the flour mixture gently, 1/2 cup at a time.
- Fill a 10-inch tube pan. Gently pour batter into an ungreased, nonstick 10-inch tube pan. Tap a few times on the countertop to remove any air pockets.
- Bake. Bake at 350F on the lowest oven rack for about 35-38 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned and entire top appears dry.
- Invert the cake and cool. Immediately invert pan onto a cutting board or baking sheet and let sit upside-down, allowing to completely cool.
- Flip cake and remove from pan. Flip cake right side up again and run a dull knife around the side and center tube of the pan. Carefully remove from the pan.
- Serve. Slice and serve on its own or with your choice of toppings (suggestions below.)
Angel Food Cake Pan
Unlike most cakes that can be converted to a bundt cake, 9×13 casserole cake, or even cupcakes, Angel Food Cake is different and does require an angel food cake pan.
You will need a nonstick 10-inch tube pan. Do not use a bundt pan or any other type of cake pan. Angel food cake relies on a tube pan’s flat bottom and straight edges for optimal results. Some tube pans are built with little feet, which helps the upside-down cooling process, and eliminates the need to cool on a wire rack. If your tube pan does not have feet, that’s ok – just simply invert the pan onto the neck of a glass bottle.
How to Cool Angel Food Cake
Angel food cake needs to cool upside-down. Those egg whites we beat? They are the reason for this cake’s cloud-like texture and they are fragile right after baking. If you cool it upright, the cake’s own weight will crush itself and ruin that airiness and gorgeous height.
After the cake is completely cooled, you’ll need to run a thin, dull knife around the edges to release it. You might also need to tap the tube pan on the counter several times to help loosen it.
Tips for Success
The perfection to making homemade angel food cake is in the details, which have to be followed exactly.
- Sift the flour and powdered sugar. While some Angel Food Cake recipes call for cake flour and granulated sugar, this recipe uses all-purpose flour and powdered sugar. And the combination is incredible. Those two ingredients must be sifted together. And you must do it twice.
- All egg whites, no yolks. When separating your eggs, make certain there is no trace of yolk in the bowl that holds the whites. Not even a spec of yolk. This could prevent your egg whites from forming peaks when beaten. Your egg whites also need to be at room temperature before whipping into stiff glossy peaks.
- Use a special tube pan. As mentioned above, you will need a special tube pan for this Angel Food Cake recipe.
- DO NOT grease the pan. It might not sound right, but trust me – avoid the urge to use nonstick spray, butter, or anything! Yes, the batter will cling to the sides of the ungreased pan as it bakes, but this actually helps it rise, cool, and achieve that brilliant height and volume Angel Food Cake is known for.
- Make certain your tube pan is completely dry before adding your batter. Any moisture or debris can prevent it from rising properly.
- Cut your cake properly. When cutting angel food cake, use a sharp, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion – like you would with freshly baked bread. By using a regular knife and cutting straight down, you’ll squish the delicate cake.
Video: Angel Food Cake
Angel Food Cake Toppings
Angel Food Cake doesn’t need frosting or a topping – it’s so delicious all on its own. But we really do love it alongside some fresh berries and one or more of these extra sweet condiments.
Proper Storage
- Countertop. If you have any leftovers, you can store it at room temperature for up to 4 days. Make sure it’s sealed tightly in an airtight container or double wrap in plastic wrap, removing as much air as possible. Keep it away from light or moisture.
- Can you freeze angel food cake? Yep! To freeze it, wrap either the entire cake or individual slices in plastic wrap, tightly. Make sure to remove as much air as possible. Then place in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the wrapped cake in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before serving.
More Classic Desserts:
- Homemade Tapioca Pudding
- 3 Ingredient Lemon Cake
- Poppy Seed Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Easy Pistachio Cake
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
- 10 large egg whites , room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand for at least 30 minutes to reach room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In another large bowl, sift the powdered sugar and flour together, twice. Set aside.
- To the bowl with the egg whites, add cream of tartar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt; beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the granulated sugar (2 tablespoons at a time), beating on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
- With a spatula, gradually fold in the flour mixture gently, 1/2 cup at a time.
- Gently pour batter into an ungreased, nonstick 10-inch tube pan. Tap a few times on the countertop to remove any air pockets.
- Bake on the lowest oven rack for about 35-38 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned and entire top appears dry.
- Immediately invert pan onto a cutting board or baking sheet and let sit upside-down, allowing to completely cool, about 3 hours.
- Flip right side up again and run a dull knife around the side and center tube of the pan.
- Carefully remove from the pan.
- Slice and serve on its own or with your choice of whipped cream, fruit sauce, or fresh fruit.
Homemade angel food cake is like no other. I remember making this in 4-H. The judge cut into the only air pocket in the entire cake and I got a blue ribbon instead of champion. My mom and I cut through the rest of the cake to discover there were no other air pockets.
This cake came out perfectly. Thank you for all the tips and video!
Angel Food cake is one of my favorites but I’ve never tried making it…until today. Your instructions made it easy. I will make this again and again – thank you!