Angel Food Cake: A Cake Straight from Heaven!
Angel food cake is a wonder, and in my humble opinion, a cake straight from heaven! It owes its loftiness to egg whites alone. It is made without leavening and has won great favor as a fat-free alternative to rich desserts.
While this cake is often whipped up from a box (thank you Betty Crocker), making it from scratch isn’t difficult, if you’re aware of some basic things:
Also, the angel food cake slices easiest with a serrated knife.
And finally, this cake freezes beautifully. Simply put it in a plastic bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible, seal, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Now, what about all those leftover egg yolks? Luckily there are a few ways to use them:
But back to the cake-making: I know all this sounds like a lot of work, but to be able to serve a dessert that’s not just fat-free, but also free of preservatives, additives, artificial this and that, is worth the effort on occasion. And what a nice way to send the message to our dinner guests that they matter so much that we were willing to go to such an effort!
With that said, here’s a recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction (www.sallysbakingaddiction.com) and it never disappoints—this is a cake straight from heaven (and a good place to start your angel food cake practice).
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour (spoon and leveled)
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 large egg whites at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
powdered sugar for dusting, whipped cream, and berries (optional)
Directions:
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While this cake is often whipped up from a box (thank you Betty Crocker), making it from scratch isn’t difficult, if you’re aware of some basic things:
- Egg white volume is critical, so the basic rules for whipping eggs must be followed to the letter. Separate the eggs while they are refrigerator cold. If any yolk gets into the whites, remove it with paper toweling or the tip of a spoon (yolk or other fat in the whites prevents proper whipping).
- Place whites in a clean, dry, large round-bottomed glass or metal bowl, not plastic.
- Let the whites come to room temperature before beating.
- Beat them at first only until billowing. While you add the sugar, whip the whites again, this time until soft peaks form (peaks should fall to one side when beater is withdrawn).
- For sugar, granulated or even half powdered sugar and half granulated sugar works fine. However, if you go half and half, sift it 2 or 3 times before beating it into the egg whites (for easy blending and to ensure there are no lumps). Add the sugar to the batter only a few spoonfuls at a time.
- For flour, sifted cake flour is best, as it gives the lightest and softest texture (but all-purpose can be used cake flour isn’t ).
- Be precise in measuring. Sift the flour before measuring it, then add it to the whites, ¼ cup at a time, by sifting it over the whites and folding it in.
- Fold gently in a circular motion using a rubber spatula rotating the bowl as you go. Run the spatula down the side and along the bottom of the bowl, scooping the whites from the bottom to the top of the mound, incorporating the flour as you do so. DON’T overdo it. The flour needs to be evenly mixed with the egg whites, but over-mixing will deflate them and toughen the cake.
- Do NOT grease the tube pan for a traditional angel food cake. The batter must be able to cling to the sides of the pan and climb high while it bakes.
- To eliminate air bubbles in the batter once it has been poured into the pan, smooth the top with a metal spatula, then draw the spatula through the batter in a slow circle around the center tube.
- For the fullest rise, this cake must be baked gently in your oven’s lower part and just until lightly browned. The moment the cake emerges from the oven, it must be inverted so that it hangs in the pan. If your tube pan doesn’t have supports along the top rim, place the pan upside down over the neck of a bottle while the cake cools.
- Once cooled, run a thin spatula around the edge of the pan and center tube to loosen the cake before gently shaking it from the pan.
Also, the angel food cake slices easiest with a serrated knife.
And finally, this cake freezes beautifully. Simply put it in a plastic bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible, seal, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Now, what about all those leftover egg yolks? Luckily there are a few ways to use them:
- Mix beaten yolks with milk and grated cheese for a gratin topping or as a binder for ingredients in a casserole.
- Or beat yolks with a little water for coating pounded round steak, chicken cutlets, green tomato slices, zucchini rounds, or fish filets before coating them with bread crumbs.
- Extra egg yolks can be stirred into a frittata.
- Egg yolks also are used in making fresh mayonnaise and aeolis.
- And they make wonderful custard as well.
But back to the cake-making: I know all this sounds like a lot of work, but to be able to serve a dessert that’s not just fat-free, but also free of preservatives, additives, artificial this and that, is worth the effort on occasion. And what a nice way to send the message to our dinner guests that they matter so much that we were willing to go to such an effort!
With that said, here’s a recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction (www.sallysbakingaddiction.com) and it never disappoints—this is a cake straight from heaven (and a good place to start your angel food cake practice).
Heavenly Angel Food Cake
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour (spoon and leveled)
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 large egg whites at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
powdered sugar for dusting, whipped cream, and berries (optional)
Directions:
1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat oven to 325°F (163°C).
2. In a food processor or blender, pulse the sugar until fine and powdery. Remove 1 cup and set aside to use in step 3; keep the rest inside the food processor. Add the cake flour and salt to the food processor. Pulse 5-10 times until sugar/flour/salt mixture is aerated and light.
3. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium-low until foamy, about 1 minute. Switch to medium-high and slowly add the 1 cup of sugar you set aside. Whip until soft peaks form, about 5-6 minutes. See photo and video above for a visual. Add the vanilla extract, then beat just until incorporated.
4. In 3 additions, slowly sift the flour mixture into the egg white mixture using a fine mesh strainer, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition. To avoid deflating or a dense cake, don’t add the flour mixture all at once. Sift and very slowly fold in several additions. This is important! Pour and spread batter into an ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Shimmy the pan on the counter to smooth down the surface.
5. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. The cake will rise up very tall while baking. Remove from the oven, then cool the cake completely upside-down set on a wire rack, about 3 hours. (Upside-down so the bottom of the tube pan is right-side up, see photo and video above.) Once cooled, run a thin knife around the edges and gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases.
6. If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Slice the cake with a sharp serrated knife. Regular knives can easily squish the cake. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
7. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
NOTES:
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the angel food cake one day in advance, then cover tightly and store at room temperature overnight. Angel food cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
*Sugar: In this recipe, you use granulated sugar and pulse it in a food processor to make superfine sugar. If you have superfine sugar or caster sugar, use that. Pulse 3/4 cup of it with the dry ingredients in step 2. Use 1 cup of it in step 3.
*Egg Whites: I strongly recommend using fresh real egg whites instead of egg white substitutes, previously frozen egg whites, or egg whites from a carton. Separate the eggs when they’re cold, then bring the egg whites to room temperature. Fresh room temperature egg whites whip into the fluffiest volume. With the extra yolks, make lemon curd or some of these recipes.
Pan: An angel food cake pan (aka tube pan) is imperative. Do not use a Bundt pan. Angel food cake’s structure and stability requires the tube pan’s particular specifications. Some angel food cake pans come with little feet, which makes cooling the cake upside down easy. If your pan has feet, no need to use a wire rack. Whether your tube pan has feet or not, cool the cake upside down as directed in step 4.
2. In a food processor or blender, pulse the sugar until fine and powdery. Remove 1 cup and set aside to use in step 3; keep the rest inside the food processor. Add the cake flour and salt to the food processor. Pulse 5-10 times until sugar/flour/salt mixture is aerated and light.
3. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium-low until foamy, about 1 minute. Switch to medium-high and slowly add the 1 cup of sugar you set aside. Whip until soft peaks form, about 5-6 minutes. See photo and video above for a visual. Add the vanilla extract, then beat just until incorporated.
4. In 3 additions, slowly sift the flour mixture into the egg white mixture using a fine mesh strainer, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition. To avoid deflating or a dense cake, don’t add the flour mixture all at once. Sift and very slowly fold in several additions. This is important! Pour and spread batter into an ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Shimmy the pan on the counter to smooth down the surface.
5. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. The cake will rise up very tall while baking. Remove from the oven, then cool the cake completely upside-down set on a wire rack, about 3 hours. (Upside-down so the bottom of the tube pan is right-side up, see photo and video above.) Once cooled, run a thin knife around the edges and gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases.
6. If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Slice the cake with a sharp serrated knife. Regular knives can easily squish the cake. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
7. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
NOTES:
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the angel food cake one day in advance, then cover tightly and store at room temperature overnight. Angel food cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
*Sugar: In this recipe, you use granulated sugar and pulse it in a food processor to make superfine sugar. If you have superfine sugar or caster sugar, use that. Pulse 3/4 cup of it with the dry ingredients in step 2. Use 1 cup of it in step 3.
*Egg Whites: I strongly recommend using fresh real egg whites instead of egg white substitutes, previously frozen egg whites, or egg whites from a carton. Separate the eggs when they’re cold, then bring the egg whites to room temperature. Fresh room temperature egg whites whip into the fluffiest volume. With the extra yolks, make lemon curd or some of these recipes.
Pan: An angel food cake pan (aka tube pan) is imperative. Do not use a Bundt pan. Angel food cake’s structure and stability requires the tube pan’s particular specifications. Some angel food cake pans come with little feet, which makes cooling the cake upside down easy. If your pan has feet, no need to use a wire rack. Whether your tube pan has feet or not, cool the cake upside down as directed in step 4.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
- www.bettycrocker.com
- www.kitchencookbook.com
- www.albertsons.com
- www.americastestkitchen.com
- www.food.ndtv.com
- www.sallysbakingaddiction.com
Alice Osborne
DVO Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
