Regardless of how pro- or anti-fat you may be, we can all agree that angel food cake is the perfect lightly sweet, pillowy, fine-crumbed cake to serve as a vehicle for whipped cream and berries.
VIDEO: How to Make Angel Food Cake
Do I Need an Angel Food Cake Pan?
An angel food cake pan is a tall sided pan with a removable bottom and a tube in the center. This allows the cake to cook evenly and helps maintain its structure. Some pans also have feet on them to allow air flow when flipped upside down. If you don’t have an angel food cake pan, that’s okay. You can still make this cake, but you need to use a pan with tall sides, like a loaf pan, because the batter rises considerably, and you still need to cool it upside down on an elevated surface. If you opt to try this with a loaf pan, you would need to divide it among two and possibly three loaf pans, filling them only about halfway full. It will also be tricky to remove the cake from the pan because it will stick to the bottom. Your best bet is to try and slide a spatula down the side and underneath the cake to release it after it has cooled. You might be tempted to make an angel food cake in a bundt pan. While I’m usually a big fan of experimentation, I wouldn’t use a bundt cake pan, because they usually have some kind of design or texture on them, which would make it difficult to slide a knife around the cake to release it. If you like angel food cake, it’s worth investing in the proper pan.
Tips for the Best Angel Food Cake
Never grease the pan. An angel food cake needs to climb the sides of the pan. Grease would prevent that from happening, and you would end up with a flat cake.Don’t let fat from the egg yolk or allow any grease in your mixing bowl. It will prevent your egg whites from whipping up.Let the cake cool in the pan upside down. This helps maintain the height of the cake and its light, airy texture.Allow air to circulate under the pan to help it cool and prevent it from becoming sticky.
When Is Angel Food Cake Fully Baked?
The top should be dry, golden, slightly cracked, and spring back when you touch it.
What Toppings Go Best With Angel Food Cake?
Angel food cake is such a light, ethereal cake. It’s practically magical all on its own, but what doesn’t like a little dressing up every now and again? Top your angel food cake with any number of fruits and sauces. A few of my favorites are below:
Sugared peaches (Toss them in a little sugar, and let them sit to release their juices; then spoon them over slices of cake.)Macerated strawberriesBarely-sweetened whipped creamLemon curdAll of the above
How To Store Angel Food Cake
Angel food cake can be stored wrapped in cellophane on the counter for up to a week. After four days it will still be edible, but a little stale.
Can You Freeze Angel Food Cake?
Yes, you can! Well-wrapped in cellophane and aluminum foil, it should keep for up to three months!
What To Do With Leftover Egg Yolks?
The benefit of making an angel food cake from scratch is that you have loads of leftover egg yolks! That means you get to make ice cream or pasta noodles. If you are thinking to yourself, “I just made an angel food cake; I’m not making anything else!”—I get it. You can freeze egg yolks, too.
Want More Cake Recipes? Try These!
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake Lemon Pound Cake Hummingbird Cake Vanilla Buttermilk Layer Cake Marmalade Pound Cake
Continue whipping at medium speed, and slowly sprinkle the granulated sugar over the whipped egg whites a little at a time, until the sugar is incorporated and the eggs are white, shiny, and hold medium stiff peaks. To test this, stop the mixer, detach the whisk and the bowl from the mixer. Lift the mixer out of the egg whites, and turn it upside down. A short tip of egg white should fall over when you pull the whisk from the bowl. Once the cake pan is completely cool to the touch and you’ve patiently waited at least 90 minutes, slide a knife around the edges and the center tube. Turn it upside down. Remove the base from the sides. The cake will still be attached to the base. Slide a knife between the base and the cake.
