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Angel food cake is the lightest, fluffiest, most cloud-like cake you can make, with a tender white crumb and a delicate sweetness that melts on your tongue. Maddie begs for this one every spring birthday, piled high with berries and whipped cream, and it never lasts long. If you love an airy dessert, you will adore our strawberry angel food cake too.
The secret to a perfect angel food cake is whipping the egg whites just right and folding in the flour with a gentle hand.
Angel Food Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: About 4 hours 15 minutes (with cooling)
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 169kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Light, airy, and lightly sweet with soft vanilla and almond
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our hummingbird bundt cake
Quick Answer
To make angel food cake, process the sugar until superfine, then sift half of it with the flour and salt. Whip twelve egg whites with cream of tartar, slowly streaming in the rest of the sugar until soft peaks form, then add vanilla and almond extract. Gently fold in the flour mixture, spread the batter into an ungreased tube pan, and bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Invert the pan to cool completely before slicing.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Superfine sugar dissolves in. Processing the sugar helps it melt right into the egg whites, giving the cake its signature fine, even crumb.
- Cream of tartar stabilizes. A little cream of tartar keeps the whipped egg whites strong so the cake rises tall and stays airy.
- An ungreased pan is key. The batter needs to climb and cling to the bare pan walls, which is what gives angel food cake its height.
- Gentle folding keeps it light. Folding the flour in by hand in batches protects all the air you whipped into the whites.
- Cooling upside down. Inverting the pan as it cools stops the delicate cake from collapsing under its own weight.
- No butter or yolks needed. Angel food cake gets all its structure from egg whites, which is why it is naturally fat-free and so fluffy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is the lightest, airiest cake you can make, and it feels special every time.
- It is naturally fat-free, with no butter or egg yolks, just whipped egg whites.
- It is the perfect base for berries and cream, like our strawberry angel food cake.
Key Ingredients
Here is what makes this angel food cake so light and tender. See the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Egg whites: A full dozen room-temperature egg whites are the heart of the cake; they whip up into the airy structure.
- Cream of tartar: This stabilizes the whipped whites so the cake rises tall and holds its shape.
- Granulated sugar: Processed until superfine so it dissolves smoothly into the meringue.
- Cake flour or all-purpose flour: Sifted for a feather-light crumb with no lumps.
- Vanilla and almond extract: A little of each gives the cake its classic, gently sweet flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Here are a few easy ways to make this angel food cake your own.
- Add citrus: Fold in lemon or orange zest for a bright, fresh twist.
- Chocolate angel food: Sift in a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder with the flour.
- Berries and cream: Top each slice with macerated strawberries and whipped cream.
- Glaze it: Drizzle with a simple lemon or vanilla glaze, or swirl like our marble cake.
- Make it a cake spread with our classic pound cake for a party.
How to Make Angel Food Cake
- Add the sugar to a food processor and run it for two minutes until superfine, which helps it dissolve into the egg whites.
- Sift half of the sugar with the flour and salt twice into a bowl so the dry mixture is light and lump-free.
- Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed, slowly streaming in the remaining sugar.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high and whip to soft peaks, then gently stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Sift the flour mixture over the whites in four batches, folding gently each time so you do not deflate them.
- Spread the batter into an ungreased ten-inch tube pan, bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, then invert to cool completely before releasing.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use room-temperature egg whites because they whip up to a greater volume than cold ones.
- Make sure your bowl is spotless; any grease or yolk will keep the whites from whipping.
- Do not grease the tube pan, the batter needs to grip the sides to rise tall.
- Fold, do not stir, the flour in gently so you keep all that whipped-in air.
- Cool the cake upside down so it does not collapse as it sets.
- Use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to slice without squishing the cake.
- Store covered at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze slices for up to three months.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
A slice of angel food cake is pure comfort with a cup of coffee or tea, light enough that you always have room for seconds.
Dress it up for dessert with fresh berries, a dollop of stabilized whipped cream, or a drizzle of chocolate.
It is a beautiful addition to any dessert table. Serve it alongside our hummingbird bundt cake and a slice of classic pound cake for a stunning spread.
Angel Food Cake FAQs
Angel food cake usually collapses because it was not cooled upside down or it was underbaked. Always invert the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven and let it cool completely before releasing.
Cream of tartar stabilizes the egg whites and helps the cake rise, so it is best not to skip it. In a pinch you can substitute an equal amount of lemon juice or white vinegar.
The batter needs to climb and cling to the bare sides of the pan as it bakes. Greasing the pan would cause the delicate cake to slide back down and lose its height.
Yes. This recipe works beautifully with sifted all-purpose flour. Sifting it a couple of times keeps the crumb light and tender.
Store angel food cake covered at room temperature for up to three days. You can also wrap slices well and freeze them for up to three months, then thaw at room temperature.
Angel food cake is wonderful with fresh berries, whipped cream, lemon curd, or a drizzle of chocolate. It is light enough to pair with almost any topping you love.
Craving more light desserts? Try our airy strawberry angel food cake next.
Angel Food Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 12 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Place the sugar in a food processor. Turn the food processor on and let it run for 2 minutes.
- Take half of the sugar along with the flour and salt, sift it twice into a large bowl. Set aside.
- Place the egg whites into the body of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment along with the cream of tartar.
- Place the mixer on medium speed and very slowly pour the remaining sugar in while the mixer is running.
- Once all of the sugar is added, place the mixer on medium-high speed and whip until soft peaks for 2-4 minutes.
- Stir in the extracts.
- Take the bowl off of the mixer and in four batches, sift the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it in. Be very gentle so you don’t deflate the egg white.
- Once all the flour is mixed in, add the batter to a 10-inch ungreased tube pan.
- Gently shake the pan back and forth so the batter evens out and is almost smooth on top.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Take the pan out of the oven and immediately flip it upside down on top of a cooling rack. Let it cool for 3 hours like this.
- Run a thin knife along the edge of the pan and invert the pan again, give it a few taps until the cake releases from the pan.
- Let cool completely, use a sharp serrated knife to slice and serve.
Notes
- Make sure you use a tube pan for this recipe.
- You can flavor this with other extracts, see some ideas above.
- Different toppings can be used, see above for ideas.
- Make sure you don’t over whip the egg whites. You want soft peaks that means the mixture becomes fluffy but when you take the whisk and turn it right side up the egg whites will droop back on itself.
- You HAVE to fold the flour mixture into the eggs, don’t just stir it or whisk it together, the whipped eggs will deflate easily. This will take some time to fold all the flour into the egg but the effort is worth the outcome.
- Make sure to use a sharp serrated knife for slicing the cake. The serrated edge will grab on to the cake and cut so you don’t have to press down and smash the cake to cut it.
- We cool the cake upside down so the cake sets and it doesn’t deflate on itself during the cooling process.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Nutrition
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I have not tried using those so I can’t say for sure if it would work or not, I THINK it would.
Sounds yummy and doable. Can you use the egg whites in the container from the store?