Angel Food Cake

By
Kristina Vanni
Kristina Vanni
Kristina Vanni
An internationally recognized culinary authority, Kristina Vanni is well-known for her recipe development, food photography, and experience as a TV show host.
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Updated on 09/23/21
Angel Food Cake

Kristina Vanni 
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Cooling: 60 mins
Total: 2 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
188 Calories
0g Fat
41g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 188
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 114mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 41g 15%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 30g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 5mg 0%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 150mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

There are a few tricks to making the perfect angel food cake. First, when you are baking an angel food cake in a removable-bottom tube pan, make sure the pan is clean, dry, and ungreased, without even a trace of any fat or grease, or cake won’t rise. What gives angel food cake its height and delicate, fluffy texture is how the whipped egg-white batter slowly climbs up the sides of the pan as it bakes and sticks to stay put.

The second trick to the perfect angel food cake is how it is cooled. Once the cake comes out of the oven, to maintain that gorgeous height and elegant texture, the cake must be turned upside down and cooled completely before removing it from the pan. This keeps the weight of the cake from pushing down on itself as it cools. The cake sticks to the side of the pan until you are ready to run a knife along the outside of the pan to gently release it from sides.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cake flour

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar

  • 1 1/2 cups egg whites (about 10 eggs)

  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

  • Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

  • Fresh berries, for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Angel Food Cake ingredients
    Kristina Vanni

  2. Sift flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar together 3 times.

    Angel Food Cake
    Kristina Vanni

  3. Beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar in large bowl on the highest speed of an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy. If you have no mixer, you can use a whisk but be prepared for a workout.

    Angel Food Cake
    Kristina Vanni 

  4. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar over egg whites, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. 

    Angel Food Cake
    Kristina Vanni 

  5. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

    Angel Food Cake
    Kristina Vanni 

  6. Fold in vanilla and almond extracts.

    Angel Food Cake
    Kristina Vanni

  7. Sift dry ingredients, 2 tablespoons at a time, onto the beaten egg whites. Fold in gently but thoroughly with a wire whip or rubber spatula.

    Angel Food Cake
    Kristina Vanni

  8. Pour batter into ungreased tube pan (10 x 4 inches). Make sure that there is not a trace of any fat or grease in pan, or cake won’t rise.

    Angel Food Cake pan
    Kristina Vanni

  9. Draw a skewer gently through batter in a swirly pattern to remove large air bubbles.

    Angel Food Cake
    Kristina Vanni 

  10. Bake in preheated 350 F. oven for 40-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cracks are very dry. 

    Angel Food Cake
    Kristina Vanni

  11. If your tube pan has legs (like the one seen here), invert and allow to cool at least one hour. If your tube pan does not have legs, invert the pan over a bottle to cool.

    Angel Food Cake
    Kristina Vanni 

  12. Once cooled, run a knife along the outside and carefully remove the cake from the pan. Place on a serving plate. 

    Angel Food Cake
    Kristina Vanni

  13. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with fresh fruit.