Cloud-Soft Angel Food Cake Recipe: Heaven in Every Bite

Baking a perfectly light angel food cake with heavenly texture takes skill and the right angel food cake recipe.

This cloud-like dessert melts in your mouth, creating a delightful experience for anyone who loves sweet treats.

Professional bakers and home cooks alike appreciate the delicate crumb and ethereal softness of this classic confection.

Whipping egg whites to stiff peaks creates the signature airy structure that makes this cake so special.

Each slice promises a melt-in-your-mouth experience that feels like pure culinary magic.

The simple ingredients transform into an elegant dessert that will impress everyone at the table.

Indulge in this sublime cake and savor every heavenly bite.

Quick Recipe Overview

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Calories: 130 kcal

Servings: 12

Angel Food Cake Ingredient Rundown

• Cake Flour: Delicate and light flour that creates the signature airy texture of angel food cake, ensuring a soft and tender crumb.
• Granulated Sugar: Essential for sweetness and helps create the cake's delicate structure and glossy meringue-like surface.

• Egg Whites: Theal foundation of angel food cake, providing volume, stability, and the signature cloud-like texture when whipped to perfection.
• Cream of Tartar: Stabilizes egg whites, helping them maintain their fluffy volume and preventing liquid separation during whipping.
• Salt: Enhances the overall flavor and helps balance the sweetness of the cake.
• Vanilla Extract: Adds a warm, comforting aroma and depth of flavor to the delicate cake.

• Powdered Sugar: Perfect for creating a light, elegant dusting that adds a touch of sweetness and visual appeal to the finished cake.

Tools to Whip Up This Fluffy Classic

• Angel Food Cake Pan (Tube Pan): Essential for achieving the classic tall, airy shape of angel food cake, with a removable bottom for easy cake release.
• Fine-Mesh Sieve: Perfect for sifting flour and sugar multiple times, ensuring a light and fluffy cake texture.
• Large Mixing Bowl: Needed for combining dry ingredients and whipping egg whites to soft, cloudlike peaks.
• Electric Mixer or Whisk: Critical for beating egg whites to the right consistency, creating the cake's signature volume.
• Rubber Spatula: Gentle tool for folding ingredients together without deflating the delicate egg white mixture.
• Cooling Rack: Allows cake to cool evenly and prevents soggy bottom from trapped steam.
• Measuring Cups and Spoons: Precise measuring ensures recipe success.

How to Bake Angel Food Cake That Rises Right

• Prepare Oven and Pan

Crank up your oven to a cozy 350 degrees. Grab your special tube pan and make sure it’s squeaky clean and totally grease-free.

• Create Fluffy Flour Mixture

Grab your sifter and dance the flour and sugar together, letting them tumble softly through the mesh. Repeat this sifting ritual two more times to create an incredibly light and airy base that’ll make your cake cloud-like.

• Whip Egg Whites to Perfection

Break those egg whites into a sparkling clean bowl. Start whisking them gently, then ramp up the speed. As they transform from clear to white and puffy, sprinkle in the remaining sugar likeal snow. Keep whipping until they form glossy, stiff peaks that stand at attention.

• Fold with Gentle Love

Slowly introduce your flour mixture into the egg white wonderland. Use a delicate folding motion, almost like you’re tucking the ingredients into a soft, fluffy blanket. Be super gentle to keep all that beautiful air inside.

• Pour and Bake

Softly slide your cloud-like batter into the waiting pan. Pop it into the preheated oven and let the happen. Bake until the top is golden and springs back when you touch it, about 35-40 minutes.

• Cool Upside Down

Once baked, immediately flip the pan upside down on a cooling rack. Let it hang out like this until completely cool, allowing the cake to maintain its dreamy, tall structure.

• Release and Serve

Carefully run a knife around the edges and gently release your masterpiece. Slice and serve this heavenly creation that’s light as a breeze.

Tips to Avoid Collapsing or Gumming Up

• Ensure egg whites are at room temperature and use a spotlessly clean, grease-free bowl to achieve perfect peak formation for maximum cake volume.
• Gently fold flour mixture into egg whites using a spatula with a bottom-to-top motion to preserve air bubbles and maintain the cake's signature light texture.
• Replace cake flour with a gluten-free flour blend designed for baking, maintaining the delicate structure while accommodating dietary restrictions.
• Enhance the basic recipe by adding lemon zest, vanilla bean seeds, or almond extract to create unique flavor profiles without compromising the cake's classic lightness.
• Store angel food cake loosely covered at room temperature for 2-3 days, or freeze wrapped tightly for up to a month to preserve its delicate texture and fresh taste.

Serve with Fresh Berries or Drizzle

• Heavenly Dessert Companions: Pair this light, airy angel food cake with fresh seasonal berries for a burst of natural sweetness and vibrant color.
• Creamy Dream Topping: Whip up a luscious vanilla bean cream or mascarpone frosting to add a rich, smooth contrast to the cake's delicate texture.
• Citrus Zest Delight: Sprinkle lemon or orange zest over the cake slices to introduce a bright, refreshing note that complements the cake's subtle sweetness.
• Elegant Presentation Hack: Dust the cake with powdered sugar and garnish with edible flowers for a stunning, Instagram-worthy dessert that looks as amazing as it tastes.

Store Covered and Upright

• Keep egg whites at room temperature for 30 minutes before whipping to achieve maximum volume and stability.
• Store leftover angel food cake in an airtight container with a loose cover, maintaining freshness for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
• Wrap individual cake slices tightly in plastic wrap, then place in freezer-safe bags. Frozen cake stays delicious for up to 2 months when sealed properly.
• Prepare cake batter immediately before baking for optimal texture and height, avoiding extended waiting periods that might deflate egg white peaks.

FAQs

• Why do I need to sift the flour multiple times?

Sifting helps remove lumps, aerates the flour, and creates a lighter, more delicate cake texture. The multiple sifting steps ensure a smoother, more uniform batter that contributes to the cake’s signature airy consistency.

• Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?

No, cake flour is essential for angel food cake. It has a lower protein content, which helps create the light, delicate crumb that defines this classic dessert. All-purpose flour would make the cake dense and heavy.

• What makes the cake rise so high and fluffy?

The key is whipping egg whites to stiff peaks and carefully folding in the dry ingredients. This technique traps air bubbles, allowing the cake to rise and create its signature cloudlike texture without using any added leavening agents.

• Why can't I grease the pan for this recipe?

An ungreased pan allows the egg white foam to cling to the sides of the pan as it rises, helping the cake achieve maximum height and volume. Greasing would prevent the batter from climbing the pan walls, resulting in a flat, dense cake.

Fluffy Angel Food Cake Recipe

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.7 from 20 reviews

• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 13 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Heavenly angel food cake delights dessert enthusiasts with its cloud-like texture and delicate sweetness. Light, airy layers melt in your mouth, offering pure bliss for those craving a classic American bakery treat.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 large egg whites (room temperature)
• 1.5 cups (300 g / 10.6 oz) granulated sugar (divided)
• 1 cup (120 g / 4.2 oz) cake flour (or all-purpose flour sifted with 2 tbsps cornstarch)
• 1.5 tsps cream of tartar
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsps vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp almond extract (optional)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Oven Preparation: Position rack centrally and preheat to 350F (175C), keeping an ungreased tube pan at the ready.
2. Flour Mixture: Sift cake flour with half the sugar meticulously, repeating the process three times to achieve an ultra-fine, uniform blend.
3. Egg White Management: Allow egg whites to reach room temperature, transferring them to an immaculate mixing bowl, ensuring absolute yolk separation.
4. Meringue Formation: Whip egg whites with cream of tartar and salt at medium speed, developing a foamy texture until soft peaks emerge.
5. Sugar Integration: Incrementally add remaining sugar while whipping at high speed, transforming the mixture into glossy, rigid peaks that maintain structural integrity.
6. Batter Composition: Delicately fold sifted flour-sugar blend into whipped whites using sweeping motions, preserving meringue’s airiness until no flour streaks remain visible.
7. Pan Filling and Baking: Carefully transfer batter to tube pan, eliminating potential air pockets, and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and resilient to gentle touch.
8. Cooling Protocol: Immediately invert pan after removing from oven, allowing complete cooling while suspended to maintain the cake’s signature volume and ethereal texture.
9. Serving Preparation: Once cooled, detach cake from pan’s edges using a thin knife, revealing its cloud-like interior and preparing for elegant presentation.

Notes

• Egg White Precision: Ensure absolutely no yolk contamination when separating eggs, as fat prevents proper meringue formation and volume.
• Temperature Control: Allow egg whites to reach room temperature before whipping for maximum volume and stable peaks.
• Gentle Folding Technique: Use a delicate sweeping motion when incorporating flour to preserve the meringue’s delicate air bubbles, preventing cake deflation.
• Cooling Crucial Step: Immediately invert the pan after baking and cool completely suspended to maintain the cake’s signature light, airy texture and prevent collapse.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 13
• Calories: 100
• Sugar: 23 g
• Sodium: 50 mg
• Fat: 0 g
• Saturated Fat: 0 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 25 g
• Fiber: 0 g
• Protein: 3 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg