Heavenly Angel Food Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to angel food cake? ›

Egg Whites: The star of the show! They provide all of the leavening for angel food cake. Using only whites (no yolks) gives this cake a super light texture. Be sure to use only fresh eggs; liquid egg whites in a carton have been pasteurized, which can prevent them from whipping into stiff peaks.

Add an extra egg. Beat all eggs before adding any other ingredients. If vanilla or yellow cake, replace water with milk or any version of silk, decreasing the amount by the extra amount of oil you will use (end of this paragraph). Add an extra teaspoon or two of vanilla.

1) Use the same quantity of milk as water called for in the recipe. 2) You may replace the milk with buttermilk to give your cake an additional rich flavor. Use a few additional tablespoons of buttermilk than the recipe calls for because it's very thick.

A small bit of moisture or egg yolk mixed in with the egg whites, a particularly humid day, or repeatedly opening your oven can also cause the cake to not rise. Over-mixing the batter once you've added the flour is another likely culprit, mix until just combined.

Without yeast to act as a leavening agent, an angel food cake relies completely on the egg whites to rise. You want to whip the whites just until they form soft peaks; whipping too much will make the cake chewy and dense.

It's essential to use a pan without a non-stick coating here—as when making any angel food cake—since the batter clings to the sides of the pan as it rises. A non-stick surface would prevent the cake from reaching its optimal lofty, fluffy ideal. The pan should also have the same diameter as called for in the recipe.

Add one to two teaspoons of a pure extract to make it taste like a from-scratch cake. Pure vanilla extract and pure almond extract are great options, but you could also try lemon extract or orange extract paired with fresh citrus zest.

Add an Extra Egg

Most cake mixes call for two to three eggs. Just one more egg will add extra moisture, fat, and a little protein, which means the cake will be softer and less likely to overbake and dry out in the oven.

If you've added to much oil or water to your mix then you'll need to compensate with extra dry ingredients. You'll need to add some additional flour to even out your mix. Just eyeball how much you need or add it by tablespoons to be cautious until the texture is right.

If you added a moderate amount of extra water(½ to 1 cup) add half the volume of flour and ½ tsp baking powder and sugar equal to ⅓ the flour. Cakes fixed this way will be slightly dry but serviceable, particularly given that you started with a boxed cake anyway. Beyond that point just make a double recipe.

Why can't you use a plastic bowl for angel food cake? ›

Use only metal or glass mixing bowls when making Angel Food Cake. Plastic or ceramic bowls retain oils which will disturb the rising process. When beating egg whites try not to under beat or over beat; egg whites should be stiff but not dry.

Angel Food Cake is made using egg whites (no yolks) and no fat. Traditional sponge cakes will typically contain both egg whites and egg yolks, as well as fat (usually in the form of butter or oil).

The egg taste might be due to using low-quality eggs, not fully incorporating the eggs into the batter, overmixing, or other factors. Here are some steps you can take to help get rid of the egg taste: Use Fresh Eggs: Ensure you're using fresh eggs. Older eggs can sometimes have a more pronounced taste.

Angel food cake relies heavily on egg whites for its light and airy texture. The egg whites are whipped to soft foldable peaks for the ideal consistency- a balance between texture and structural properties.

Do not grease the angel food cake tube pan (one in which the center tube is higher than the walls of pan and the bottom is removable.) You want the batter to cling to the side while it is rising. A greased pan will not allow the batter to rise.

Every angel food cake has to be cooled upside down in the pan. Why? Until the cake is completely cooled, its spongy structure hasn't set. Flipping it upside down makes sure it doesn't collapse during that process.

It must be cooled UPSIDE DOWN. That's right. Because we're not using a nonstick pan or greasing the pan, the cake won't fall out. This step is crucial to prevent the cake from collapsing when cooling.