This No Fail Homemade Angel Food Cake is the BEST homemade angel food cake recipe that’s tender, fluffy, and easy to make with my pro tips! It’s WAY better than a box mix!
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If I had to pick a favourite dessert of all time and cheesecake was off the table, Angel Food Cake would be a sure winner. It’s fluffy, tender, and has the perfect sweet flavour to go with all those fresh berries we’re enjoying this time of year! If I’m honest, I avoided making it from scratch for YEARS, only because I’d heard horror stories about how difficult it can be to get a homemade Angel Food Cake just right with the perfect amount of height, and with boxed mixes so readily available I took the easy way out.
Since moving to Europe a few years ago where cake mixes are non-existent, I’ve had to perfect my homemade Angel Food Cake recipe and I’m happy to say I was totally wrong – homemade Angel Food Cake can be SO easy to make and my no-fail recipe is truly amazing. With a few simple tips and tricks, a No Fail Homemade Angel Food Cake is an easy summer dessert to add to your baking repertoire!
Throw away that boxed Angel Food Cake mix and try these simple tips to make sure your homemade Angel Food Cake turns out perfectly, just like mine!
- DON’T GREASE your pan! Use a 10-inch fluted aluminum tube pan (also known as an Angel Food Cake pan) and pour that batter right into it – no greasing required! Greasing the pan would prevent the cake from rising up in the oven as the batter would have nothing to cling onto as it bakes. And don’t worry, removing the cake is easy with a thin knife or offset spatula.
- WHIP those egg whites! This recipe calls for 12 egg whites!! Whip them up to peaks as stiff as you can get, and don’t forget the cream of tartar. It lends stability to the egg whites. My favourite Kitchen Aid Mixer does a fabulous job of this – check it out HERE (affiliate link)!
- SIFT your dry ingredients twice or three times! You want anything you add to the whipped egg whites to be as light as possible to keep the volume of the batter. No clumps here!
- FOLD with a whisk! Using a whisk to fold the dry ingredients into the whipped egg whites will help the mixture keep its volume. Don’t forget to be VERY gentle and add the dry ingredients in 3-5 additions to ensure maximum volume!!
- Cool it upside-down with lots of air flow! This ensures the cake keeps its height and doesn’t fall as it cools!
- SLICE with a serrated knife! When it comes time to serve, cut the cake with your favourite serrated or bread knife. This will cut through the cake with little effort, keeping as much height as possible.
Since I stopped using boxed cake mixes for my Angel Food Cakes, this No Fail Homemade Angel Food Cake recipe has become one of my favourite go-to recipes! It is absolutely stellar, and it’s far tastier and prettier than anything I’ve ever whipped up from a box. And if I’m honest, it’s not really that much more difficult to make!
If you need a great Angel Food Cake pan for this recipe and you don’t have one, you can find my favourite one HERE (affiliate link). It’s basic, works fantastically every time, it’s easy to clean, and it won’t break the bank!
Looking for more Spring desserts? You will LOVE these Cherry Cheesecake Popsicles or these Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake Cups!
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No Fail Homemade Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, minus 2 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 12 egg whites, at room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- a pinch of sea salt
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
- berries or your favourite fruit sauce, and whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Measure the flour, cornstarch and 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar very carefully into a large bowl. Whisk together with a wire whisk.
- Sift the flour mixture into another large bowl using a fine sieve or flour sifter. Sift the flour mixture back into the first bowl and then again into the second bowl (so, you're sifting the mixture 3 times). Set aside.
- Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl, or to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Whip on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt.
- Continue whipping on high speed until soft peaks form.
- While continuing to whip on medium-high speed, add the 3/4 cup powdered sugar slowly - about 2 tablespoons at a time - until it's fully incorporated.
- Increase the speed to high and whip until hard peaks form, adding the vanilla as it whips.
- Using a wire whisk, fold the flour mixture into the whipped egg whites about 1/4 cup at a time, making sure to fold very gently and slowly, so as not to deflate the egg whites. This is a critical step, so take care and take your time.
- Pour the batter slowly into an un-greased 10-inch Angel Food Cake or Tube Pan and smooth out the top carefully.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and the cake springs back when you touch it gently.
- Invert the cake to cool (turn it upside down) on a glass to promote air flow. Cooling the cake upside down with lots of airflow will ensure that it doesn't fall as it cools and that it maintains its grand height.
- Let the cake cool completely to room temperature (I let it cool for at least an hour) before slicing and serving with fresh berries (or your favourite fruit sauce) and whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition
*I’ve adapted this recipe from Anna Olson’s version from her cookbook Bake with Anna Olson (affiliate link).
Tracy says
This looks amazing and I want give it a go! However, not too sure if you leave the cake in the pan when you invert it or take the pan off? As in, do you invert it pretty much straight out of the oven (or do you leave it to cool a while)?
Chrissie says
Thanks! Yes, you leave the cake in the pan to cool completely and remove it from the pan only once it’s completely cool. Also, be sure to invert it straight out of the oven so it doesn’t fall! Good luck!
Teunis says
If the pan is upside down on “a glass” will there essentially be no airflow? Or do we just require airflow around/onto the pan as it cools? Also, we should place the pan onto “a glass” what?
Thank you.
_t
Chrissie says
Place a drinking glass upside down on the counter and then turn the cake pan upside down, placing the middle of the pan onto the top of the glass. This will elevate the cake above the counter to the height of the glass, creating lots of airflow 🙂
Debbie says
Hi there
What do you usually do with the leftover egg yolks. I don’t want them to be wasted
Thanks
Debbie
Chrissie says
I almost always make my homemade vanilla pastry cream with the leftover yolks! You can find it HERE.
Krystal says
I just made this and I followed the instructions as I was making it and realized the salt wasn’t put in in the directions so I was just wondering when you put the salt in ?
Chrissie says
The salt goes in with the cream of tartar. 🙂
Ishrat Trishna says
Hi, This recipe looks amazing. I wonder however is it possible to bake it in a loaf pan? I have a loaf pan that would accomodate half the batter volume. Would you know how the bake time should be modified?
Chrissie says
I wouldn’t recommend this – Angel Food Cake pans are specifically made to help the batter crawl up the sides of the pan when baking and the hole in the middle promotes even baking. I doubt it would turn out well in a loaf pan, unfortunately.
Ishrat Trishna says
I understand. Thank you for your response. 🙂
Kyla says
My cake turned out much tougher than I had anticipated. I’m thinking that maybe I left it to whisk for too long? Or I made a mistake when incorporating the sifted flour mixture? I also baked it in a 9” pan without the hole in the middle. Do you think that made a difference?
Chrissie says
My guess is both the pan with no hole, and probably incorporating the flour mixture too roughly. If you don’t fold it in gently it deflates the batter making the cake quite tough. You can’t really over-whisk egg whites, so it’s also possible you didn’t whisk them long enough, or perhaps they were too cold (this also prevents them from taking on enough air). Hope you give it another try!
Kyla says
Also, would you recommend using cake flour instead? We are living in Asia, and I don’t know if the flour is any different than it is back home. Thanks!
Chrissie says
Any 000 all purpose flour should work. Be sure the all purpose flour you buy is 000 and you should be fine. 🙂
Tracey says
For an added treat, you can fold in some grated chocolate with the flour. My Mum used to do this, tastes awesome.
Chrissie says
That’s a great idea! Thanks!! 🙂
Shawntae says
Would this work for making cupcakes?
Chrissie says
I’ve never tried this, so I can’t comment on how this will work unfortunately.
Alon Greenberg says
I made this in a normal springform pan and it cake out pretty well. I also cut it in half then put lemon curd in the middle.
Chrissie says
Sounds delicious!
Alison Sumner says
Hi Chrissie
Do you mean powdered sugar as in icing sugar or castor sugar? Have you also experimented making this recipe using almond extract or lemon juice and rind instead of vanilla extract, did you find vanilla extract better. Have you used the Mondo angel cake tin, do you know if this one’s ok? It’s the only one available in our baking store here?
Chrissie says
Yes, powdered sugar is fine sugar – castor sugar should be fine. And feel free to use lemon zest or almond extract instead of vanilla. 🙂
Beyza says
Can I bake this in a springform pan without hole?
Chrissie says
No, I’m sorry. The Angel Food Cake pan is essential to even baking.
Sarah says
This recipe sounds awesome. I would love to give it a try, do you know if it requires any adjustments for high altitude (I’m about 3,500 feet here)?
Chrissie says
Unfortunately I can’t comment on that since I’ve never made this recipe at high altitude, but whatever baking adjustments you normally make would likely work here too. Adding a bit of flour and reducing the sugar a bit might help!
Petra says
What size of cake tin did you use ?
Chrissie says
It’s a standard angel food cake pan (9 inches).
Janet Dudek says
Can I substitute dry powdered egg whites?
Chrissie says
I wouldn’t recommend this.
Violet says
Made 2 at once for company. This was my first time making angel food cake from scratch. They turned out wonderful! And I didn’t sift my ingredients because I don’t own a sifter. Thanks for a great recipe.
The Busy Baker says
So happy to hear it turned out so well!! Thanks for the comment!😊
Barb says
I made this yesterday for my daughter’s birthday, it looks and tastes great but it wasn’t airy enough . Does the humidity and temperature play part do you think ?
Chrissie says
Yes, this can definitely affect it. It could also be that perhaps you didn’t whip the egg whites quite enough before adding the other ingredients.