Using only 6 ingredients, this perfect angel food cake bakes up tall, light, and airy. For best results, follow this recipe and video tutorial closely. The delicate texture can only be achieved with particular ingredients and careful mixing methods.
Ready for a slice of dessert heaven? We are no stranger to decadent and rich cakes. But what about a cake recipe where butter, fat, and egg yolks run away in fright? Meet angel food cake. Angel food cake is a low fat cake recipe made mostly from egg whites, cake flour, and sugar. It’s pristine white on the inside with a chewy light brown crumb around the exterior. What it lacks in butter makes up for in texture. This tall, tender, and timeless cake has a cloud-like crumb and ultra light flavor.
I’ve published angel food cupcakes on my blog, but now it’s time visit where they originate: classic homemade angel food cake!
Angel Food Cake Video Tutorial
Let’s dive right in. First, here’s a video tutorial where I walk you through each step. The steps and ingredients are pretty straightforward, but it’s always helpful to have a clear visual. 🙂
6 Angel Food Cake Ingredients
You only need 6 ingredients to make angel food cake. With so little ingredients, understand that each one is imperative to the cake’s final taste and texture. Here’s the breakdown:
- Granulated Sugar: The recipe begins with granulated sugar. Pulse it in a food processor to create superfine sugar. Superfine sugar’s granules are the best size to provide optimal structure for angel food cake. It’s not as coarse as granulated sugar and not as fine as confectioners’ sugar. Granulated sugar is simply too coarse, while confectioners’ sugar dissolves too quickly in the egg whites.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour is a low protein flour and yields a tender angel food cake. Do not use all-purpose flour because the cake will taste like white bread…! In a pinch, you can use this cake flour substitute. But real cake flour is ideal.
- Salt: Adds flavor.
- Egg Whites: You’ll notice there’s no baking powder or baking soda. The egg whites are actually the sole leavening ingredient providing all the cake’s rise. Use freshly separated eggs because they aerate the best. Carton egg whites or egg whites that have been frozen won’t expand as much during the whipping process, which will negatively affect the rise of your cake. You’ll have a lot of leftover egg yolks, so make some lemon curd and serve it with the cake!
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar is an acid and stabilizes the whipped egg whites, just as it does in my chocolate swirled meringue cookies too. Without it, the cake would collapse. Other acids, such as lemon juice, can work but they aren’t nearly as effective. Cream of tartar is found in the spice aisle and is actually a common baking ingredient. I have many recipes calling for it!
- Vanilla Extract: Adds flavor.
How to Make Perfect Angel Food Cake
I’m confident this will be the most perfect angel food cake to ever hit your lips. We can’t achieve angel food cake perfection for free, so make sure you follow these steps closely.
- Pulse the granulated sugar into superfine sugar. Use a food processor or blender.
- Set 1 cup of the superfine sugar aside. You’ll add it to the egg whites.
- Add cake flour and salt to food processor. Pulse them with the remaining sugar. This aerates the dry ingredients.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar together. Beat on medium-low speed until foamy.
- Slowly add 1 cup of superfine sugar. Turn the mixer up to medium-high and pour in the superfine sugar you set aside.
- Beat into soft peaks. Whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and superfine sugar into soft and lofty peaks. This takes at least 5 minutes. After that, add the vanilla.
- Sift and fold in dry ingredients. In 3 additions, sift and fold in the dry ingredients.
- Pour/spread batter into a tube pan. Do not grease the tube pan. Greasing the pan causes the batter to slip down the sides, preventing it from properly rising. If you already greased it, wash and wipe it completely clean.
- Bake at 325°F (163°C). A higher temperature won’t properly cook the cake.
- Cool upside down on a wire rack. If cooled upright, the cake’s own weight will crush itself. Cool it upside-down on a cooling rack so it holds its shape and air can reach it.
- Run a thin knife around the edges to release. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to help loosen the cake, too.
- Slice with a serrated knife. A regular sharp knife squishes the cake.
Can I use a Bundt pan for angel food cake? No, do not use a Bundt pan for angel food cake. You’ll have a very hard time getting it out in one piece. You need a tube pan which has a flat bottom and straight sides. If you don’t have one, I recommend this tube pan. It’s relatively inexpensive for its great quality. Though it’s labeled as nonstick, the coating is VERY thin and has never been an issue for my angel food cakes.
And good news: here’s a helpful trick for how to bake angel food cake without a tube pan.
You need 1 cup (16 Tablespoons) + 2 Tablespoons of cake flour. Sounds like an odd amount, but 18 Tablespoons is the precise quantity to bring enough structure to the cake.
Soft Peaks, Not Stiff Peaks
Remember, whip the egg whites into soft peaks. (Pictured above.) Soft peaks don’t hold a stiff shape. Instead, they “wilt” back into the mixture after a few seconds. Soft peaks are the optimum consistency because they’ll continue to expand in the oven. Stiff peaks, on the other hand, means that the egg whites have been over-whipped for angel food cake and will likely collapse in the oven.
Important to remember: Don’t let a drop of egg yolks into the mixing bowl. Any lingering fat could prevent the egg whites from forming peaks at all. Crack eggs over an egg separator into a small bowl, then add the whites one-by-one into the mixing bowl. This way if the yolk breaks, it doesn’t break directly in the mixing bowl.
Sift the dry ingredients over the beaten egg whites in a few additions, gently folding together after each addition. The goal is to retain as much of the whipped volume as possible. Pouring the dry ingredients on top all at once will quickly deflate the egg whites.
The Magic is in the Details
I’ve thrown a lot of information at you in this post, so here’s a quick summary of all the important success tips. Remember that the magic is all in the details.
- Use freshly separated egg whites.
- Pulse granulated sugar into superfine sugar.
- Whip egg whites into soft peaks, not stiff peaks.
- Sift and gently fold in dry ingredients.
- Do not grease the tube pan.
- Cool the cake upside-down on a wire rack.
- Use a serrated knife to slice.
Helpful Tools
- Food Processor – These range in price. You can use a little ninja, a big food processor, or even a blender.
- Egg Separator – This is very inexpensive, but SO HANDY!
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- Fine Mesh Strainer (Sieve/Sifter)
- Tube Pan
- Cooling Rack
Want to make angel food cupcakes? I have you covered.
Angel food cake doesn’t need to hide under frosting, but tastes blissful with fresh berries, raspberry sauce, and/or a dollop of whipped cream! Feel free to dust the top with confectioners’ sugar, too. If you enjoy these flavors together, you’ll love my fresh berry cream cake. (Which, if I’m being honest, isn’t quite as fussy as this cake!)
I know what you’re thinking: is this cake really worth it? The answer is YES. Angel food cake boasts a texture like no other and once you go through the process, you’ll understand the preparation isn’t that difficult—it’s just a little picky. 😉 Let’s do this!
See Your Angel Food Cakes!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
Print
Angel Food Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Using only 6 ingredients, this perfect angel food cake bakes up tall, light, and airy. For best results, read the recipe in full before beginning and have all your ingredients ready to go. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar*
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (133g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 large egg whites, at room temperature*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- optional: confectioners’ sugar for dusting, whipped cream, and berries
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat oven to 325°F (163°C).
- In a food processor or blender, pulse the sugar until fine and powdery. Remove 1 cup and set aside to use in step 3; keep the rest inside the food processor. Add the cake flour and salt to the food processor. Pulse 5-10 times until sugar/flour/salt mixture is aerated and light.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium-low until foamy, about 1 minute. Switch to medium-high and slowly add the 1 cup of sugar you set aside. Whip until soft peaks form, about 5-6 minutes. See photo and video above for a visual. Add the vanilla extract, then beat just until incorporated.
- In 3 additions, slowly sift the flour mixture into the egg white mixture using a fine mesh strainer, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition. To avoid deflating or a dense cake, don’t add the flour mixture all at once. Sift and very slowly fold in several additions. This is important! Pour and spread batter into an ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Shimmy the pan on the counter to smooth down the surface.
- Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. The cake will rise up very tall while baking. Remove from the oven, then cool the cake completely upside-down set on a wire rack, about 3 hours. (Upside-down so the bottom of the tube pan is right-side up, see photo and video above.) Once cooled, run a thin knife around the edges and gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases.
- If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Slice the cake with a sharp serrated knife. Regular knives can easily squish the cake. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the angel food cake one day in advance, then cover tightly and store at room temperature overnight. Angel food cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Blender or Food Processor | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Egg Separator | Fine Mesh Sieve | Silicone Spatula | Tube Pan | Cooling Rack
- Sugar: In this recipe, you use granulated sugar and pulse it in a food processor to make superfine sugar. If you have superfine sugar or caster sugar, use that. Pulse 3/4 cup of it with the dry ingredients in step 2. Use 1 cup of it in step 3.
- Egg Whites: I strongly recommend using fresh real egg whites instead of egg white substitutes, previously frozen egg whites, or egg whites from a carton. Separate the eggs when they’re cold, then bring the egg whites to room temperature. Fresh room temperature egg whites whip into the fluffiest volume. With the extra yolks, make lemon curd or some of these recipes.
- Pan: An angel food cake pan (aka tube pan) is imperative. Do not use a Bundt pan. Angel food cake’s structure and stability requires the tube pan’s particular specifications. Some angel food cake pans come with little feet, which makes cooling the cake upside down easy. If your pan has feet, no need to use a wire rack. Whether your tube pan has feet or not, cool the cake upside down as directed in step 5.
- Party Angel Food Cake: Turn this cake into a party by gently folding in 1/2 cup of rainbow sprinkles before pouring and spreading the batter into the tube pan. Once cake is ready to serve, skip the confectioners’ sugar and top with chocolate ganache and more sprinkles.
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Reader Comments and Reviews
YUM!!!!
This was actually much easier to make than I thought it would be, and it came out perfectly! Great recipe!
My mom loves this cake. I need to know the sodium level for my dad please. Low sodium diet.
Hi Vivi, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I made this ngrl food cake. It was golden brown & I also checked it with a tooth pick. When I turned it upside down to cool. It fell out of the pan!! I have made angel food cakes many times before & have never had this happen?? Any suggestions?
Hi Beverly, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Was your pan nonstick? For angel food cake, its best to not use a nonstick pan, or one with very light nonstick coating like the one we link to in this post. We want the cake to cling to the side of the pan and not fall out once inverted. It’s also important not to grease the pan, as you need the batter to cling to the sides of the pan as it’s rising. By greasing the pan, the light batter will not rise. Hope this helps for next time!
My Angel Food Cake recipe calls for exactly the same ingredients in the same amounts as this one. However, my directions were a slightly different method. I was hoping for an even lighter cake than the one I have been making for years. I ended up with a much denser cake, that was not very high. After reading the reviews I was expecting an even higher cake. I was so disappointed. It was lower than any of my previous cakes. I will be going back to my old method. I carefully read through all the directions and watched the video. After decades of successful angel food cakes, this was surely a disappointment.
Will a silicone pan work or must it be a tin pan
Hi Jo, a tube pan is crucial for angel food cake. We haven’t come across a silicone tube pan before, but we’d recommend sticking with a metal tube pan for best results.
Is there a way to make this orange flavor? Either using zest, extract, juice?
Hi Yee, we haven’t tested an orange version of this angel food cake, but let us know if you do! We would be careful about adding too much juice to the batter, zest would be better for adding flavor without compromising texture. Let us know what you try!
I have made lemon flavored, adding extract or lemon juice powder
Hello Sally and team. I really like your recipes. Thanks. However, your webpage is too busy and very hard to follow visually. Between your pictures of the cake, other recipes of yours popping up , third-party video ads popping up, and trying to go back and forth between the actual recipe video and the applicable tips for each step, it’s just too distracting and difficult to follow. It’s really too bad cause you have good recipes and way better instructions than many recipe sites.
Hi F. This is helpful feedback. You aren’t the only reader noticing this because we actually had a spammy influx of ads appear on the site over the weekend (and part of last week). I have put in requests to rid them, so the layout will look much lighter. (5 spammy placements have already been removed.) Thank you again for letting us know.
I just made this recipe and absolutely love it! I did not preheat the oven until I put the cake in and it was so fluffy! I will be making this again
I’ve had hit and miss success with angel food cakes in the past so I read the instructions and watched the video carefully and it turned out perfectly! It was the tallest, fluffiest, tastiest angel food cake I’ve ever made. I think the key was not overbeating the egg whites, giving them the opportunity to rise in the oven. Will definitely make this again 🙂
I wonder if using berry sugar and sifting it with the flour. would be a good work around for not having a good processor?
Hi Emilie, we have not tested this recipe that way, but since angel food cake can be quite finicky, we recommend sticking with the ingredients and recipe as written for best results.
THIS IS AMAZING!!!!! No words.
Maybe it’s me but when I made this the bottom of the cake came out all eggy it was basically baked egg. What did I do wrong?
Likely didn’t fold the dry ingredients in sufficiently.
Fantastic! I made this yesterday, and it is everything it should be–light, fluffy, and delicious. By the way, if you’re new to the subject (as I was), you absolutely DO need the angel food cake pan. I hate to buy anything that has only one use, but it made a huge difference in this cake.
I’ve been saving and freezing egg whites since July to have enough to make this angel food cake. The entire baking process was so fun and satisfying. It all came together and baked the most perfect angel food cake. I got to nibble a little on the puffer edge, but unfortunately have to wait until tomorrow to eat it. I’m taking it to a work event and serving it with homemade lemon black berry compote that I canned earlier this summer.
I use this recipe all the time. I’d been looking for something to use egg whites when making creme Brule and had made cookies a Pavlova and other things with them until I found this recipe. I don’t ever use creme of tartar and it still works great! My family loves it. I especially love the simplicity. And the trick using food processor to make super fine sugar has saved me so much hassle! Thank you!
I loved the detail in this recipe. Simply indispensible when baking. I also loved the why…one issue no bake time.
I loved the detail in this recipe. Simply indispensible when baking. I also loved the why…
My first time ever making angel food cake and this recipe delivered! I didn’t have an electric mixer so beating the egg whites took foreverrrr and my arm almost fell off, BUT the cake baked perfectly and did not sink after. So excited! Thank you for the video instructions too.
I followed the instructions exactly as written… Hands down the best angel food cake that I have ever had. The texture absolutely perfect, light and melts in your mouth. If you made this cake and it didn’t turn out amazing, it was you and not the recipe.
4th time was a charm. I had to make some adjustments to the recipe to work at this altitude. I did equal amounts of egg whites and sugar (350 g) and I used 150 g of cake flour. I also wiped down the mixing bowl, wisk attachment, and the cake pan with lemon juice prior to using (a comment I saw online). I made 2 cakes and they both stayed in the pan upside down. YIPPEE.
Hi! This recipe sounds really good and the instructions are so clear. I’m really excited to bake this cake for dinner with the in-laws this weekend. Any advice for high altitude baking?
Hi Pamela, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html Let us know if you give it a try!
Thank you so much for your quick reply. Also, I was thinking of slicing the cake down the middle and add some cream cheese mousse and fresh fruit. Do you think the cake would hold up? Or would it be better to just serve the mousse and fruit on the side?
Hi Pamela, this cake should hold up. Sounds like a delicious idea!
Came out perfectly! Great taste – not too sweet
I’ve made angel food cake for years, having an abundance of eggs from our chickens and being my mom’s favorite cake. This is, without question, the best recipe I’ve ever made!
goes flat, Ive made angel food before and always had it hold its shape. This recipe, no good. It tastes fine but it falls the second you go to give it a turn at the 20 min mark. what a waste of 12 eggs. At least I can use the yolks for ice cream base. will not make this again.
I forgot to add the vanilla! Would you recommend anything to try and make it right? Maybe a vanilla glaze?
Hi Brooke! Are you making a whipped cream topping? The little bit of vanilla in there should add nice flavor.
Perfection! I halved the recipe to make in two 5×2 pans for a 1st birthday cake (probably could have used three 5×2 pans). I followed the recipe as written and it was excellent. It’s fluffy, light, and not too sweet. This will be a go-to cake recipe. Thank you!
This was the best angel food cake I have ever made. Every thing I have made from her site has been outstanding!
I ~halved the recipe because I had 8 egg whites from ice cream I made a few days ago and against all odds, this turned out delicious. Moist and light and not too sweet. I baked the halved batter recipe in a loaf pan and struggled getting it out, but the struggle was totally worth it. Sally really never fails me.
Came out perfect and delicious! Thanks for sharing another great recipe Sally.
I’m a longtime baker, and I have grown to love and trust your recipes Sally! This was my first time baking Angel Food cake (a birthday request from a beloved uncle) and it was sooooo delicious and a big hit! All of your detailed instructions were so helpful. Today I’ll make lemon curd. Thanks Sally!