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angel food cake on a serving platter topped with fresh blueberries, strawberries, and cherries
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Angel Food Cake Recipe

You only need 7 ingredients to make the BEST Angel Food Cake recipe! This cake is perfectly light, airy, and fluffy. Serve with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries for the best summer dessert. Check out all my baking tips below so you can make the perfect Angel Food Cake every time!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Author Tessa Arias

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 cup bleached cake flour, sifted (85 grams after sifting)
  • 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar, sifted and divided in half
  • 11 to 12 large (360 grams) fresh eggs whites, at room temperature*
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

For the whipped cream:

  • 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • Edible flowers, fresh fruit, etc. for garnish

Instructions

Make the cake:

  • Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour and 3/4 cup (150 grams) of the sugar. Set aside.
  • In a clean metal bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the room temperature egg whites on medium-low until just beginning to froth. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat on medium speed until soft cloud-like mounds appear.
  • Gradually add in the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all the sugar is added and the mixture is glossy with soft peaks. Add in the vanilla and lemon juice until just combined.
  • Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of the flour/sugar mixture over the egg white mixture. Gently fold in with a large rubber spatula. Repeat until all of the flour mixture has been gently stirred in.
  • Gently scrape the mixture into a 9-inch ungreased tube pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Tap the pan against the counter to release any large air bubbles and settle the batter.
  • Bake until the cake is golden brown and the top springs back when firmly pressed, about 45 minutes.
  • If your tube pan has prongs around the rim for lifting, invert the pan onto them. Let the cake cool completely upside down, at least 2 hours. Don’t worry – it won’t fall out of the pan!
  • To unmold, run a plastic/silicone knife around the edge of the pan, being careful not to separate the crust. Slide the cake out of the pan and cut around the removable bottom to release. Place the cake bottom side up on a serving platter.

Make the whipped cream:

  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream and sugar. Whip until soft peaks form. Spread all over the top of the cake. Decorate with any garnishes.

To serve:

  • Use a sharp serrated knife to gently cut slices. Cake should be served the day it’s made.

Video

Notes

*For best results, use a very clean metal mixing bowl (not glass or plastic). Weigh the egg whites to get the correct amount, especially if using pasture-raised or locally-grown eggs. Don’t use carton liquid egg whites. Separate the eggs when cold, then bring completely to room temperature before whipping.
Only use an unlined tube pan for this recipe. Nonstick will not work. Use a 9-inch 16-cup metal tube pan like this one for best results.